Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-07-05

the New York World sends the follow
Ing;
"Of al animals that wander along the
railroad" declared veteran locomotive
engineer on the Philadelphia aud Head
lux yesterday. goats are tho mosi lrri.
tailng. It's next Ia Impossible To kill
them, aud that's not the least tsntalix-
Ing feature about them from the stand.
point Of our profession. No matter how
last you may be running ar how quietly
You steal down upon him, Mister Goat
will see you cut of tie corner of his eye
aud manage to get out III the way just
IN time Ia miss the cowcatrher as the
engine rushes by him. Cows aud
horse. are generally disposed 1T With
ease, though sometimes they get under
the wheels and cause q had wreck. Hut
they are so large that the pilot get. un-
der them aud throws them OF Ia Que
side. The goat, though, nearly always
succeeds In getting us worked up Ia a
high pitch of nervousness, and tpen COZ.
tri,es Ia get OF without q scratch, aud
that's what We don't like.
speaking IL striking animals on the
rail-" CONTINUED the engineer, "thc one
thing We most dread on the track !. q
hog. Nine chances out of ten the hog
Will throw YOU. lie Il tough aud greasy.
you know, and u sn engineer has any
show at all It, best to stop the trsin az
quick ne can be aud drive the animal
OF the track.
"when the pilot Of an engine hits a
hog II usually knocks hlm down aud
then rolls him for few yarls before
the trucks strike him; aud when they
do there's great danger % their leaving
the rails. The driver. are almost GER
tain 90 follow the trucks, aud u YOU
don't 20 down the bank you're lucky.
~ YOU see what havoc one pig can
make with a railroad. Another Dis
agreeable thing about q pig u that h.
never stop. squcsling from 10. time b.
!. bit until he Il stone dead. only few
days ago big freight train W.. dersll'
cd by striking q hog near Euphrata.
Oar main lin. l. comparatively free
from wandering swine nowadays, bat
somehow the hog. It'll show a pcr,er.e
fancy Tor getting on the track. on some
of our branches.
"shccp are the most p.tliul ~ all AMI
mails Ia run down. They .ocm Ia real.
lee the danger they are In aud huddlc
together between the rails awaiting
death. Their innoccnt eye. stare NJ you
80 mournfully and sadly that they
haunt you for days Ia come. 4 locomo-
tive seems Ia take q savage delight La
destroying sheep. II throws them In
every direction aud will lii whols
flock In an Instant.
II struck flock ~ geese once" the
engineer proccclssi, "all squattc,l down
over the ties. Well I never thought
there we're 90 many feather. In the
world. couldn't see anything for
feather. Zoe ten minutes, aud when Ne
reached the station my engine looked a.
II II had reviewed coat 81 Tar aud
feathers"
Here the engineers eyes began "a
sparkle, snd h. stopped talking ,o hold
hls fst sides, shaken by suppressed
laughter over funny recollection.
Mentioning feathers" h- explained
after q pause, "c,ll. a. NV mind a comi'
cal experience had few years sgo
when ! was running q fast limited pas
s.ngsr train over the lcnu.yl,ania mali
I tNNfN ~
We'd gone whooping through the tow
81 Huntingdon, on the Junlaia, without
stopping. sui had whlrlcd safely sround
the bs.. ~ the ridge east II there, whcu
Ne struck little stretch 81 straight
level between high dirt banks, known
~ sny,lcr's cut. cast my eve on ahead
"a We .cudded along a. wagUn-foad
crossing near a.. end ~ the Cut. Just
~ We approached u team WAS driven
down from the turnpike at the right
.he. apparently Intending to cross
Hut Instead ot Crpssiug the team stood
still. Tao men wefc Ia the wagon ant
they sccmci a. b, having an alteration
a. to shsihcr they should ctoss or ~
hack. \. compromise they just .too,
there CA 'hr track. ! fcyct.cl the en-.
ginc shi ,hfiekci down brakes. but Il
wss t"a late. We struck IA. team
square Ia the middle. and thcn-oh, my -
llcf. the engineer laughed immo'l"r'
st.ly. Then d. resumed; "Ihc msu u
tl,c wagon we're cSiicntly farmers ~
turning IN boi.ierOus humor frow
town alter days marketing. carrying
home With them q queer cargo ~ 'stor
goods Curious Ia relate, they weren't
hurt IN the least nor we're the horse.
'ihs wagon, until We cat Il clean In two,
contained feather bed, , kcg ~ nall.
aud q barrel ~ whl.k.y.
eve struck thcm all At the same ln-
slant. whew. Tie nsil. ;iew way uI
Ia the sky, as Il soemei. and came down
With a pepperlng rattle over the roof. oi
all the coiChc. la the train for At least
i've minutes. The feather. .cAtierr
FAR aud Vide through the air Ike snow
storm au,l .ccmc'l tO come from thou
sand busted feather bcd. Instead of one.
Tie Whl.kcy got mixed With the fciih-
-. aud spuricd high In every direction
falling Ia ilne spray, principally over
the engine, the tender ani the hrsl
couple ofcars.'