The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-04-05
Killed on the Track.
"I killed q buzzard this morning" re.
marked an old engineer of the Georgia


'sI killed 8 buzzard this morning." re.
marked an old engineer of the Georgia
road to reporter the other afternoon.
"Rather strange game to be hunting
with a locomotive. How didit happen ?"
ga dog or something had been killed
the day before, and the buzzard was SO
interested in the carcass that be didn't
take any notice of me until I got right
upon him, and he was knocked into the
ditch. I hit him pretty hard lick and
I guess it killed him."
"Isn't it an unusual occurrence to run
over birds and the like ?" he asked
"Oh, no, not at all; we frequently
kill partridges, doves, and sparrows
without number. Sometimes a whole
bevy of chickens are ground up at a time.
Although all kinds of poultry are run
over from time to time, l believe guineas
are smartest in getting out of the way.
When flock of them is encountered on
track they usually strike out in run
directly ahead of you, sticking to the
track until you get right upon chem, and
then dart off to one side. IF one gets
off the rest follows. I never knew it to
fail. If you get one of them you get the
whole flock"
"How is it with other animals? I
guess you have run over nearly every
kind in your time 2"
eyes, I reckon 1 have," said the eugi-
neer thoughtfully, shadow passing over
his kindly face as he finished the sentence.
II suppose I have run over nearly every
thing, from man down to a toad.
"One day I was running at high
speed, considerably behind time. Just
as I turned curve, a colored man seated
on load Of wood and driving a mule
was crossing the track ahead Of me. AL.
though he had ample time to get over, I
involuntarily shut off the steam and
threw on the brakes. It was too late,
however. The poor fellow became fright
ened and struck his mule blow with a
switch, and the stubborn animal came to
a dead stop right in his tracks. The
man was paralyzed with fear and unable
to move. The next instant struck the
wagon and knocked it into a thousand
pieces, carrying the unfortunate man
more than thirty yards before I could
stop. The mule plodded on the road as
unconceruedly as though he were still
attached to his load and nothing had
happened.
"But, speaking of animals" continued
the engineer, "sheep seem to have less
sense than anything else. If a flock Of
them should happen to be grazing near
the track when train comes along, and
they don't manage to get in the way of
[it, it wouldn't be their fault. have
killed as many as dozen at time. We
don't kill many nowadays, though, be.
cause there are very few in the county.
"Goats are just the opposite. have
never killed more than one or two.
They are smart enough to get out of the
way from the time they are two days old.
Let one be in Che way of an approaching
engine, and when he wants to get off the
track that is just what be does, and with.
cut any foolishness, either. If he should
happen to be in cut he starts right up
the bank, and gets there, too.
"While running freight one night I
ran into drove of about dozen horses.
It was quite dark, and I could see them
only when I would get close upon them.
With their characteristic stupidity under
such circumstances the frightened ami
mails made straight ahead of me at the
top of their speed. I suppose I ran
them in this way for several miles, some.
times stopping entirely to let them get
out of the way, but whenever I reached
descending grade I would be upon
them again. At last they were caught
and two of them killed before the rest
got off the track.
ga good-many hogs and cattle arealso
killed on the track. Of course, these all
have to be paid for, and there is some.
thing remarkable in the fact that only
Jerseys, Berkshires and the like are so
unfortunate as to get in the way. When.
ever cow does get off the track and out
of danger we have no reason to feel
grati6ed, because we know she is only a
scrub and of no value any way.-Atlanta
| Constitution.