Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-01-27
ELEPHANT AND ENGINE.
The Fate % n Big TusEer That Tried
TO Push a Locomotive
backward.


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 If the story that comes to us
from Perak, one of the Straits settle
mcnts, be well founded, occasionally
shares with politicians hardly less IN
telhgent their prejudice against the
spirit Of the age. It appears that a big
tusker which had long been an objecA
OF pursuit 60 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 it re-
peatedlt and keeping up the contest
Tor nearly an hour. The engine was
reversed In the hope that the beast
would quit the field and allow the
train to proceeds but tust as soon as
there was any attempt to renew the
journey the elephant returned to the
encounter and resumed fits 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 fits fore feet firmly be-
tween the rails, eDdeavored to shows
the train backward with fits hind quar-
tiers.
The driver took advantage Of the op-
portunity and put on steam, gradually
forcing the beast of 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 miserv
by the gunrd 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
years ago, while IL was drawing a pas
senger train on a dark night through
the heavy tropical forest, a sudden
shock was felt and the train came to q
standstill. The engine and tender were
thrown or the metals and half way
down the embankment, though fortu-
nately they did not drag the carriages
efter them When the driver, who had
been pitched of, went back to ascertain
the cause of the accident he saw a large
bull elephant at the bottom of the en-
bankment at the other side of the line.
1t died a few moments after the COLI
sion from the violent shock and loss of
blood, its off fore leg having been shat
tered and piece of the trunk torn of.
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 90
CURED on the Bengal-Nagpur railway
in India.
On pitch-dark night mail train
was running at the rate of 81 miles an
hour through 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 1t brake
van, the carriage of the locomotive SUI
perintendent and some other carriages,
but without causing injury to any Of
the passengers OF officials. At first It |
was thought that the accident had been |
brought about by cattle straying on the |
line, but the officials soon found a dead !
elephant. Apparently the animal had |
been crossing the line jnst 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 train being thrown |
off the line through collision with an |
elephant show that, while such acct |
dents are pretty sure to be bad for the |
elephant" they ere also attended with |
considerable danger to rolling stock. |
and even to human life. The latter con- |
sideration cOmnletas che aDalOor0 va /
have already drawn.-London Stand |
ard.
Not Necensnrx To TIL. Mall