Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-16
Engineer Who Holds Thirteen Lucky Number

James Jackson the veteran Rock
Island engineer, has been discharged from
the clifford hospital in Omaha where he
has been undergoing treatment for an &C
cident that caused the loss Of his left eye
He Is now at his home 81 Fourth street
Council Bluffs, recovering from the ef-
fects OF his painful injury. The accident
occurred on Friday, September l6, and
was caused by the bursting OF the lubri-
Gator glass on his engine, Sl3 pulling train
No. ~. in the Rock Island passenger
service between Council Bluffs and Fair
bury, Neb. The engine was still in the
roundhouse and Engineer jackson was ad-
justing II preparatory TO running II out
and coupling on to train No. 49, He was
standing with his hce within eight inches
Of the lubricator glass regulating valve
to drop the required amount Of oil into
the cylinders, when the glass suddenly
burst under the pressure OF the 900
pounds Of steam. A piece of the glass
nearly an inch long was driven through
the eyebau until It was arrested by con
tact with the honey structure. The sight
Of the eye was entirely destroyed, but
DIT. Clifford has succeeded in saving the
ball, which he will fix up with an artil
fetal pupil when the normal appearance
OF the eye will be restored but with the
sight gone forever
Mr. Jackson has been with the Rock
Island company for more than thirty
years, and for more than twenty years
OF that period he has been pulling one Of
the swiftest passenger trains. He has
pulled the Council Bluffs Fairbury train
since the road was opened. During all OF
his long period Of service Mr.. jackson
has never had an accident that hurt
a..
in the yards by which three employees
were injured and for which he was not
ia any degree responsible. II is a singular
coincidence that each Of these minor &C
sidents happened on Friday, and Fri
day and 10 are cardinal factors in the
entire railroad career of Mr.. Jackson.
On a Friday thirty-one years ago Mr..
jackson begun tending switches in the
Rock Island yards at Rock Island Ill He
did his work well and never had a mishap.
His first promotion came on a Friday
when he was made carsealer and inspec-
tor in the yards, and he begun the new
job on the. succeeding Friday. When he
got his appointment as a fireman on a
Rock Island locomotive it bore Friday
date, and he took out his first engine on
Friday. Thirteen" was conspicuous in
the number of that engine, and by the law
VI llle strange Ihlhllly ne mas nAd no con-
nection with an engine throughout his
entire life that he did not bear" 10 in its
numbering. When he was promoted to the
position Of engineer his commission bore
Friday date, and the engine that was
given him was No. 1873 Yet that engine
and the trains to which 1t was attached
never had jar in the shape OF a mishap
Mr.. Jackson came to regard Friday and 13
as inseparably connected with the purposes
of his guardian angel, and he had many
an using encounters with train officials and
fellow employees.
on one occasion in Council Bluffs a num-
Der of years ago a new engine fresh from
the factory, was received at the round
house and designated for his run. Its
number was a combination of thirteens
and the round house bulletin board sohed-
uled its first run on Friday the Thir-
teenth." The trainmasters attention was
called to II, and he ordered the bulletin