The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-28
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

I'm VERY particular" said a commercial
traveller at a downtown hotel, says Washing
ton Star writer, what car Of the train select
travel thousands of miles a year. and have
made 1t rule to observe in the accounts of
railroad accidents which cars of the train are
the most often demolished. The result of my
experience-for have been in q dozen smash
ups-and observation are the middle cars are
the safest. never, under any circumstances
ride in the rear car. l avoid the car next to the
baggage car. though tins is selected by many as
the safest. The greatest danger at present in
railroad travelling is telescoping. When man
has been IN a wreck and afterwarl seen the
engine OF the colliding train half way inside of
the rear car. or rather what's left of it, It i'm
presses him most forcibly. The baggage car is
usually heavily loaded, and in the collision
its weight, together with the pom
derous engine, generally smashes the next car
TO splinters, while the central cars ere compar-
ativeiy uulniuTed. When the train is deraled
the baggage car and next coach, as a rule 90
over. The roadbeds of our great transconti-
mental lines are 50 solid, each section is 50 care
fully examined, the rolling stock is so much
improved, that broken rail. broken wheel or
axle and like mishapS are reduced to q mini.
mum. But where trains follow one another on
a minute or two leeway and the block OF auto
matte signals don't work-well look in the Star
the next day for further particulars and see if
my Judgment is not correct
IT Is SAID that the scent or roar of a bear in
the jungle will often scare elephants beyond
SO4llAOl says llS LOuuOu DDtCLuIOT. ana LleV
have the same intense nervousness shown by
the horse at the sight of things unusual or out
OF place. a big elephant, which employed
to drag away tire carcass OF q dead bullock and
had allowed the burden to be attached by ropes
without observing what it was, happened to
look around, and instantly bolted, its fright in
creaslng every moment as the unknown object
jumped and bumped at its heels After run
ming some miles like dog with a tin can tied
to ITS tail, the elephant stopped and allowed
itself 10 be turned round, and drew the
bullock back again without a pro-
test. Yet an elephant with good mahout
gives, perhaps, the best instance of disciplined
courage courage, that is. which persists in the
face OF knowledge and disnclination-to be seen
in the animal world. They will submit day
after day, TO have painful wounds dressed in
obedience TO their Keeper, and meet danger in
ODE Hence TO orders, though their intelligence is
sufficient to understand the peril and far too
great for man to trick them into a belief that it
is non existent. No animal will face danger
more readily at mans bidding. Asan instance
take the following incident, which recently oc-
CURED in India, and was communicated to the
writer. A small female elephant was charged
by buffalo in high grass, and her rider, in the
hurry Of the moment, and perhaps owing TO the
sudden stopping Of the elephant, fired an ex-
ploSive shell from his rifle not into the buffalo
but into the elephants shoulder The wound
was 80 severe that it had not healed a wear
later Yet the elephant stood firm, although it
was gOred by the buffalo. which was then killed
by another gun What is even more strange is
that the elephant was not "gun shy" after
ward.