The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-08-03
BEFORE THE ENGINE.
Animals That Meet Death on the
Railroad Track.
A Veteran Locomotive Engineer Re-
lates His ETporiences--The AMI
mails He Most breads to
Encounter.

AAASONAsoAs
"0f all animals that wander along tho
railroad track" declared a veteran loco
motive engineer to Washington Star
reporter, goats are the most irritating.
It's next to impossible to kill them, and
that's not the least tantalizing feature
about them from the standpoint of our
profession. No matter how fast you
may be running or how quietly you steal
down upon him, Mr.. Goat will see you
out Of the corner of his eye and manage
to get away just in time to miss the
cowcatcher as the engine rushes by him
at lightning speed. Cows and horses
are generally disposed Of with ease,
though sometimes they get under the
wheels and cause bad wreck. But
they'res so large that the pilot gets under
them and throws them off to one side.
The goat, though, nearly always sue
ceeds in getting us worked to high
pitch of nervousness and then contrives
to get off without scratch, and that's
what we don't like.
Speaking Of striking animals on the
rail-" continued the engineer, "the one
thing we most dread to meet on the
track is hog. Nine chances out Of
ten the hog'll throw you. He is tough
and greasy, you know, and II an engi-
neer has any show at all it's best for
him to stop the train as quick as 1t can
be done and drive the animal off The
track.
"When the pilot of an engine hits q
hog 1t usually knocks him down, and
then rolls him for few yards before
the trucks strike him; and when
they do there's great danger of
their leaving the rails. The drivers
are almost certain to follow the trucks,
and you're lucky If you don't go down
the bank. So you see what havoc one
pig can make with q railroad. Another
disagreeable thing about a pig is that
he never stops squealing from the time
he is hit until he is stone dead.
"Sheep are the most pitiful of all ami
mails to run down. They seem to re-
alize the danger they're in and huddle
together between the rails awaiting
death. Their innocent eyes stare at
you SO mournfully and sadly that they
haunt you for days to come. A loco
motive seems to take a savage delight
In destroying sheep. 1t throws them in
every direction and will kill whole
flock in an instant
II struck flock OF geese once" pro-
ceeded the engineer. well, ] never
thought there were SO many feathers in
the world couldn't see anything but
feathers for ten minutes, and when we
reached the station my engine looked
as II she had received a 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 a funny recollection
Mentioning feathers" he explained
after q pause, ''recalls TO my mind a
comical experience / had few years
ago in running fast limited passenger
train over the Pennsylvania main line
from Pittsburgh TO Philadelphia. We'd
gone through the town of Huntingdon,
on the Juniata, without Stacking up,
and had whirled safely around the base
OF the ridge east of there, when we
struck little stretch Of straight level
between high dirt banks, known as
Snyder's cut. cast my eyes on ahead
as we scudded along 10 a wagon road
crossing near the lower end Of the cut.
Just rs we approached II q two-horse
team was driven down from the turn
pike ct the right side, apparently with
the intention 10 cross. But instead OF
crossing the team stood still Two men
were In the wagon, and they seemed 10
be having an alteration as 10 whether
they should cross or 60 back. As G
compromise they just stood there on the
track. reversed the engine and
whistled down brakes, but 1t was toe
late. We struck the team square in the
middle, and then-o myl''
Here the engineer laughed without
restraint Then he resumed: "Tht
men In the wagon were evidently
farmers returning from town In bois
ferrous humor after = days market
ing, carrying home queer cargC
Of store goods Curious TO relate they
weren't hurt In the least, nor were tn,
horses. The wagon, until we cut 4
clean In two, contained feather bed
q keg Of nails and q barrel Of whisky
"Now we struck them all al the sam,
instant. The nails few way up In tn,
sky, as II seemed, and came down will
q peppering rattle over the roofs Of al
the coaches In the train for at least fv,
minutes. The feathers scattered IA
and wide through the air like drivinj
snowstorm and seemed TO come from
thousand bursted feather beds instea'
Of one. The whisky got mixed will
the feathers, and spurted high up Il
every direction. falling In q fine spra.
principally over tho engine, the tende
and the first couple Of coaches TIL
whisky and feathers clung 10 the top
and sides Of the cars and against tn
window panes for the remainder Of tn
trip, and the passengers, as was toll
afterward, all got thirsty with val
longings from shifting the rum-soake
atmosphere. II was altogether the fun
niest mess ever was in, and the strane
est combination. Think Of it-nailf
whisky and feathers-all flying throug
the air and following us for miles an
miles o, myi' And the jolly enginee
laughed again and again, until h
actually cried, at the picture he had 1
mind
Strange Indian Belief
The Mohaves believe that all who di