Tales of Terror and Mystery
The Lost Special
Thegrotesquenatureoftheeventhelpedtodetractfromitsimportance,forthepapersweredisinclinedtobelievethefactsasreportedtothem.MorethanoneoftheLondonjournalstreatedthematterasaningenioushoax,untilthecoroner’sinquestupontheunfortunatedriver(aninquestwhichelicitednothingofimportance)convincedthemofthetragedyoftheincident.
Mr.Bland,accompaniedbyInspectorCollins,theseniordetectiveofficerintheserviceofthecompany,wentdowntoKenyonJunctionthesameevening,andtheirresearchlastedthroughoutthefollowingday,butwasattendedwithpurelynegativeresults.Notonlywasnotracefoundofthemissingtrain,butnoconjecturecouldbeputforwardwhichcouldpossiblyexplainthefacts.Atthesametime,InspectorCollins’sofficialreport(whichliesbeforemeasIwrite)servedtoshowthatthepossibilitiesweremorenumerousthanmighthavebeenexpected.
"Inthestretchofrailwaybetweenthesetwopoints,"saidhe,"thecountryisdottedwithironworksandcollieries.Ofthese,somearebeingworkedandsomehavebeenabandoned.Therearenofewerthantwelvewhichhavesmall-gaugelineswhichruntrolly-carsdowntothemainline.Thesecan,ofcourse,bedisregarded.Besidesthese,however,therearesevenwhichhave,orhavehad,properlinesrunningdownandconnectingwithpointstothemainline,soastoconveytheirproducefromthemouthoftheminetothegreatcentresofdistribution.Ineverycasetheselinesareonlyafewmilesinlength.
