Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-05-07
THINGS ON THE ROAD.
An Engineer Who Says Hogs are Dangerous
Running Over Flock of Geese.


Running Over q Flock Of Geese.
"Of all animals that wander along the rail-
road track" declared a veteran locomotive on
gineer yesterday, goats are the most irritat-
ing. It's next to impossible to kill them, and
that's not the least tantalizing feature about
them from the STANDPOINT Of our profess
sion. No matter how fast you may be
running or how quietly you steal down upon
him, MIR. Goat will see you out of the corner
of his eve and manage to get away just in time
to miss the cowcatchcr ss the engine rushes by
him at lis htning speed. Cows and horses are
generally disposed of with ease, though some-
times they get under the wheels and cause
bad wreck. But they're so large that the pilot
gets under them and throws them of TO one
side. The goat, though, nearly always sue
ceeds in getting us worked up TO . high pitch
of nervousness and then contrives to get of
without o scratch, and that's what We don't
like.
THE DANGEROUS HOG.
Speaking of striking animals on the rail"
continued the engineer, 1.-The one thing we
most dread to meet on the track is a hog. Nine
chances out of ten the hog'n throw you.
lie is tough and greasy. you know. and if an
engineer has any show at ALL it's best for him
drive the animal off the track
when the pilot OF the engine hits q hog il
usually knocks him down, and then rolls him
for a few yards before the trucks strike him;
and when they do there's great danger of their
leaving the rails. The drivers are almost GER
tain to follow the trucks and you're lucky if
you don't 60 down the bank. So you see what
havoc one pig can make with c railroad
Another disagreeable thing about pig is that
ne never stops squealing from the time he is
I'M hnI ST aa1
''Sheep are the most pitiful of all animals to
run down. They seem to realize the danger
they're in and huddle together between the
rails awaiting death. Their innocent eyesstare
at you SO mournfully and sadly tina. they haunt
you for days to come. A locomotive seems to
take savage delight in destroying sheep. L,
throws them in every direction and will kill
whole Hook III an instant.
GEESE AND FEATHERS
81 struck flock of geese once" proceeded
the engineer. swell, 1 never thought there
were SO many feathers in the world. Icouldn't
see anything but feathers for ten minutes and
when we reached the station my engine looked
as if she had received q coat of tar and
feathers"
Here the engineers eyes began to sparkle.
and he stopped talking to hold his fat sides
shaken with suppressed laughter over funny
recollection. Mentioning feathers" he ex-
planned after pause. 'recalls to my mind a
comical experience had few years ago in
running fast limited passenger train over the
Pennsylvania main line from Pttsburg to Phil
adelphia. We'd gone through the town of Hunt
ingdon, on the Juniata, without stacking up, and
had whirlcd safely around the base of the ridge
east OF there, when we struck a little stretch
OF straight level, between high dirt banks,
known as Snyder's Cut. L cast my eve
on ahead as we scudded along to a wagon road
crossing near the lower end of the cut Just
uDnrOQchQd n taan
driven down from the turnpike at the
right side, apparently with the inten-
ton to cross. But instead of crossing
the team stood still. Two men were in
the wagon, and they seemed to be having an
alteration as to whether they should cross or
go back. As a compromise they just stood
there on the track. l reversed the engine and
whistled down brakes, but it was too late We
struck the team square in the middle and then
oh, my!'''
AN ODD COLLECTION.
Here the engineer laughed without restraint
Then he resumed. "The men in the wagon
were evidently farmers returning from town in
boisterous humor after a days marketing,
carrying homo with them a queer cargo of
store goods Curious to relate, they weren't
hurt in the least, nor were the horses The
wagon, until we cut it clean in two, contained
feather bed, a key of nails and q barrel of
whisky.
No we struck them all at the same instant.
The nails flew way up in the sky, as it seemed.
and came down with pepperng rattle over
the roofs OF all the coaches in the train for at
least five minutes. The feathers scattered
far and wide through the air like driving
snow storm and seemed to come from a thou
sand bUrsted feather beds instead of one. The
whisky got mixed with the feathers and spurted
high up in every direction. falling in fine spray
principally over the engine, the tender
and the frs. couple of coaches. The whisky
and feathers chung to the tops and
sides OF the cars and against the window paEes
for the remainder OF the trip, and the passen-
gers, as was told afterward. all got thirsty
with vain longings from shifting the rum soaked
atmosphere. 1t was altogether the funniest
mess ever was in. and the strangest combina-
ton. Think of it-nails, whisky and feathers
all flying through the air and following us for
miles and miles. Oh, my.' And the Jolly en-
gineer lauged again and again. until he actu-
ally cried, at the picture he had in mind.