The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-06-08
LIONS TERRIFY SURVEYORS.
Exciting Night Experience In San Der.
nardino Mountains.

nardno Mountains.
G. +. Raysdale, a Government Sur
veyor, who is extending the san
Bernardino base line east of Mornt
San Bernardino, had narrowing ex-
perience the other night, Ragsdale
was caught by darkness 1000 feet
above sea level on the side of the big
mountain in wild section of coun-
try rarely visited. He realized the
hopelessness of trying to get to a
camp, and so prepared to make his
bed in the brush. lie was awakened
in the night by the crashing of thun-
der, and jumping to his feet he heard
the wild cry of mountain lion. In
few seconds the cry was answered
from other directions, and Ragsdale
realized that he was surrounded by
the ferociOus beasts. The only weap-
on he had was a small hatchet. The
fire which he had built before he went
to bed was rapidly being extinguished
by the rain, and to revive the flames
he threw the boughs of his bed upon
the fire.
Encouraged by the glare of the blaze
he went to some nearby bushes for
more wood, when he came face TO
face with the shining eyes of large
mountain lion. lie waved his weapon
above his head and the lion beat a
retreat with frightful roar. As
Ragsdale made his way back to the
camp fire he was followed by two
other lions. All through the night he
held the prowling beasts ut bay, until
the morning light brought members
of his party to the spot, and the lions
made off through the timber.
The second chapter in the incident
is told by Theodore Irving, who is en-
gagged with Ragsdale in the surveying
work. The next evening Irving and
young fellow named Waldron were
guiding the pack train up a canon
three miles from the mountain on
which Ragsdale was freed, and one
of the burros got its halter rope en-
tangled in the brush. The men were
in hurry to make camp and so left
the animal and pushed on with the
other ten. After making camp Irving
started down the canon after the ami
NAL they had left, and was horriied
to find it being attacked by an i'm
mense lion. Before reaching the spot
he saw the fight between the two
beasts. The first assault by the lion
| terminated in the little animal
wheeling about and landing two feet
in the lions side, knocking him some
| distance The lion then sprang again,
| landing on top of the burro's back.
Irving ran all the way back to camp,
and with Waldron returned with fire
arms to where the lion and the burTo
were. The burro was about dead,
and a great part of its back was torn
away At the first shot the lion dis
appeared unframed. That night the
surveyors were kept awake by the
roaring of the wild animals rs they
, fought over the carcass of the burro
In the morning hardly more than the
| hide remained.
"ThoSe lions are big fellows, and
there are lots of them" said Irving.
"They roar like the African lion. II
was most blood-curdling. They seem.
ed to be centred around Whitewater.
We saw few evidences of their pres
ence in the other localities, During
the fight with the burro the latter
kept up terrified screaming. am
quite sure that he would have been
able to keep free of the lion had he
not been tied, but the more he strug
gled to get free the shorter grew his
rope. los Angeles (Cal) Herald.