The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-24
WORMS STOP A TRAIN,
They ROut nm Engineer and Black
Flies Rout the Passengers.


From the New York Tribune.
Lewiston, Me-, duly 2o.-Railroading
in Maine has not been without its in
cidents lately. A short time ago the
trains 4on the Canadian Pacific Rail-
road were very late, and the story went
out that a terrible accident had hap.
pened near Megantic, near the western
border of Maine. As the line of the
Canadian Pacific runs for miles
through the wilderness of Northern
Maine, the report could not be verified
at first. A press telegram was sent out
stating that the Colonist Limited mad
gone through the bridge, and that
large numbers had been killed, but at
last the overdue train arrived at Jack
man station, and the story was told.
Before any one on the train would say
a word, he first made a rush to the
general store near the Jackman station
and bought bottle of some emollient.
AS the passengers rubbed the soothing
compound on the bullying blotches OF
mosquito bites and on the red rash that
marked the punishment dealt by the
black flies and minges they related
their experiences. go
1t seems that when the train, COM
posed of heavily loaded colonist cars,
struck the foot of a steep grade, the
engineer noticed that the drivers began
to slip and grind in a somewhat unac-
countable fashion. The engineer lean
ed out of the cab, and saw that nu-
merous green worms. were crawling on
the sleepers and rails. He yanked the
sand lever and set the throttle up a
notch or so. The great wheels came
flogging down on the rails and the en-
CINE rocked and trembled, but as the
grade grew sleeper. the locomotive la
bored more Intellectually.
The Green Worms Win.
At the top of the grade and contin-
uing for a quarter of mile is trestle
over Moxie Brook AS the engine puff
ed and snorted toward the end of this
trestle, slipping grinding, jerking
ahead and then almost slowing to a
standstill, the engineer noticed that the
green worms were growing more nu-
merous. Behind. they had been in
patches and thin professions, like the
stragglers behind an army, but at the
end of the trestle and along the viaduct
as far as the eye could distinguish
them they were packing rails and
sleepers like a carpet of moving, undu-
lating green. 1t was evident that the
worm army wanted to go somewhere,
and was using the trestle of the great
Canadian Pacific over which TO make
an exodus. For every one squashed by
the engine wheels two more took his
place on the rails, and before the tres
tie was reached the wheels of the loco
motive gave a last, despairing buzz on
the slippery rails, and then the train
jerked to a standstill. The weight of
the cars even pulled the locomotive
back bit ere the brakes would take
hold.
The conductor came forward along
the side of the train, scuffiing through
the sand of the roadbed and stepping
gingerly through the patches Of crawl
ing worms. He found the engineer out
by the side OF the engine, gazing with
intense disgust at the forbidding mess
that was smeared over his running
gear and even dripped in thick yellow
streams from the rims OF the wheels
The conductor and engineer stood there
for a moment passing 1orid comments
on the situation, and as they talked
they kicked out first one leg and then
the other in order to shake off the de-
termined orawlers who insisted on a
tour OF investigation.
few. passengers. seeing these queer
antics, started to come forward. but
there were too many worms IN sight.
Engineers plan Failed.
The engineer thought that he could
run back mile or 50 ana get enough
momentum 20 run over and through
the mess lie told the conductor that
he hadn't been looking for any Coxey's
army on the rails. ana therefore had
not taken the grade az very determined
speed. 50 the train was backed two
miles. Then the engineer took the en-
CINE broom, and. with the Assistance
~ the nremHn. Cleaned on NJ much ~
the worm lubricant "a he could.
Then with me throttle vide open,
uslnR every pound ~ steam. ana with
sand valve pulled - the limit, be alam-