The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-12-21
lids, and there are fewer of


Circle, and it is a race with one TO run
it down. y quail will Inakca short,
quick fight, but will not last long
It's body is too heavy in proportion to
It's wings, for long flight. The Eng
lish sp1rrows suffer the most from
trains. These birds become so tame
they will let an engine get close on
them before they try to fly. y little
blood spot tells Of the finish"
Not long ago." >aidG &. NJ. Jlqucs,
the engineer who pulls the Alton y
Chicago Limited, 81 was knocked
clear from my seat in the cab BY an
old hoot owl one Of the variety that
flies in the woodland. II was one Of
the rretticst nights you ever saw, a
full, clear moon, the air was soi, and
we were running Oh time. was
bringing special into Kansas City
anG had an open track clear into toan.
We were bowling along about fifty
miles an hour, when some dark object
dartcd in the side cab window, struck
me III the i'rcast and all was darkness.
| fell BY the side Of my seat and lay
there. 1t was but moment, how
ever. My fireman jumped over to my
side of the cab and helped me up. In
my fall | had jcrkcd the throttle wide
open and that engine was fairly burn
ing up the tracks, going round curves
like rocket. We closed her down a
little and looked down to see what
hit me. There on the floor, with an
occasional gasp from it's crooked beak,
was hoot owl that would weigh i've
pounds. But twas all over for Mr..
Owl. | dropped him out into the
ditch by the side Of the railroad track.
1t was week before | got over the
soreness in my chest. The owl had
come out of the woods near Indepen-
dcncc. never pass there now that
] don t think "f that devil bird that
hit me.
IFS the birds that fly in the night
that bother HE" said Harry Norton,
who brings the Wabash fast mail in
IN from Mobcrly. They fly into the
headlight and into the cab, and have
broken more than one window for me.
The big headlight attracts the birds
at night and causes many to be killed.
In the early spring Of last year had
the headlight on old 1856 ruined by
big white goose. 1t was up near
Carrollton. We were late out of
Moberly, and with this engine l had
nearly made up all lost time. And
intended getting into the Union sta
ton here on tho dot. l didn have a
stop between Carrollton and Kansas
City, sixty-six miles. We just got
ont Of there and were going easy, fast
enough to get here on time, when this
white goose came h;:rg straight to.
ward US. Away down the track saw
him, his white feathers glistcned like
silver. His mouth was open and his
great white wings drove him straight
toward us. lie didn't seen. afraid Of
an accident, but drove into the head.
light like catapault. There was a
futter of feathers and the goose fell
to the side Of the track. A stream Of
blood .trickled down over the broken
headlight. glass and dried and harden
cdsbefore-w We pulled up at the end Of
the run. If that goose hadn't hit the
rim Of that headlight l think he
would have. knocked. the whole works
out Of it,
Lou Ward, who takes the Frisco
fast mail out Of Kansas City at 2.1O
o CLOCK every morning, perhaps strikes
more birds with his train than does
any out from Kansas City. His little
flyer is made up Of only the mail car,
chair car and the engine. With the
light engine he uses he goes down
through Southern Kansas att speed
no other tain equals. lie makes
only one stop in the first ninety eight
miles. Much Of his run between Kan.
sus City and Fort Scott is through
wooded country, where the hawks and
owls are flying. At the round house
this little mail train is known as the
RABBIT"
I'm the early mornings" said Ward
few nights ago, 81 sometimes hit the
song birds and I hate this. l have
made pet out of my engine, and
hate to have pet Of mine hurt tho
birds tina! sing. But my little favor
ite' is an owl exterminator. There's
world Of them down between Pacola
and Fort Scott and they will get in
front Of my train. One night 1 hit
one down near LaCygne. and he stncL