The Meeker herald., 1895-09-28
MAN AND BEAR.
An Exciting Episode In WhicA
Bruin Was Greatly Surprised.
Human Ingenuity Was Superior 70 Bsue,
Instinct and tho Man EsosDed
Being Devoured BY the
Bear.

Ofall branches of railway engineering
there is none which brings the officer
into closer contact with hard-working
lot of men than tine maintenance OF way
work. Sometimes there are comical
features even in this department., aud
one of these was recently told to =
writer for the st. Louis Globe-D Demo-
crat by well-known engineer, who
hides his real name under the pseudonyrn
of Jerry Sullivan. 1t is tale of one
Tim, track walker, who came in late
one night and reported to the other oc-
cupants of The bunlshouse that he had
been delayed by an extraordinary en-
counter with u bear. Near the ind OF
the section" said Tim, 'close to the old
tie camp, 1 was comm along about half
past three o'clock, and just afther
crossin' that little bridge heerd nize
of sumthin' rustlin in the bushes down
ut the bottom OF the dump, and thinkin'
it was a rabbit fred n rock down into
i'm, and in second there was terri
BILE slashin' around in thin bushes, and
l see big cinnamon bear come out
sneezin' and rubbin' his nose, and thin,
before rightly come to me sinses, the
bear seen me and up the dump he come.
Well, started down the track as tight
as could go, but l hadn't went two
telegraph poles until 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 1
was worth. But it was no use, the bear
was still gainin', and l was wondcrin'
what on airth | was goin' to do, whin
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 paved around and snorted and
bit the ind of the pipe, and tried first
one side and thin the other. But was
safe, and l lied there and painted and
blessed the man that invinted iron pipe.
"Well, thought the bear would go
away after awhile, but he didn't; he
stayed 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 l wished l had held on to the
rinch so 1 could hit him a belt over the
nose After bein' in there over two
hours l begin gittin' cold. and-I gao
I'd try smolzin' him out. So l 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 little, but wouldn't
back out, and seemed to be gettin'
madder all the time. Thin, whin was
nearly froze to death, happened to
think of the stick OF giant powder in
me pocket, and, thinks 1: Now Ill
settle your hash.' So l puts fuse in
the stick of giant, and crawls up and
threw it right under the bears head,
and thin touched off the fuse and
backed down to the other ind OF the
pipe. l guess that bear thought was
going 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
lust as the giant wint off. Widout
thinkin', had made big cannon out
of the water pipe, and whin it wint off
was fired out and landed in the middle
of the river and was nearly drowned
before l knew just where / was at
But finally struck the other bank and
got out and wint up to the station and
tagged the passenger and rode home.
After climbin' up the bank l looked
back and saw smoke comm out OF the
lower ind of the pipe and the bear still
lookin' at the upper ind and tryin' to
see phwat in blazes had happened"