The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-22
A BEAR STORY.
How Bruin Blew Himself Up With Dyna-
mite.

How Bruin Blew Himself Up With Dyna.
mite.
Few of the workmen engaged in the
construction of the Great Northern rail.
road IN Montana but knew Jim Robin
son. or, as he was more popularity
known, Dynamite jim" He gained
the sobriquet by a report becoming cur
rent that he was in the habit OF carry
ing dynamite cartridges in his clothing,
which made several of the more timor-
Gus of his fellow workmen refuse to
sleep in the same test with him at
night
An explosion which luckily caused no
loss of life. but which damaged consid-
| cradle trestle work, was attribu to
Robinson's carelessness in handling
| dynamite, which made the contractor
discharge him
Finding it impossible to get any more
work on the railroad, Robinson started
for Choteau, town about eight miles
distant
He took an old trail which skirted
the left bank of the Good Medicine
creek and toward evening he had
reached a place much frequented by
hunters during the summer season, as
| bears are said to be very plentiful in
that region, but Robinson was not
| aware of that fact
Feeling tired he camped for the night
| beneath the shade of a large cotton
wood tree, about one hundred yards
! from the east bank of the river, and
within full view of the snow-capped
summit of the Rockies.
Leaving his blankets on the ground
he collected ''deadwood" with which to
make a fire, for the nights in that
region are cool even in summer.
When the fire was built and lighted
Robinson sat down and began to eat
canned meat and crackers
The second mouthful he swallowed
he was startled by hearing growl
just behind him, which made him drop
the food on the ground and brought
him to his feet with jump.
Looking, he saw coming toward him
at rapid gait and with mouth wide
open huge cinnamon bear.
He gave bound for the cottonwood
tree, which he climbed with rapidity
which afterward astonished himself
As luck would have it, the tree was a
large one and had a convenient fork
about twenty feet from the ground.
Before the bear reached the tree Robin
son had climbed into the fork, and,
throwing his arms about the limb,
chung to it with grim determination,
while the bear put his huge fore paws
against the trunk and shook the tree
like an aspen.
Failing to shake Robinson out of the
tree, the bear uttered several deep
growls and then went shifting toward
the fire and began to eat Robinson's
little store of provisions.
Robinson took advantage of the
bears absence, and getting a rope out
of his pocket tied himself firmly to the
tree.
After devouring Robinson's supper
the bear began to tear the blanket, in
which he found hard, shiny sub
stance, which he tried to eat, but find
ing it too hard he dropped it between
his two forepaws and then brought it
down with a smash on rock beside
the fire.
A terrific explosion rent the air, while
bear, tons of earth and pieces of rock
went skyward like flash.
A short while afterward a party of
hunters who were camped in the vicin-
ity were attracted to the scene by the
noise of the explosion. They found
Robinson in dead faint in the tree.
One of the party climbed up to him,
and, cutting the rope, lowered him to
the ground, where he soon recovered.
Strange as it may seem, he sustained
no injury, but his clothing was literally
stripped from his body by the force of
the explosion.
A few pieces of flesh almost the width
of mans palm were all that could be
found of the bear
The cause of the explosion was a
large cartridge of dynamite which
Robinson carried in his blanket and
which the bear exploded by conclusion.
Robinson received suit of clothing
from one of the hunters and afterward
resumed his journey. San Francisco f.
Call