The Washburn leader., 1913-11-21
The Ghost
Locomotive
By THOMAS R. DEAN

to begin again to come from the grave
yard where scientific contempt has for
many years buried them. Here is one
that has recently been resurrected.
Nearly q quarter Of century ago,
away out on the Canadian Pacific rail
road. Bill Burton. while driving his en-
gine on misty night over road that
had been washed by heavy rains for
four days. came suddenly upon land
slide. Bill reversed the lever and jump
ed, striking his head on bowlder. and
was instantly killed. The locomotive
stopped within a few feet Of the slide.
then began to back. There was moth
ing behind it but caboose. In which
were two trainmen playing seven up.
They noticed the shock. but. being in
tent on the game. paid no attention to
it and didn't know few minutes after
1t occurred that they were moving
backward at breakneck speed.
The first thing they knew they didn't
know anything. for they doubled up on
passenger train standing on the track
and were both killed.
One who knew Burton intimately
remarked at the time of his death
that it was perhaps best he had been
killed. He was very sensitive man.
and the knowledge that he had saved
his own life by jumping at the expense
Of such disaster as resulted from
his leaving his engine reversed with
steam on would have driven him to
suicide. Another friend. also an en-
gineer, added. "Yes. and it will trouble
Bill dead Just as much as it would
have troubled him living"
One night. just such night as the
one on which this catastrophe took
place. Joe Bigley. an engineer, was
approaching the place of the landslide.
only he was going in the opposite direc-
ton. when suddenly he saw loco
motive headlight, full glare, right in
front of him. With gasp for breath
he threw back the lever. AS he did
so he Judged that the engineer Of the
other engine also reversed, for stimuli
taneously both came to stop and
then began to move backward.
Bigley. seeing that the danger was
passed, stopped his engine and then
moved ahead again. The light before
him receded. He let it get far enough
to avoid danger. then put on his regu-
lar speed. He was expecting every
moment to get signal that the back
ing engine was about to switch of.
but no such signal came. Bigley whis-
tied. but got no reply. Thinking to
get nearer the other locomotive. he
put on speed. but just as much speed
was put On the other engine. and al
though BigIay opened her up as wide
as he could the retreating engine kept
her distance.
All Of sudden the engineer heard
terrific crash come from where the
other engine was. and the light went
out. He had no more doubt that the
locomotive had smashed into some
thing than that he was holding throt.
tie. he kept on to give assistance,
slowing down when approaching the
place where the smashup had occur
red, but he went on and on and didn't
come tO ally wreck
In fact, there wasn't any wreck that
could lie found. The road was perfect
" free. and RigIey pulled on to the
terminal When be got there he col.
lapsed. When asked II he had run
anybody down or anything like that be
couldn't answer for time. and when
he righted himself he would not say
anything about his experience. but
went to the superintendent and told
him that nothing could induce him to
run over that part Of the road again.
The superintendent got the story out
Of him and knew what 1t all meant.
but he didn't let on. lf he had given
out that Bill Burton's ghost was Ca
vOrting around the place where he had
been killed he wouldn't have been able
to get an engineer to take trains past 1t
for love or money.
"AII right. Bigley.'' he said ''I'n
give you a different run entirely. But
don't want you to say anything about
this business. think your nerves
have been ovcrstrained. and that has
caused the apparition. But the men
on the road are easily influenced by
superstitious story. and It wouldn't be
we'll to have your Illusions get out"
As this occurrence was kept pretty
close. the date was not noticed. but
just year from that time another en-
gineer had the same experience. Then
1t leaked out. or. rather. he told all
about 1t. nnd somebody suggested that
perhaps Bill Burton's ghost was up
and doing on the anniversary of his
death. They looked up the date and
found that the accident and the two
occasions ON which the backing light
was seen all occurred on the 23d Of
November. the day Burton was killed
After that the only trouble the man
segment bad to get engineers to taks q
train past the place was on the night
Of the anniversary. One Of the men.
Tom Logan. who had besn connected
With the road Tor many years and had
nerves tough O. an slephanf's hide.
ossd q Do the Job. The pfes lent and
supsrt1tsnd ndSnt went % alae loeonsotivs