Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-07-29

A Peculiar Class OF Canincs of
Migratory HABITS.


The sagaoity OF the dog. mans IA
vorite companion, has long boon a
theme for comment. and almost with
out numbers are the stories told Of
the wonderful powers exhibited by
those animals. some OF which would
seem almost 70 cntite the dog to hlgi-
er facultica than morc instinct
While a great deal has been written
and said about doss in general and
about certain classess Of dogs In pur-
tlcular, the world at large has not
heard very much about a certain class
OF dogs, that by way OF distinction
might be donominatcd railroad dogs"
The railroad dog does not belong 10
any particular species nor has ho been
known TO fame by any great achieve
monts, but Az q unique class OF the
canine fraternity he has his claims to
distinction. As can be inferred from
the name. the railroad dos has his
habltatiun and seeks HIS affiliations
along the railroads, he is not hnppy
unless he constantly hears the roar
OF great engines and he delights 10
mlngle In tho busy scenes OF railroad
dupots. He lovoa the excitement In
cldcnt TO railroad existence aud, alaEi
sometimes he falls a victim TO his care
less familiar HABITS IN crossing rail-
road tracks about tho same time that
a train Of ears comes along. ana a
heart-rcnding yelp heraids hia entrance
into the happy canine hunting grounds,
Only few nights ago n dog belonging
to one OF the express companies VI this
city met this sad fate.
The railroad dos generally starts out
IN life ae a bum. and from some In
nunct, perhaps hereditary. Ne graVl-
tnieE TO the depots and around the
railroads, where he " adopted by the
express companies OF at other railroad
offices
There IN one peculiarly OF the rnll-
road dog which Is notable, and that
IL his migratory habits The great de-
light OF these dogs Ia to Jump aboard
train and travel for hundreds Of
miles through the country at dead
head rates, malting these toura at fro
qucnt Intervals, and uftor an absence
OF several days or even weeks, ganer-
ally turn up ali right at tho place
from which they started.
Perhaps the most famous or these
canine tourists was dOR known as
"Railrond jack who was great
traveller on expreBs cars and whose
NANAH "a INV A'hAH Nkh wan ANi NiNhs
sion Of a celebrated funeral, conduct
ed by the express men whose COM
panion Jack long had been
Mr.. Daniels of the Wells Fargo Elk
press Company OF this city, owns
dog that bids fair TO equal "Rnilrond
Jack" rs a rambler. A popularity OF
this dog n that he VIII only on cX-
press cars he readily distinguishes an
express car and when the spirit moves
him 10 talto IA tour he iumpH ubunrI
ana contentcdly lies down IN the door.
lie has already made several trips
to Galveston and has also been
through the Indian Territory.
He left on a trip a few days ngo
and has not yet returned.
Another travelling dog familiar TO the
railroad people IN n dog known as the
"pOstoffice dog This dog Invariably
selects tho mail cars and IL never seen
aboard any other kind OF cars
But perhaps the most remarkable OF
the itinerant dogs 10 one which be.
longod to freight train conductor on
the Fort Worth and Denver railroad,
whose run was between Wichita Falls
and Clarendon. This dog made II a
practice TO climb up through tho GU
poia TO the top Of the train and ride
there IN perfect ease and safety. even
while the train was running at n speed
OF eighteen or twenty miles an hour.
He is probably the only dog In tho
country that habltually rides on the
top OF the cars.