The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-24
REMARKABLE BEAR STORY.
A Beast That Started a Locomotive
and Blew the Whistle.
From the Neuo York Sun.

built, years ago. four miles Of the track
passed through an unbroken piece Of forest
known locally as the Bear Den Woods. The
name was due to the fact that a scanned and
rocky ledge, extending diagonally across
the wild stretch, was a favorfte lodging
place for bears, which were numerous in
that region then. and, in fact, still hold
their own there in numbers sufficient to be
a source Of much annoyance to the farmers
who strive for a living on the borders
Of the woods. The road con-
nected Chiffon Forks with the settle
ment's at WigtoD's Willows, a distance
develop the timber and coal resources OF
the region. was the engineer Of the con-
struc.ion train during the building OF the
road, and 1t was a common sight to see
bears come out of the woods at frequent
points along the line and inspect with
ludicrous curiosity the strange work that
was going on in their domain. We got 30
We didn't mind them any more than we
might so many pigs granting along the
track. and whenever any of US thought we
only had to keep our eyes cut for some
bear that suited US as to size and condition
and put rifle ball in him.
That was the most peculiar country for
hard and sudden wind and thunder storms
| ever saw. They would come up suddenly
and sweep over those woods with appalling
and often disastrous fury, as the great
areas Of down timber here and there were
unmistakable evidences Of The railroad
was completed toward the end of the sum-
mer, and a day was set for running the
first train over 1t from Chiffon Forks to the
Willows. There was long trestle a mile
west of Gravely's station, which carried
the road over a ravine that was more
than a hundred feet deep. The track
npkr ha
curve, and the trestle was not entirely fin
ished, so that no train or engine could yet
he run over it with safety except with very
slow and careful motion. In my Judgment
thought the officers of the company fool
hardy TO run train across the trestle. no
mat or how slowly or carefully, until the
workmen had completed its braciug and
supports and did not covet the engineer
who was to run the train the honor of it.
The day the train was to be run the sec
ton foreman discovered that a piece of
track near the eastern extremity OF the Bear
Den Woods would be bettered considerably
by a little more filling in and ballasting,
ana as everybody on the work had to be
sort of general utility man, he sent my fire.
man and me with car load of gravel TO
bolster up the weak spot. The job was q
bigger one than it was thought, and when
we had finished the work it was almost time
for the excursion train to be coming along.
In fact. we had heard the locomotive
whistling at Cherry Run, two miles
east of us. We had also heard the
mutterings of one OF those fierce
storms that were common in the
region. By the time we had got on the en-
CINE and were preparing to pull out for
Gravely's the storm came bowling down
worse than any / had seen since | mad been
on the road. We could hear the trees crash
ing down before it, and as jumped in the
cab a big limb from hemlock came swoop-
ing square on the engine, and pinned me
down between the tender and the cab, and
held me there as if were in vise The
fireman had stepped up on the coal in the
tender. and the same fearful gust that bore
the limb down on me caught him and
whipped him out of the tender as If he had
been bundle of straw, and l heard him
drop in the brush off to one side of the
track. He didn't come back. end
supposed he was killed. There
lay, perfectly helpless, and knew that
of the road and their friends aboard, was
booming along, and that in less than two
minutes it must come dashing at full speed
upon my engine. The inevitable result of
such a catastrophe was terrible to think
about The storm was now raging fright
fully through the woods. Trees were fall
ing on every side, and l could almost feel
my hoh AAhk HtdJ no l. Adf bucI6,
struggling to free myself, q bear, terror
stricken by the awful commotion in the
woods, and hurrying to escape from Its
fury, come climbing into the cab, and
| stumbling over the butt of the heavy limb
that pinned me to the floor, tumbled against
the furnace door. The bear scrambled to
his feet aud went paving wildly about In
the cab. But l gave no thought to
the bear, for. mingling with the
| tun1Ult of the storm hard the
rumble and tremor of the approaching train
on the rails. Suddenly / heard a familiar
click, and instantly the engine started for
ward with bound. / turned my head and
looked at the lever. The bear, in bis aim
less clutcning about in the cab, had caught
it with his paws and had pulled her wide
open.' The track was down grade all the
way to Gravely's, and, great heaven !
how we few The excursion train was
right behind us, knew. and In a few
seconds more would have crashed into my
| engine. But that great horror was
escaped, and, although L was pinned
down by the limb and had a bear for a
pilot. l almost tainted with joy. Down
that grade we flew like the wind that was
bowling all around us. The humping and
rolling Of the locomotive seemed to make
the bear wild with excitement, and he
prancej about in the cap like a crazy per-
son. Then of a sudden the sharp curve and
the dangerous trestle beyond Gravely's
flashed across my mind. AT the rate we
were going, even if we rounded the curve
all right, we would strike that trestle at a
mile minute and down we should 90 to
the bottom Of that ravine 100 feet below.
With this new horror fresh upon me, the
engine flashed out of the woods into the
open country Just mile and half more to
the trestle, and couldn't see how anything
on earth could save US. AS we tore by the
little station at Gravely's the bear, in, his
prancing and clutching, caught sight of the
whistle cord. That excited his curiosity,
and he seized it and gave it lusty pull.
The whistle responded with a shrek that
startled even me. Its effect on the bear was
electric He tumbled over backward and
fell across the butt Of the limb that held me
down.
His weight tipped it up, and lifted the
other end off OF me- The bear rolled out
of the cab to the ground, and 1 was freed
from the limb. l crewled to the lever, re-
versed it, and tainted. When 1 came TO
was lying on the ground with men around
me. The pilot of the locomotive was half
its width of the trestle.
It has always been a sorrow in my life
that the bear that saved my life and the
lives of many others that day was killed by
his fall from the cab. My fireman was
badly hurt by his sudden voyage through
the air, but lived to run many a trip with
me on the old G.. F. and W. w.
THERE exists in some parts of South Dakota
Toiorado and Taxas singular varieev of oraas