Evening journal., 1900-01-02
UPSET A TRAIN

ana tnat lhe nelu cOIupIAseu oVV'VVV
buffaloes.
UPSET A TRAIN
A train on the Kansas Pacific Road
| in that state in 1868 passed between
the towns of Ellsworth and Sheridan
100 miles-through a continuous herd
Of buffaloes. They were packed so that
the earth was black, and more than
once the train was stopped, the surgingi
mass becoming a menace to human
safety.
you cannot believe the facts as they
existed in the days of 1S71-72," said
an army officer. Il was at that time
on duty inthe pay department, which
made It necessary for me to travel on
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
railroad. One day the train entered a
large herd, which scattered and SEEM
ed to go wild at the shrieling of the
whistle and the ringing OF the bell.
AS we went on the thicker they be-
came until the very earth appeared
to be a rolling mass of humps so FAR
as we could see. Suddenly some OF tho
i animals nearest us turned and charged
others fell in behind, and down on us
4 they came like an avalanche The en-
gineer stopped the engine, let on
lsteam and whsstled to stop them, while
we fred from the platforms and win
dows with rifles and revolvers, but 1t
was like trying to stay tidal wiye.
We stood in the center OF the car to
await the crash, some of the men
going to the rear. On they came, the
earth trembling, and plunged heads
down into us. Some were wedged in
between the cars, others beneath, and
80 great was the crush that they top
pied three cars over and actually
, scrambled over them. one buffalo be-
coming begged by having his legs
caught in the window. Such accidents
occurred several times, and twice in
one week were trains derailed by
, charging buffaloes, whose numbers il
a was impossible to compute"
: THE DEsTROYERs.
q The destruction Of the buffalo is &
dark and disagreeable subject to probe
, but it is interesting to note some of the
! methods of these national calamity
makers. A band of half-breeds in two
hunts. according to Ross. killed 477Il
buffaloes, 620 men being G iged in the
= sport, out Of which about 10000 ami
y mails were wasted or partly eaten
J Hornaday estimates that from 1920 t
d 1926 five buffalo expeditions went out
composed Of Clio carts each, killing
r. 1880 bunaloes. From 1925 to 1880
D five expoditlons,of $50 cars each, hllel
y, las $50 buffaloes. From 1880 to 1875
y six expeditions, OF S95 carts, kille
5. 17z,52S animals. From 1885 to 1870
u "a expeditions, OF 1890 carts each
E killed 212, $50 buffaloes. Total numbe
q killed by the Red river half-breed
alone In twenty years, 652,275, value
T lat S3,261 1915. An interesting table ha
IL been furnished by the government
Y showing the decline Of the buffalo as a
E article Of commerce. It shows that i
nine years enc firm handled 246,17
skins, costing s924,790. In 1878, thi
4 firm received 41,20S robes; in 1885,
70 5000; in 1884, none. The end Ia
IS come, and the buffalo was a memory.
IS THE HIDE MARKET.
II Another dealer, Joseph UllmanI
~ states that in 1881 he handled 41,OO
~ robes, valued at $3.50, and 1900
&c $3.50. In 1882 he purchased 1000
y, hides at $3.50, and 10000 robes at S8.5
~ The prices hunters received we're: Co
:, IN hide, SO; bull hide, $3.50; yearlinI
$3.50; calves, 80 cents. The expense
Isee transportation brought the hide up
~ $3.50 in New York. This dealer in fol
ne years paid out $4,000 to these me-
20 who killed buffaloes by the tens
thousands, at $3.50 per head. Both
y the aforementioned dealers In eigl
y. years paid out S1,233,070 TO the exte
Ut minators.
w. That the real determination OF Il
W buffalo was caused by the demands
Sa trade there can be no doubt, aided ar
~ abetted by sportsmen, Indians al
,ta others, but the blame really lies vii
no the government that in all these yea.
ns permitted a few ignorant congressme
81, to block the legislation in favor OF Il
AZ protection Of the bison, so that all Il
% Efforts OF humanitarians were defeat'
,1S and the bills when passed plgeo
~ holed.-Cinclnnati Enquirer.