Year: 1874

THE SI6NAL LIGHI.


An Interesting Narrative OF Life on the
Rail.


Tsylor's Fast Life on the Modern Highway,


An engineer who had neglected to
display his red lamp tagging signal,
and being reminded of the omission
when approaching the train against
which he was bearing the flag, attemp-
ted to prevent the inevitable collision
by a mode not in the rules, made the
following singular statement to the gen.
eral superintendent
You see, when we got the order I
went to the front of the engine to help
my fireman to fasten on the lamp. The
iron strap had got bent and would not
go into the slot made to hold it, so We
tied it on with a piece of rope: 1t de-
layed us Just about minute fixing this.


"Was it Iighted?"


Yes, sir. After taking so much trou-
BILE to fix a lamp on we should not be so
green as to go away without light in
it.


Well. we were little behind time,
and had not much to spare to save the
connection. I was keeping q sharp
lookout ahead, and We were getting
along pretty fast.


It was not clear night and it was not
a thick night I had good view OF
things ahead.


Well, sir, you may think I've lost my
senses, but I tell you solemnly that l
saw a woman, or a woman's ghost,
walking straight up the middle of the
track toward my enginei


It was no use whistling, she was SO
close. I crawled out of the cab window
as quick as I could, and went along to-
ward the front just in time to see the
fof5n sitting on the buffer beam and
putting out the light in the red lamp.


The creature got IF when it saw me,
and walked away in front of the engine,
and as we thundered along after it, it
somehow disappeared.


I got back into the cab trembling
some.


I told John the light was out, and
to go and get it and light it.


After he had done it he went out and
tied it on.


I went to see if it was burning all
right and il was burning bright.


l said nothing to Jack about what L
had seen.


Well, it was no more than three min
utes, and we were going on smart,
when I saw that same tignre walking up
the track towards the engine as before.
! JdCk, BElSuy IOOh GH0AS!
Jack had already seen it, end had
sounded long whistle and began to
put on the brake.


$50 to the cow-catcher 20 I cried
and he crawled through the window.
A few minutes after he came back,
his face pale and his eyes starting out
of his head. He looked at me and l
looked at him, but we said nothing.


I pointed ahead, and there it was.


I got out and etched in the lamp.


The lamp was out !


"I saw It open the lamp door and
blow it out, said Jack in an awful ter
ror and then it got down and walked
away in front of the engine.


Well, guess there never was two
men on an engine so mortally sacred as
my fireman and me.


However, I went out again with the
lamp and tied it on. I also turned the
rope once or twice around the door, so
it could not be opened without some
trouble.


Jack" / said, when I got back into
the cab, "there's going to be some ter
ribly dreadful thing happen TO us to-
night. That woman's a ghost of evil.
No living thing could do as that has
done"


Jacks teeth were cbattering with
fright, and so were mine for the matter
of that.


1 felt that we had been singled out to
be the cause or the victims Of something
awful.


Keep a good lookout, Jack, " said;
"we're only a mile from G., where
we are tagging No. 174 to, and we must
show the light if all the the devils in
hell are agin us.
I ordered Jack to the front of the en-
gine to watch the lamp.
He did not seem to like it, but he
went.


1 wrote on the back of the time card
| these words


"For Gods sake don't pass the switch.
! We are tagging TIA"
! I stuck the paper on the end of bit
| of pine wood and kept it ready.
When L looked ahead again [ saw the
| shape as plain as see you, sir, walking
| toward us, and afterward get on the
| front of the engine.
1 could see the headlight of No. 135
on the side-track, and I was sure our
tagging signal lamp was out, for there
was that female figure walking ahead of
us on the track for the third time.
1 wasn't so scared as before, so just
| lighted the pine stick at the fire box,
| and held 1t up naming bright Win the
paper upon it.


As I passed the engine No. 135 I
| threw it toward the engineer.
1t was getting dark, but by the engine
| light I saw him pick it up.
| He read the paper, as you know, sir,
/ and waited till No. ia had got in; and
so there was no collision.
| Ny sUory may seem strange, but it's
/ true, as heaven is my judge.
You may discharge me and Jack, if
you like, for not showing the flag signal,
as you say bu! I can't alter what I've
said.


When we got to the end of the trip,
| found Jack had tainted away, and was
| lying on the front of the engine, for the
| she devil had put the light out some
/ how, ia spite of him and the rope tied
round the door.
! SIR ANDREW AGEEw was famous for
I broad hfnA1 The ,F AI,o,,,