Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-04-05
ELEPHANT AND ENGINE.
The Fate OF n Big Tusker Tint Tried
to Push a Locomotive
backward.

1t is not only in South Africa, and by
statesmen who ought to know better.
that the march Of civilization is opposed
and obstinacy pitted against progress.
The elephant has many human quail
ties, and II the story that comes to us
from Perak, one of the Straits settle
ments, be we'll founded, occasionally
shares with politicians hardly less in
telligent their prejudice against the
spirit of the age. 1t appears that big
tusker which had long been an object
of pursuit to the sportsmen OF that re-
mote district wandered on to the rail-
way line and tried conclusions with the
engine of a goods train, charging 1t re-
peatedly and keeping up the contest
for nearly an hour. The engine was
reversed in the hope that the beast
would quit the field and allow the
train to proceed; but just as soon as
there was any attempt to renew the
Journey the elephant returned to the
encounter and resumed ITS obstructive
tactics. The driver was afraid to charge
the brute, lest the train should be
thrown off the metals; and the contest
might have gone on much longer had
not the elephant backed into the en-
CINE, and, setting its fore feet firmly be-
tween the rails, endeavored to shove
the train backward with its hind quar-
tiers.
The driver took advantage OF the OPP
portunity and put on steam, gradually
forcing the beast off the line. In this
maneuver one of the wheels of the en-
CINE went over the hind legs of the ami
NAL. which was put out of its misery
by the guard of following passenger
train. This is not the first time that
the engine in question has encountered
an elephant on the line. Just about five
wears ago, while 1t was drawing pas
senper train on a dark night through
the heavy tropical forest, a sudden
shock was felt and the train came to
standstill The engine and tender were
thrown off the metals and half way
down the embankment, though fortu-
nately they did not drag the carriages
after them. When the driver, who had
been pitched off, went back to ascertain
the cause of the accident he saw large
bull elephant at the bottom of the en-
bankment at the other side of the line
It died a few moments after the COLL
sion from the violent shock and loss OF
blood, it's off fore leg having been shat
tered and a piece of the trunk torn on
Beyond the fright and shock caused by
the sudden stopping of the train, which
luckily. was travelling at only IS miles
an hour, no injury resulted to any OF
the passengers. In the same month OF
the same year a similar accident &C.
CURED on the Bengal-Nagpur railway
in India.
On a pitch-dark night a mail train
was running at the rate OF q miles ar
hour through a very thick jungle which
was known to hold wild elephants. The
driver felt an obstruction and at
tempted to reverse, but the engine left
the metals, dragging with it brake
van, the carriage of the locomotive su'
perintendent and some other carriages
but without causing injury to any Of
the passengers or officials. At first it
was thought that the accident had been
brought about by cattle straying on the
line, but the officials soon found dead
elephant. Apparently the animal had
been crossing the line just as the train
came up and had been struck by the
engine and hurled down the bank. The
agent of the company sent home one Of
the tusks to be put up in the board
room as a memorial Of the occurrence
These instances of a train being thrown
of the line through collision with al
elephant show that, while such acct
dents are pretty sure to be bad for the
elephant" they are also attended Will
considerable danger to rolling stock
and even to human life. The latter con
sideration completes the analogy W.
have already drawn.-London STAND
ard.