St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-28
CLEAR THE TRACK.
An Engineers Experience With
Birds and Animals.
Atlanta Constitution


Atlanta Constitution.
Il killed buZZard this morning."
remarked an old engineer of the Georgia
road.
'Rather strange game to be hunting
with locomotive. How did it hap
pen?'
"A dog or something had been killed
the day before, and the buZZard was so
interested in the carcass that he didn't
take any notice of me until got right
upon him, and he was knocked off into
the ditch. l hit him pretty hard lick,
and guess it killed him.
Isn't it an unusual occurrence to run
over birds and the like"
''Oh, no, not at all; we frequently kill
cartridges, doves and sparrows without
number. Sometimes a whole beVy of
chickens are ground up at time. AL
though all kinds of poultry are run over
from time to time, believe guineas are
the smartest about getting out of the
way. When flock OF them is encoun-
tered on track, they usually strike out
i'll run directly ahead of you, sticking
to the track until you get right upon
them, and then dart off to one side. If
one gets off the rest follow. | never
knew it fail. If you get one OF them
you get the whole flock"
How is it with other animals? I
guess you have ran over nearly every
kind in your timer"
Yes, reckon have" said the engi-
neer thoughtfully, shadow passing
over his kindly face as he finished the
sentence. Il suppose have run over
nearly everything, from man down to
toad.
Zone day / was running at a high
speed, considerably behind time.
just as | turned curve, a negro, seated
on load Of wood and driving a mule,
was crossing the track ahead of me.
Although he had ample time to get over,
L voluntarily shut off the steam and
threw Oh the brakes. 1t was too late,
however. The poor fellow became
frightened and struck his mule a blow
with the switch, and the stubborn ami
NAL came to dead stop right in his
tracks. The man was paralyZed with
fear and unable to move. The next in
slant l struck the wagon and knocked
it into a thousand pieces, carrying the
unfortunate negro more than thirty
yards before | could stop. The mule
plodded on the road as uncOncernedly
as though he was still attached to his
load and nothing had happened"
But, speaking of animals" contin-
ued the engineer, ''sheep seem to have
less sense than anything else. Ii
flock of them should Happen to be graz
ing near the track when train comes
along, and they don't manage to get in
the way of it, it won't be their fault. I
have killed as many as a dozen at a
time. We don't kill many nowadays,
though, because there are very few in
the country.
Goats are just the opposite. I 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 get in the way of an approach
ing engine, and when he wants to get off
the track that is just what he does, and
without 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, /
ran into drove of about half dozen
horses. 1t was quite dark, and L could
see them only when l would get close
upon them. With their characteristic
stupidity under such circumstances, the
frightened animals made straight ahead
of me at the top of their speed. l sup
pose l ran them in this way for several
miles, sometimes stopping entirely to
let them get out of the way, but when
ever [ reached descending grade
would be upon them again. At last
they were caught, and two of them
killed before the rest got Off the. track