The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1903-01-14
ELEPHANT STOPS A TRAIN.
Messenger Thought Beast Should Run
Free.

Natural history books relate
wonderful stories about the accom-
plishments of elephants. Employees
of the Adams Express company
have just discovered that those
stories do not relate the whole
truth. There is nothing at all said
in them about stopping railroad
trains, says the New York Sun.
That a half-grown ELEPHANTS cap
able of stopping an express train
moving at the rate of mile a min
ute, was learned recently when the
Adams Express company undertook
to ship one to Atlanta Ga, He was
a very small fellow and seemed as
quiet as lamb They built crate
of heavy timber around him as a
matter of precaution rather than be-
cause they thought it was needed.
The elephant submitted without
even a show of resentment. OF
course, while the work was going
on he pulled off the caps of all of
the workmen in sight and threw
them upon the freight she'd But
that was only play.
Then they hoisted the crate and
the elephant into one OF the baggage
cars of train 30, special fast ex-
press that is made up of five bag
gage cars and two mail cars, and
which leaves Jersey City on the
Pennsylvania road every night at
10 clock. The little fellow seemed
to enjoy the lift.
One half of the car was given
over to him. The other half was
loaded with trunks and packages
Messenger Slower, who was in
charge of the car, said to his col
leagues that it was pure cruelty to
so cramp peaceful and kind heart
ed little animal If he had had his
way, be said. the eleph ant would
have been left loose in the car
Slower good opinion of his charge
lasted until the train was half way
to Newark. Then the elephant be-
gan to show signs of restlessness.
Slower talked baby talk to him,
but without effect. When the mes
senger came too close the elephant
got hold of his coat collar and tried
to drag him into the crate. Slower
was glad to get away with the loss
of the collar Still, he thought the
incident was merely a small misun-
Outstanding.
The naturalization that his charge
was bent on mischief came 10 him
when the elephant began to break
the crate to pieces, throwing the
wood at Stover as quickly as be
could wrest it loose. Slower fled to
the next car and sent for Conductor
Suits.
When they came into the car they
| found the crate all broken and the
elephant free from the rope which
had tied one of his legs to the side
of the car He was dancing a two
step of his own invention around
the floor of the car. trumpeting
nightly the while, as if to furnish
the music for his terpsichorean pro-
auctions. The conductor and the
messenger tried to soothe him from
behind a wall of trunks.
There must have been something
irritating in what they said for the
elephant suddenly stopped. Then
he reached up his trunk to the bell
rope running along the ceiling Of
| the car and gave one big pull. That
was enough. The train came to a
stop as quickly as train can when
it is making 90 miles an hour. Then
the engineer began to say things,
compared to which the trumpeting
of the elephant were as Sunday
school pleasantries.
The result was that Suits made
his way to the nearest telephone
and told the night foreman of the
Adams Express company Jersey
City Office of what was up.
"What the dickens am | to do?'
he concluded.
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