Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-07-08

That Was Exclusively Used ior Excursions ei
stvlls III t!esmen.

This il a story Of how 200 Australian
aborigines, the lowest type Of human
beings in the world. got their first iE-
PRODUCTION to civilization through the
agency of a railroad train. The Incl
dent has never been printed before; its
appearance now is due to the following
item that appeared In the Northern
Territory Times Of Feb. s.
''Curley Pete, son of old Chief Curly
of the Womera tribe, was struttrg
round town yesterday. attired in white
duck pants and a blue cloth cap. He
is as proud as a peacock. Mr.. Hendry
gave him job yesterday Oiling up
Engine 8. and all the Womeras believe
he is how in the line for the Justice
ship
Not very many years ago a party OF
engineers went up to Port Darwin. at
the extreme northerly point OF Aus
tralia. by steamer from Adelaide. thou
sands of miles away. to lay plans for
a 440-mile line of railroad into the in
terror to tap the copper and tin mines
The enterprise was a hazardous one.
for at that time two tribes of blacks.
the Womeras and Alligators. were
waging fierce war on the settlers OF
Port Darwin.
Gradually. and after hardships that
need not be detailed here. the engineers
got the first 50-mile section of their
work done. and steamships brought
up thousands Of tons Of material and
hundreds of laborers for the completion
of the road for that distance. 1t is
hard to give an accurate idea of the
he SIGHT those tiOnS
affected people of the character of the
aborigines. The "navvies" went about
their work armed. and. with all the
necessary ballast for the roadbed close
at hand, it was only little over
year before their labors began to as
sumo definite shape.
Some blacks were laid away by their
tritcsmen with bullet holes in their
bodies as mementoes of the advance
% civilization, and few Of the work
men perished miserably from poisoned
spear wounds before a sort Of tacit
truce was patched up. Plodding stead
lily in the tropical sun. the contractors
pushed ahead through the ferns and
waffle trees, laying rails as they went,
so that construction trains could de-
liver material as the work progressed.
The Womeras had disappeared al
most as soon as operations started. but
the Alligators hung round in the bush.
making occasional night attacks on the
men till the day when the first work
train went putting south. At the sight
OF it they tracked away into the in
terror. and all trace of them was lost
till the first section. running down to
Alice river. was completed. The first
passenger coaches were put on, and all
Port Darwin made trips along the line
and rejoiced at the improvement over
bullock team travel.
Some natives began to come back
from their bush haunts. timidly at first
and in parties of two or three. and
gazed with awe. not unmixed with ven-
Grafton at the trains speeding along
at 30-mile gait. 1t was thought well.
mainly in order to prevent destruction
Of the rails and roadbed, to educate
them up to the meaning of the innova-
tion. and after a while a few diplomats
were sent out to confer with the head
tribesmen.
It took months Of argument to con-
vince them, but finally the whole Wo-
mera tribe consented to track to Port
Darwin and place themselves in the
hands OF committee on arrange
ments."' So In fear and trembling they
arrived 1T the settlement, and one
bright afternoon 200 men. women and
children were selected to make the trip
to, the river, ..-
A dozen fiat cars were put behind an
engine. and into these the blacks were
coaxed and showed. with instructions
to hold on and keep still whatever
happened. A thousand other natives
saw them Off and all along the line
were several little groups of Alligator
men who screamed welcome as the
train swept by.
1t WAS probably the strangest collec-
tion of passengers ever carried on a
railroad train. AS soon as the run
started the whistle of the locomotive
footed a joyful accompaniment to the
rattle Of the wheels. The blacks began
their peculiar shrill cries. partly in
fear and partly in admiration. and
waved their arms about their heads as
the speed increased. The children
Dlunched dandelion seeds and clung to
their mothers, and two old women
croned a solemn chant and held their
heads in their hands. afraid to look up.
At the head Of the first car was an old
chief standing erect with his arms
folded and. ready to meet the death he
believed. the white people had tricked
him into. II
Gradually. getting used to the novel
motion and with, an increasing sense
of security. the majority became re-
assured. and by the time Alice river
was reached nearly all were supremely
happy over the adventure. They
swarmed out of the cars. sounded the
wheels, pointed to the position Of the
sun in the heavens and marveled at
the distance they had come in such
little time, and wound up with a gen.
eral plunge into the cool waters of the
river.
There was no need to coax them into
the cars for the return trip. With the
exception Of the two old women. who
deserted the expedition despite all ap-
peais and decided to walk back. all
clambered merrily aboard and were
run along. to, Port Darwin singing their
corroborees and love hymns.
"A little while afterward a fiat car
was attached 10 all trains, and the
natives soon came to know that it was
for their sole use. There was very
seldom a day when 1t was not full.
~ .
lHly