Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-07
Renaissance Of The Forepaugh Wreck.

| When the twentieth century antigua
| rian digs in the railroad embankment
| just above the station at Riverside on
| the Kennebec. wonder if he will look
| over the bones he will find there and
write treatise on cavalry engage
ment in which the slaughter was ire
mendous?
| In a trench close beside the track are
buried the bodies of IS horses.
| 1t was at that spot that Forepaugh's
circus train was wrecked some dozen
| years ago.
Il was there that foggy summer morn
ing. said the man who sat just across
the aisle. THAT was the first. last and
the only time | ever saw old Adam Fore
paugh He had tramped a mile up the
track to the wreck from where his car
was side-tracked and he wasn't in the
sort of mood where he was throwing
around free tickets to the show. The
old gentleman wasn't chewing the rag.
The rag was too soft an article. He was
biting railroad spikes and eating sleepers.
when / got around he was sitting on
a piece of wrecked car watching the
doctors and the farriers sew up the
wounds of the dead horses. A score of
| railroad men and circus men were dig
ging a trench near the track and drag
gng thither the bodies of the dead
beasts, all of them as handsome horses
as | ever laid eyes on. Around in the
grove Indians were scattered. cooking
their food: performers were disconso-
lately trampling about in the wet grass.
swearing in all keys and in all Ian
guages. Women connected with the
show were strolling about in the woods
and the bushes with skirts elevated to a
height that nigh about Frustrated the
countrymen who had come flocking about
the scene.
You can imagine how homogeneous the
whole affair was-this dumping of cir
Gus in the underground of Maine pas
ture.
I'm the cars that still remained on the
| track animals grOwled. or screamed and
barked Elephants beloved and grunt-
ed and were answered by astonished
cows who had strolled down that way
and were gazing in wide-eyed wonder on
the scene.
"Old Adam sat silently and moodily
and twirled between his thumb and fore
finger a great diamond that blazed on a
very soiled and crumpled shirt front
Young Adam came up to his fathers
temporary headquarters and stood in
front of the old gentleman, whacking a
switch nervously against his rubber
boots.
This is of a note, dad" said
young Adam.
"Old Adam did not look up. 'G'way.'
he said solemnly. G'way Addie don't
talk to me or I'll call you something I'll
Addie.' continued the old man as the
son turned to go away, L think you'd
better bring out the bears muzzle and
put it on me and chain me up to one of
those trees. If you don't I'll be biting a
hunk out of some one pretty soon'
THAT unlucky accident not only took
some of the very best horses of the cir
Gus but five out of a team of eight calico
horses were killed. breaking up the most
unique turnout in the whole show
when l looked on the slaughter
didn't blame him for feeling blue. You
may remember that he sued the railroad
for about $4,000 but after the case had
dragged along for some time 1t was with
drawn from the courts and settled pri-
vately. l guess Forepaugh didn't recov-
err anything. 1t was shown that the ac-
cident was caused by the breaking of a
truck frame on one of his own cars
which were not in the best of condition
anyway. Bangor Commercial