Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-10-23
WHEN ANIMALS STOP TRAINS.
Wild Swan Once Held Up Traffic In
England.


With the human "hold-up" Of trains
we in this country are fortunately not
familiar, but most railway men OF ex-
perience can tell tales Of traffic stop
ped by beasts, birds and even fish, says
Tit-Bits. The first Is naturally the
most common; for, spite Of the warn
ing of George Stephenson respecting
the Goo" which has become proven
bial, farmers and others cannot always
prevent their live stock from straying
on to the line.
One such case may serve as an ex-
annie. It occurred in Forfarshire,
where a train ran into 120 sheep, KILL
ing eleven and injuring others before
1t could be pulled up. AS result this
stoppage cost the railway company
besides the expense Of litigation-over
s25. Birds have been known to stop
trains by becoming jammed In signal
ling apparatus. especially at night
when they fly for the lights.
There was a curious case some
III
wild swan was the means Of hold
ing up" traffic by becoming entangled
with the telegraph wires In such
way as to stop all communication, thus
bringing a somewhat important pas
senger train to a standstill until the
fault was discovered and remedied.
Live fish are, seemingly the last thing
likely to stop trains, but they have
been known to do so by being sucked
into the watering apparatus for loco
motives at country stations, eels and
even trout of considerable size having
been captured in this way.
Abroad traffic Is frequently inter-.
rupted by all kinds of creatures, from
elephants to insects. Not long ago one
of the former escaped from show,
charged train upon an American line
and stopped it. with results disastrous
to the attacker while similar occur
rences have been reported from India
Insects, especially in the form OF white
ants, have been responsible for many
stoppages on lines in tropical countries
owing to the destruction by them OF
wooden portions of the permanent way,
and from this fact has grown up the
manufacture Of pot" sheepers OF steel,
now quite a considerable industry IN
the north Of England and in Scotland.
The Uganda railway is probably
more exposed to stoppage by animals
than any other, and lions not infre-
quently "hold-up" it's trains, to which
they appear to have a peculiar antip-
athy. One huge beast which was
known to have killed seventeen people
attacked a van, but got warm recep-
ton from it's occupants, who were pre-
pared for him.
Both engines and vans have guns
provided for their defense, and some
times for sport, for 1t Is on record that
a driver stopped his train In order TO
have a shot at guinea fowl, whilst
ostriches are also the cause sometimes
Of like delays. So they are also on
certain South African lines, where they
bury their heads in the sand ballast
ing the track ahead of train, in
volving either a stoppage or the run
ming over what may be valuable bird
from an adjacent run"
In Canada stays sometimes stop
traffic by running before the engine
until exhausted, but the most curious
stoppage of the kind in a cold country
occurred not long ago between Kamy-
shelf and Lamsor, in Siberia. There,
whilst an engine was running at slow
speed, a bear sprang on the tender
and attacked the driver, who FORUM
ately succeeded in forcing him back
OH to the line, where he was caught
by the wheels and so injured as to be
easily dispatched.
In India lately tram was stopped
BY large fish. This occurred during
the floods in Calcutta, where the wa
ter rose in the streets to the height of
the wheels, and the fish, carried by the
current became jammed in the spokes,
thus causing the vehicle to come to
standstill.