Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1914-10-09
The Ghost
Locomotive
By THOMAS r. DEAN

containing q statement that WAS taken
10 rsdeot favovRbly on the invseHSes
tlons Of soo.stiss for ps5oh!osi re-
search has revived the interest n ghost
storiss. Now that scientists are begin.
ning to look with more favor. or 1t
least with less indifference. upon
ghosts these stories win be more likely
to begin again to come from the grave
yard where scientific contempt has for
many years buried them. Here 10 one
that has recently been resurrected.
Nearly quarter OF a century ago, |
away out on the Canadian Pacific rail- |
road, Bill Burton, while driving his en- |
CINE ON misty night over a 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 few feet OF the slide.
then began to back There was moth
ing behind 1t 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
4
it 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 1t 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 q 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, Eyes. and 1t will trouble
Bill dead just as much as 1t would
have troubled him living"
One night, just such a 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-
tion when suddenly he saw a loco
motive headlight, full glare, right in
front of him. With a 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 1t 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 Biglsy opened her up as wide
az be could the retreating engine kept
her distance
All OF a 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 any wreck.
In fact, there wasn't any wreck that
could be found. The road was perfect
ly free, and Bigley pulled on to the
Il terminal. When he got there he col
lapsed. When asked if he had run
anybody down or anything like that be
couldn't answer for time. and when
he righted himself he would not say
II anything about his experience. but
II went to the superintendent and told
| him that nothing could induce him to
run over that part Of the road again
II The superintendent got the story out
II Of him and knew what it all meant
II but he didn't let on. If he had giyer
H out that Bill Burton's ghost was ca
II vorting around the place where he hae
H been killed be wouldn't have been abl'
II to get an engineer to take trains past 4
II for love or money.
II IAN right. Bigley," he said. an
II give you a different run entirely. Blu
II ! don't want you to.say anything abou
II this business. think your nerve
II have been overstr.dned, and that ha
II caused the appariton. But the mel
on the road are easily influenced by
superstitious story, and it wouldn't b
ii well to have your illusions get out"
III AS this occurrence was kept prett
III close, the date was not noticed, bu
III just year from that time another eI
II gineer had the same experience. The
II II leaked out. or, rather, he told a
II about it. and somebody suggested this
II perhaps Bill Buttons ghost was u
II and doing on the anniversary OF hi
II death They looked UP the date an
ii found that the accident and the tw
II occasions on which the backing ligi
II was seen all. occurred on the 23d {
III November, the day Burton was killed
HI 3 After that the only trouble the maj