The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-21
FUN ON THE PLAINS.
EXPERIENCE OF LOCOMOTIVE EN-
GINEERS ON TIE PLAINS.


Buffalo Down to the Present-Anc
the Stories of Various Wild Animal.
That Get on the Track.
From the Denver Nelos.
Many a strange story the locomotive en-
gineers tell Of their experience with anfnal
on the prairies of the far west. Betwee,
the Missouri river and the Rocky noun
tains are the great plains, spreading out fol
hundreds of miles. Probably in no part of
the country do the engineers come more fl
contact with animal life. They have taker
the place of old jehus of the overland mai
and express In the more modern DAYS Of
rapid transportation. Often the old stages
were in danger Of the great herds of stam-
peding buffalo. The driver, express agent and
passengers, all Of whom were well armed
only found safety in the sharp crack. cracl
of the rifle. This would either turn the
buffalo, rushing with almost toe roar OF
thunder over the plains, or would split the
herd, so that it would pass IN two droves
on either side OF the stage IL REQUIRED
men Of nerve, for sometimes the buffalo
would hardly swerve from their course un-
til almost upon the stage and passengers.
The rear OF the herd, crowding and urg-
luz O4 VIC AOoAOtcs Hu1Qo 10 u TASK,
testing the courage OF the men who faced
them.
BUFFALO ON THE TRACK.
The buffalo, or bison, more correctly
named, still roamed the plains after the
railroads came. The old engineers of the
Union Pacific. Kansas Pacific and the
Santa Fe used to cut their wav through the
herds Of buffalo. The blow of the whistle
and the discharge Of firearms would make
them scamper away. Sometimes they would
blockade train, but often raced with the
locomotive, giving the passengers an easy
chance to slaughter them. Trains were
also stopped to give passengers a chance to
kill them.
II buffalo could live and thrive on the
plains why net cattlel Thus the stockmen
reasoned and soon millions of cattle took
the place Of the RAPIDLY disappearing
buffalo and tn " were nearly as wild. The
buffalo, wili horse, antelope, deer, cattle,
sheep, wolves and other animals were along
the lines OF the pioneer railroads. The well
fenced farming country of the east pro-
tected the railway track from animals But
not so the boundless prairies in the earlier
days, although the west has greatly changed
in recent years.
The racing of the locomotive with the
wild horse and buffalo is thing of the past
The buffalo is almost extinct and the wild
AO'oS 40 AOuIO IeOp4nR bu6 VIII
horse used to be rare SPORT and quite an
industry. A few are still said to roam the
Laramie plains and remote sections of coun-
try.
But notwithstan ling these charges. there
is still much of interest to the engineer. as
well as to guard against, on the great plains.
Recently at Holyoke. in Northeastern
Colorado, near the Nebraska and Kansas
line was detained over Sunday. 1t Is in
the heart Of the plains country. and is the
division station of the Burlington branch
that extends from Holdrege, through West
ern Nebraska, Northeastern Colorado, to
Cheyenne, Wyo. Locomotive engineers are
good Story tellers, and many an incident
was related that Sunday afternoon Of their
lard, who then pulled freight train be-
tween Holyoke and Cheyenne, found an
interesting talker
ENGINEERS DREAD SHEEP.
''Sheep," he said. cause more trouble
than any other stock An engineer always
tries to guard against killing stock, but If
had my choice had rather run into cattle
horses, hogs, or any animal, rather than
sheep. Many thousands of sheep are in the
great fiocks that sometimes cross the west
ert railroads. Where there are no fences a
quick turn in the road through a cut may
ind the locomotive moving right through
them. It is well known that sheep follow
their leader. Notwithstanding the
moving train they continue to
rush under the cars, and some
times many are killed that the locomotive
never touched. They really commit suicide
erowding under the wheels before the train
can be stopped. Sometimes over 200 or 800
sheep have been killed. But the wool gets
into the running gear of the engine, and
this causes the engineer more trouble than
the killing of other stock. Sometimes the
engineer is compelled to stop and clean out
the wool that works its way into the more
delicate machinery. AT the end of the trip
asearch is also made for wool that may
have escaped the attention Of the engineer
in his more hurried examination.
CATTLE ARE CLUMSY.
Next to sheep l think cattle are the
worst. They are slow and clumsy. Take
it in the winter during stormy weather.
They often seek the railroad cuts for shelter
Be as careful as you will, during sand or
snowstorm especially, an engineer is liable
to run into herd. These kind of accidents
the engineer is not compelled to guard
against sc closely in the older settled states,
where tire tracks are well fenced in. The
hair from cattle also give some trouble by
getting into the machinery, but 1t is not sc
bad Ter US as WOOL"
docs not the locomotive give the en-.
gineer pretty good shock when cutting
through herd of cattle7'
mot SO great as one m ght suppose. Ar
engineer told me that his engine had killed
seventeen cattle in a CUT and he did moi
feel jar. Horses" continued Mr.. Willard
ARE more active and generally get out OF
the way, and accidents to them are not &c
common. In more thickly settled ooun,
try horse inside the track fence will otter
race with train. Hogs nocked off the
track are nearly always killed. Their legs
are short and body large. and hence easily
struck in a vital part"
wolves and coyotes are numerous, but
are rarely struck by an engine. Near chs
Herbert ranch, east of Cheyenne, | have
Seen coyote on wire fence, which seems
to have been thrown there byan engine.
The wolf of the plains is either caught in
traps, or by sDortsmen closing in on pack
Ia drive. Sometimes they are killed by
ranchmen putting poison in the carcasse;
OF cattle and sheep. Wolves hamstrina
and then kill stock. Coyotes suck the blood
OF sheep. The wolf drive is fine sport on
the plains. The wolf, wildcat and coy otC
are quick, and jump from the track. But
the jack rabbit is less fortunate. The head
hight has strange fascination for this fee
ana risky animal. and often they are
killed"
1t might be added that engineers arr
sometimes said to be blamed for the killing
OF stock that q locomotive never touched
At hes been claimed that dead cattle, sheer
ana horses have sometimes bean hauled III