The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1894-08-10
HIS BEST BEAR STORY.
NEAR ENOUGH TO NATURES
HEART TO SATISFY HIM.
The Engineer Dropped His Job Because
the Bears Along the Road We're Too
sssnart''-HOw Bruin Took Charge OF
the Cab and Stopped the Train.

r, SAID locomotive engineer from
| Western Pennsylvania, to the New
York Sun man, s.and am looking for
] job on {, road that is up to the
times, and will equip itself With
! things that the exigencies of its ter
ritory demand. I've thrown up my
job WhyP Because the S, G. and
P. is SO pigheaded and bound to stay
in rut that it won't be consistent
and equip itself right.
From Peeled Hemlock to Gas Tank
Junction, forty-two miles, there are
only three stopping places on the
S., 6. and P. One is a tannery. one
saw mill and one an oil we'll The
rest is woods. If there ever was q
spot where awesome solitude of the
dim-lit woods bumped itself and took
the cake, hands down, it's over
along the s., G. and 2, between
Peeled Hemlock and Gas Tank juno
ton.
"But yet 1 liked it when first
started in on the road had al
ways wanted to get close to natures
heart, and here was with my head
pressed right to it, so to speak, "a
hearing of the thump. One day
was booming along with a heavy
train of bark and lumber and oil,
when, about 100 yards ahead Of us,
! saw a big bear come slouching out
of the woods at one side of the track.
''When we had got within few
rods of the bear he delibera tely
stepped on the track and, it seemed
to me, actually stood there making
faces at us. That made me mad,
and l pulled my old engine wide
open and went for that bear at
twenty-five miles an hour.
"'Now watch the bear meat fyr :
said to my fireman.
1--WE swept down on the bear like
cyclone aud [ looked and waited
for the shower of bear meat l ex-
pected to see It didn't come.
Smashed into mush on the piloti"
said, and went out in front along
the rail to see just how bad we had
done Bruin up l give you my word
l was surprised.
"The bear sat on the pilot as cool
as a cucumber. He had reached up
and taken the lamp out of the head
light, and was pouring the oil out of
| ~ ONOI AIulHSll GuOOluS IL LII DIS d
| Iiniment.
Then he looked up and saw me,
and, chucking the lamp at my head
and only missing me by an inch, he
took hold of one of the flag standards
and swung himself off to the side of
the track as slick as could be and
danced away into the woods.
Z" That comes pretty near being a
smart BEAR l said to, the fireman,
after getting back into the cab.
- He averages fair to middlin',
said the fireman.
The fireman was born either at
the tannery, or the sawmill, or the
oil well, don't know which. Any
way, he was native of the S. G. and
2. country.
"'He averages fair to middl in, )
said the fireman, "an' 'twouldn't
s'prise me if he was one of them
bars that tagged US one day when
Bony Sprinkle was runnin' this en-
CINE. We was bowlin' along up
t'other side o. Painter Bend when I
see red flag out at one side of the
track
we didn't have much time to
git stopped in, but we got stopped.
Some of the fellers got out to see
what was the matter, but nobody
didn't turn up to explain. While
they was figgerin' of it out L seen
four thump1n' big bars come out O.
the woods, two of EN- nigh the mid
die of the train, an two of 'em nigh
the hind end.
Fore we could holler them two
bars at the middle O. the train had
each clum on car an sot the brakes
tighter'n jackscrews, an then run
an sot 'em on t'other cars, SOS we
couldn't start an inch. We had q
carload o. supplies for the tannery
settlement, an while the two bars
was settIn' the brakes t'other ones
broke in the car an rolled out two
bar'l O. pork an joggled 'em off into
the woods.
/" Then t'other bars clum down
an followed 'em, an there wasn't a
man on the train dast say a word.
What should the red flag be but a
bandanna handkerchief that Sol Jones
had lost some'rs in the woods the
day afore, an o. course them smart
bars had sot it fer flag to hold US
up an rob us.
IL was GOrn d 11OG10 Will OOuDG
after the freman's story, in spite of
what I had just seen of S. G. & P
bears, but few days later felt that
had wronged my fireman. We were
going down Spillbucket grade, which
drops at about 100 feet to the mile,
and we were going fast Half way
Sbwn out of the woods stepped an
other big bear. He jumped plumb
on the track and waited for US and
grinned.
Hold your breath, Bill said to
my fireman, for Pm going to lubri-
cate the rails with that bear at 100
miles an hourn
al pulled her open and gave her
all the head there was. When we
reached that bear 1 couldn't see the
trees, we were going so fast Then
] hollered for brakes and began to
slow her up She hadn't begun to
slow any, for we had only got to the
bottom of the grade. when what
should loom up before me but the
bear climbing up from the pilot
+, and coming right toward the cab
window along the guard rail.
s'I didn't wait for him. but made q
break for the top of the car behind