A STRANGE PREMONITION. It Saved the Lives of a Number of Railroad Men—Only One Hurt.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 207, 18 June 1887, Page 4

A STRANGE PREMONITION. It Saved the Lives of a Number of Railroad Men— Only One Hurt.

"Those are very peculiar circumstances," said a fouith member of the symposium. " Did you read that story in the ' Century ' war notes about the man whom presentiment told to jump at the moment when a shell whizzed under his feet ? Well, I witnessed something almost exactly on the same plan. The directors of a railroad had left a certain city to come to Pittsburg, travelling on a special car. Soon after their departure they discoveied that they had left their vice-president, so they had to go back afler him. Well, they made a second start, and soon were making rapid headway towards Pittsburg. On board were, among the rest, the superintendent of the eastern and western divisions of the roads respectively. The train was on the eastern division at the time, so that the superintendent of that portion of the road did not like it when his western colleague came to him and asked whether he had his schedule. 'I have,' he replied, tersely. f Are you sureT asked the other. 1 Certainly, I'm sure, sir, or I would not say so.' " The other superintendent left him, but came back in a few minutes and said : • Excuse me, sir-, b«fc tell me, are you certain you have your schedulo all right ?' '|Do you mean to insult me, sir ?' replied the other. ' Don't you think I know my business ? Of course I have my schedule.' The man from bhe west retreated again, and the easborn superintendent turned to the president and exclaimed : — ' 1 guess Mr has had a little too much. He acts like a drunk.' What was his surprise, when ho looked up, to see the westerner once more stand before him with an agonised expression on his face, and to hear him exclaim : 'For God's sake, sir, tell me ! Are you absolute' y sure of your schedule ?' f I answered you twice, ' replied the other. ' Well, I don't believe it,' cried the anxious one, in a tone of determination, and, at the same instant, he grasped the bellrope, and, in a quick, jerky manner, gave the signal to stop. The air brake acted so suddenly that everybody was thrown forward. The engineer seemed to feel something was wrong, for he reversed his lever, opened the throttlo wide and jumped, together with the fireman. And not a moment too soon ; for before they got fairly out of the way a freight train came dashing around the curve p.nd knocked thatlocomobive and tender into smithereens. No ono was hurt except} the superintendent of the eastern division. His feelings were wounded. The westerner never knew what made him do what he did."

Mr James McGowan will in all probability be a candidate for the Thames at the fovbhcoming general olection. He has been connected with municipal and other looal government matters at the Thames fox- years, is a shrewd man, and a strong 1 P.clvcgate of economical administration.