The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-09-23
The Railroad Cow.

n When George Stephenson was asked
5by some of the captious opponents of
|arailroad enterprises what would be the
|sresult IN case one of his engines struck
|sa COW, he forcibly replied that it would
|abe bad for the COW. That reply has been
|Shanded down for a century as one of the
fmost apt and remarkable sayings on
|Hrecord In the whole range of railway lit
Terature. The great engineer could
Hhardly have made heater or more COM
Eprehensive utterance on the COW ques-
btion, in consideration of the light at that
Etlme shed on COWS and railroads. Cows
kwere not in their infancy, but the rail-
broad system was. Stephenson Lad no idea
Eahow many WORKOUT COWS would in later
HsYears be turned astray on the track by
seovetous farmers, who sought to get
1.-THE hundred dollars which was for years
sthe customary penalty legally inflicted
HEon railway company as compensation
Fto the poor man for the loss of his COW.
MANY an old COW too tough for beef, too
a5hln for milking purposes, and valuable
sonly for its hide and tallow, has thus
Abeen made to yield a hundred dollars.
AThe railroad companies found this an
responsive business. In some parts of
sthe country they could hardly run their.
strains five miles without running against
fsome old COW, too debiItated or too deaf
ITO get out of the way. Sometimes these
scows were knocked high into the air and
Emade into steaks and chops. Sometimes
Ethey threw the trains off the tracks. So
Sgreat was the annoyance that the "cow-
Hatcher. was invented. This ingenious
aattachment to the engine was at first in
sshovel-nosed shape. 1t picked the COWS
sup and carried them along as free
freight. Sometimes an engine would
Acome pounding along into town with as
Smany as three or four old COWS piled up
Con its " catcher" This became great
nuisance. The animals were worth
anothing for beef and did not pay for their
Icarriage. The railroad companies took
measures to put the boot on the other
Sleg in the COW business. They procured
Hin the various Legislatures the passage
sof laws doing away with the old custom
sof buying worn-out COWS at fifty times
their value. The new laws made it an
sofence, punishable by heavy fines, for|
1.-THE owner of COW to let his beast stray
igle along a railway track. The changed
was Wholesome one. Cows and cars mol
glonger strove for the mastery of the rails.
EESince that the number of disasters ow-
ling to the intrusion of COWS on tracks
Ehas been comparatively few.
As railroads are now managed a COW
is as much out of place on track as in
sone Of the best seats of Pullman car.
sOnly by the most reprehensible sloven-
illness and disreputable carelessness can
Esuch q quadruped be allowed to strag-
lyle in the way of an approaching train.
Every decent railroad is supposed to bel
thoroughly furnished with fences over
(which no COW can climb and the rails of
(which cannot be taken down by cows
ahorns or whisked out of position by their
tails. At every crossing is supposed to
sbe the customary anti-cow apparatus, al
Simple and stationay continuance which
makes it impossible for COWS to intrude
ion the rails. Whenever, therefore, wei
shear that a COW has, by its wanderings,
been the means of throwing from the
track costly train filled with valuable
Messengers, we may look for case of
stupidity or criminal mis-
The Grand Trunk Rail-
gway, Of Canada, was in former years al
BADLY laid, poorly equipped and care
EIessly-managed concern, celebrated for
tits bungling departures from recognized
time tables and for its. frequent acct
dents. OF late years there has been al
reform, and the road has been managed
ia a respectable manner. If cows are to
sbe allowed to use the tracks for lounging
away there spare time, or for holding
walking matches, the sooner the travel I
ing public know it, the better, SO as to !
select some other route. Philadelphia