Evening star., 1933-05-07
BLOWS A SALUTE
| TO GHOST VILLAGES
Worlds Most Democratic
Train Greets Towns for
Old Times Sake.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
POPLARVILLE. Miss, May 6.-The
midnight limited of the Queen and
Crescent crawled across the long trestle
Of Lake Pontchartrain last night,
pierced the swamp mist with her glar-
Ing light and roared away on the ghost
run of Mississippi.
or AZ it's called down here-the most
democratic train in all the world
Night after night, always on time, 1t
races through the deserted villages of
the timber country and never forgets
to blow salute to the dead towns of
the pine empire. although there is none
to hear the greeting.
That's why it's called the ghost run.
Years ago, when sawmills wheezed q
symphony from New Orleans to LAUREL
the towns were busting little places
with bright yellow depots and white
washed oaks down the main streets
But the mills went away and the trains
hurried by. forgetting the days when
crowds gathered at the stations to talk
with the passengers and give fruit to
the crew. All the trains but OF ~
high-hat the ghost towns now. But
the midnight limited her club cars gay
with travellers going East, always takes
time to blow just for old times sake.
Sentimental Remembrance.
After 1t leaves the lake and shufdes
through the black Swamps Of Pearl
River the Limited straightens out,
blinks her tail light in a farewell to
Louisiana and heads north, Alabama
bound.
Two long blasts-a greeting to Wilco
and the first deserted village flashes
by. Its mill stands like q frozen senti-
mel in the moonlight. Some passengers
wonder why the place is noticed. Well.
the Limited and the villagers were
friends when the towns had folks living
there and the attention Is just q bit
of remembrance from sentimental
railroadin' man
Two more rumbling blasts and Nortac
is passed Water lilies choke the mill
pond at Orvisburg-the big red store
building is held together only by the
grace Of gravity and the weary echoes
of 42's greeting float through the empty
sheds of the crumbling mill.
Just q few miles more, and Hillsdale
is passed, even while the train Is blow
ing q requiem for a forgotten village.
There, ~ flls her chest with steam and
pants like a winded horse up the grade
to Red Top There is nothing at Red
Top now, except a pile OF sawdust. but
the train blows and then hies away
| down the ridge to get running start
for Richburg Hill.
Scene Of Famous Bout.
Richburgh is where John L. Sullivan
| and Jake Kilrain fought 72 rounds in
defiance of the laws OF MISSISSIPPI.
There is nothing there anymore except
few weather-beaten buildings and
giant pines that troop down the hill
to a creek The engineer OF ~ leans
! on his whistle as his locomotive pokes
her nose over the ridge and strains
to pull her cars over the hump. The
scream OF the blasts can be heard for
miles. Farmers awaken with a start
Thar she goes over the hllI-they
say. Richburgh Is the last Of the ghost
run The limited swings huge bend.
dips her nose for the down grade and
thunders away-her brakes cooked, her
! whistle shrieking.
The lights OF Hattiesburg loom ahead
suddenly and ~ quivers as she pulls
| up for a crossing and then slips into
the station.
It's exactly midnight when the steam
pours from her stilled pistons in that
heavy sigh that good locomitives give
when they rest after a long race.