The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-06
FAR WESTERN RAILRoADNc.
animal Life as Seen From the Loco
motive-D eceiving Atmosphere.
FrOnl The Rocky Mountain Nslrs.

glneers TELL OF their experience with arimals
on the prairies Of tbs far west. Between the
Missouri river and the Rocky mountains
are the great plains. spreading ont for hun
dreds Of miles. Probably in no part Of tho
country do engineers come more IN contact
with animal life. They have taken
the place Of the old jehus OF the overland
mail and express in the more modern DAYS
OF rapid transportation. Often the old
stages were in great danger Of the great
herds OF stampeding buffalo. The
driver, express agent AID passengers. all OF
whom were well armed, only found safety
IN the sharp crack, crack Of the rifle. This
would either turn the buffalo. rushing with
almost the 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. 1t required men OF nerve. for some
times the buffalo would hardly sWerve
from their course until almost upon the
stage and passengers. The rear of the herd
providing and urging on the leaders. made
1t difficult task, testing the courage of the
men who faced them.
The buffalo. or bison, moro correctly
nanied. still roamed the plains after the
railroads came. The old engineers of the
Union Pacific. Kansas Pacific, and the Santa
Re used to cut their way through the herds
OF buffalo. The blow Of the whistle and the
discharge OF firearms would make them
scamper away. Sometimes thsy would
blockade train, but often raced with the
locomotive. giving the passengers an EASY
chance to slaughter than. Trains were also
stopped to give passengers a chance to kill
them, The racing Of the locomotive with
the wild horse and the buffalo is a thug Of
the past. The buffalo is almost extinct and
the wild horse is rarely found. Roping the
wild horse used to be a rare sport and in
dustry. A few are still said 10 roam the
Larimie plains and remote sections of coun-
try.
But notwithstanding these changes there
is still much Of interest to the engineer. as
well as to guard against, on the great plains
Recently at Holyoke. in Northeastern Col
orada, near the Nebraska and Kansas line.
| was detained over Sunday. 1t is In the
heart OF the plains country, and is the divis-
ion station OF the Burlington branch that
extends from Holdredge, through Western
Nebraska, Northeastern Colorado, to Chey-
enne. Wyo. Locomotive engineers are good
story teliers, and many an incident was re-
lated that Sunday afternoon of their expe,
rience on the great plains. J. s. Willard,
who then pulled a freight srein between
holyoke and Cheyenne, found an inter
esting talker.
"Sheep," he said, "cause more trouble
than any other stock. Al engineer always
tries to guard against killing stock, but If l
had my choice | would rather run into cat
tie, horses, hogs, or any other animals,
rather than sheep. Many thousands of sheep
are in the great hocks that sometimes cross
the tracks OF western railroads. Where
there are no fences,a quick turn In the road
through a cut may fluid the locomotive
known how sheep follow their leader.
Notwithstanding fha TDnufp~ fro
they continue to rush under the cars
and sometimes many are killed that the
locomotive never touched. They really
commit suicide providing under the wheels
before the train can be stopped. Sometimes
over 200 or 300 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 ite
way into the more delicate machinery. Al
the end Of the trip search is also made for
wool shat may have escaped the attention
of the engineer IN his examination.
Eyes, we have G good deal of experience
with wild animals" he continued, "but not
SO thrilling as that Of the engineers on west
ern roads whom the buffalo was common or
the plains But there is enough still left OF
wild animal life to make 10 interesting. The
CJ % Va VIC WOlkr Guy ObS, WAiOCdOt ,JhCh EaD-
bit. polecat and other animals look like q
red light when facing the headlight. Did
not these animals Quickly undeceiye US by
turning their heads, an engineer might thtRR
his train was being tagged and stop his en-
CINE. There are plenty Of Wildcats between
Well1eet and EiWood. Neb. On Medicine
creek they trap for beaver. 1t seems to be
a fayorits fishing place for beaver and
coons. Yes, coons will esh. They have lit
tie paths down to the edge of The stream
and there secreting themselves, catch fish
with their paws
Wolves and coyotes are numerous, but
are rarely struck by an engine Near the
Herbert ranch, east Of Cheyenne, l have
seen q coyote on a wire fence, which seems
TO have been thrown there by an engine.
The wolf Of the plains is either caught in
traps or by sportsmen closing in on pack
in drive. Sometimes they are Killed by
ranchmen putting poison on the carcasses
of cattle and sheep. Wolves hamString and
then kill stock. Coyotes suck the blood Of
sheep. The wolf drive is a fine sport on the
plains. The wolf, wildcat and coyote are
quick, and jump from the track. But the
Jack rabbit Is less fortunate. The headlight
hes @ strange fascination for this animal
and often 1t is killed"
A story was told of how a wolf, caught
in steel trap, had escaped with the trap,
but was again caught by the chain becem-
ing entanglsd in a wire fence. The On
gineer stopped the train, and the express
messenger and mail clerk tried to kill it, but
failed. The engineer called time" rang
the bell and the live wolf was left, still
tangled in the wire fence.
The antelope still wsnders, sometimes
down into the section Of wire fences.
Being unable to escape. this feet
animal runs from the train, making
one of the prettlest races in the west.
One engineer told q story of how in
Eastern Wyoming a pet antelope was kept
on the ranch Of a stocGman. The owner
had two fine deerhounds, but they and the
and the antelope were great friends. Often
from his cab window the engineer had seen
the antelope and the hounds playing to-
gether.
Incidents were rotated by some of the
party Of the slaughter of the birds. In
the spring tine prairie chickens, ON a
wet morning, often sit on the rails
and are sometimes killed by the engine
Quail also meet a similar fate. Thou
sands of snow birds are also killed: An en-
rinser related an interesting incident OF a
meadow lark that was pursued by mouse
hawk. The frightened lark took refuge on
the running board. having less fear Of the
engineer and fireman than its enemy. 1t
remained with the engine till safe from the
hawk. and then left its perch on the running
hoard. Owls and mouse hawks are some
times killed by breaking through the glass
windows of the cab
Engineer Willard again resumed, saying:
al think the swift is one Of the most inter
esting animals Oh the plains. saw one at
o., C-I that ves about eighteen inches