Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-02-20
TIM AND THE CINNAMON BEAR.
An Exciting Episode In Which Bruin Wa
Treated to Surprise.

- -
An Exciting Episode In which Isruin Was
Treated to . Surprise.
Of all branches of railway engi-
neering there is none which brings
the officer into closer contact with a
hardworking lot of men than the
maintenance Of way work. Some
times there are comical features even
in this department., and one of these
was recently told by a we'll known
engineer, who hides his real name
under the pseudonym of Jerry Sulli-
van. 1t is a tale of one Tim, a track
walker, who came in late one night
and reported to the other occupants
of the bunkhouse that he had been
delayed by an extraordinary encoun-
ter with a bear. Near the ind of the
section, y said Tim, 'close to the old
tie camp, was comm along about
$3.50 o'clock, and just after crossin
that little bridge I heerd a nize of
sumthin rustlin in the bushes down
1T the bottom of the dump, and think
In it was rabbit fired rock down
into i'm, and in second there was q
terrible slashin around in thin BUSH
es, and see a big cinnamon bear
come out sneezin and rubin his
nose, and thin. before / rightly come
to me sinses, the bear seen me and
up the dump he come. Well, start
ed down the track as tight as could
go, but / hadn't went two telegraph
poles until I look back and see the
bear still comm and gainin on me
livery jump. So / dropped me adze
and rinch and stretched meself for
all I was worth. But it was no use,
the bear was still gainin, and / was
wonderin what on airth / was goin
to do, whin l see the iron pipe under
the track near the cut, and / made
for that and wint in just clear, whin
the bear jammed his head in at the
ind. But he was too big to go in, and
he couldn' t reach me, and so he paw
ed around and snorted and bit the
ind of the pipe and tried first one
side and thin the other. But was
safe, and I lied there and painted and
blessed the man that inyinted iron
pipe.
''Well, / thought the bear would
go away after awhile, but he didn t.
He staid right there, wild his head
in first wan ind of the pipe and thin
the other, and when he came round
to the upper ind ] wished ! had held
ON to the rinch so could hit him g ]
belt over the nose. After bein in
there over two hours / begin gittin
cold, and I see somethin had to be
done, and I thought I'd try smokin
him out. So ] managed to light me
pipe, and thin smoked for all /
knew how. but the bear still kept his
head in the hole, and I crawled up
closer and blew the smoke right in
his face. He snorted a little, but
back out, and seemed to be
gettin madden all the time. Thin,
when / was nearly froze to death, /
to think of the stick of
giant powder in me pocket, and,
thinks /, Now, I'll settle your hash
So I puts fuse in the stick of giant,
and crawls up and threw it right un-
der the bears head, and thin touch
ed off the fuse and backed down to
the other ind of the pipe. / guess
chat bear thought was goin to run
away, for he run across the track to
The other ind. Thin, whin crawled |
back to get me feet out of his reach,
he crossed back again and stuck his
head and neck into the pipe just as |
the giant wint off. Widout thinkin, |
had made a big cannon out of the
water pipe, and whin it wint off /
was fred out and landed In the mid
lie of the river and was nearly |
drowned before / knew just where ] |
was at. But / finally struck the 9th
,r bank and got out and wint up to
he station and tagged the passenger
Ind rode home. After climbin up the |
oank looked back and saw smoke
,omin out of the lower ind of the
pipe, and the bear bear still lookin at the
upper ind and tryin to ephwat had
''-st, Louis Globe. Demo.
rat.