Evening star., 1898-09-10
MARVELLOUS FEAT.
Breaks Telegraph Pole by Constnnt
Work With Its mn

From the EGltimore Herald
IL you have read and doubted the story
Of the prisoner centuries ago who, accord
ing to a comic opera lbretto. cut his way
through r stone wall with a penkuifc. read
this story. one Of fact, and believe This
is an achievement Of the Industrious rcd
headed woodpecfer.
On Hartford avenue Just south OF the R,,lt
Line tunnel there was tall. well-roundrd
snd apparently sound telegraph pole. To
passersby it was just telegraph pole do
ing its duty like any OF the army Of tim
oers stretched along The thnrougbr5re
Probably this pole would have never been
keard OF had II not been for an unusual
occurrence Sunday morning. And this Is
what happened: At 10 o'clock. without any
warning. like a great. strong man struck
down by some slow but sure dIs,.ase IN.
pole suddenly Eroaned and then with A
swapping. tearing. grinding sound the M
per portion fell TO the street. leaving about
twenty-five fc~t standing. The p.upie look
eu on and wondered. There was no hurri-
cane. not even brisk breeze. and surely
not enough to sever such a pole as that
which had weathered so many storms Arj
still they wondered.
Explanations followed thick and fast. and
the argument over the cause, beam, ar fr.
more heated The oldest iuhabitaut WAS
S"uSht' ana after much going over the past
he remembered that some tjrnc ago ba h,1
oeeh disturbed while quietly reading his
paper and smoking his pine bv a soil,iI as
posS were tapping on the door. After
aN iIile ne noticed a bird. a real. live wood
PtCher' Working energc:ically with It's
sharp-pointed bill against the telegraph
pore. Ihis, he said. was fully five years
Then somebody else remembered ps,-,r,
seen bird peckins away al ,ha mole. RI,f
even inns, they thought could mon ba,-a
eadSSd hT such great timber To fall Then a
Shlal boy volunte, red the testimony tb,-
ne had seen a bird light on the mi. .,1
vas ABOUT to shoot at II with his slungshnf
lile poilceman on the beat being ar dinner
pole. " '''"
Then the oldest inhabitant took III. stand
again. IN rebuttal. it were and he COR
r"oorated the boys statement. In fact A..
had seen two birds go into The hole Thin
d resident who had at one time worked ia
StNmllI unlIl certain buzz saw while
on the buzz, had changed his arruna-f,,
1" something suitable for a one-aru,.d man
openly declared that no voodn,rk.r irI tIa
W"rId could have ever cut through wood
ilke that IL il had started befof, horse cars
ran out Gay street.
I6e oldest inhabitant scratched his head
ana another Resident no had lived In rba
country f"ty ConlraGict-i the man Ubo
mad worked I'm the sawmiu. and whiI. they
investigated. '''
Sure enough there right where The nora
had broken, was the hollow whore N,
woodpeckers had cut ont their ursr ana
VIA MhAt was more and really unauswsrahle
ana convincing testimony beyond p-r.a-
venture, was a poor little woOdpacker hair
frightened to death. The small hay ta.lz
p"7SeSsloh OF 1t. and the oldest inhabiiaut
naked back and remarked triumphantly
told You so, while the une-armrd man
went 10 ms home and the man who hal
spent his boyhood DAYS down on The farm
gave him the gleeful g7irgle
All Of which goes to show thar tn, ,,,f.
oher VINO chipped his way through a stora
wal with peaknife and the spider tbaf
pult Slik'n suspension bridge have, been
pecller.
II you don't believe this go over to Har-
lofd avenue just south of the belt tunnel
and be convinced --'