Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-22


ways been regarded as man of pre-
else veracity, with a habit of going
into obscure engineering details when
in lay company. 1t made his hearers
rather pity his lack of imagination.
And they were quite frank in telling
him So What, therefore, moved Jen-
kins-but listen to him, someone hav-
ing remarked on the noise of the ele-
waited.
"Url-yes," reflected jenkins, cit was
a pretty tough job adjusting those old
| standard gauge locomotives to that of
the Oar Abbas and Ballawango rail-
| read. You see, the African railroads
| are mostly constructed on the meter
| gauge, but the Ballawango road was
| considerably narrower. That prac-
| tically meant demonstrating the Il"
| locomotives, because the under parts
| of the machinery, the
| Jenkins paused to glance around
J seriously upon several solemn faces.
1t was such a job he went on.
| that / advised changing the gauge of
| the road. IT could have been done
| then, because when we landed the To-
| connective only $50 miles ran back from
! the coast, with another 400 in process
| of construction | inspected the great
| Ell part of 1t, mostly on hand-car-
| frequently alone. That's my habit.
| When I'm looking over a project,
| don't care to have people around. Par
| ticplarly lot of chattering natives, al
ways asleep when you want them to
| hustle, and wide awake beating drums
| and bowling out a song when you
want to rest up and think. 1t was
| taking chances, though, I'll admit. No.
| not lions or savages,' he remarked in
| response to a query. They don't both
| er me, though / guess there were plen-
| ty along the line of construction work.
| Coolies used to disappear now and
| them, he added, speaking as if the
| aforesaid coolies merely had resigned
| their positions.
| Then he paused for three minutes,
| while just the suspicion of a smile
touched his sharp features. But as
| was going to say" he resumed, II did
| get mixed up in a curious incident
| once Nothing startling or particular
| " dangerous, but characteristic of
| railroad work in that country. Yes,
| sir, it's distinct in many respects from
| what we are accustomed to in the
| United States-climate, natural fea-
lures, and so forth, present unusual
| problems to the engineer. l guess the
| incident l was thinking of was just
unusual / had gone out along a
stretch of new track on the handear,
and was coming back to camp after
sunset, making good time on down
| grade. Just ahead the line curved in
| to narrow cut-it was, of course, a
| single track.
when I ran into the curve there
| suddenly doomed up in front what I at
| first took to be a steam shovel, from
/ its action tearing away at one of the
| banks 1t was getting dark fast any
way. What the mischief, thinks /, are
| they up to here2 In two seconds L
discovered my mistake. The obstruc-
| ton wasn't a steam shovel, but the
| biggest wild elephant yeu ever saw.
| He was spanning the track, and with
his head up against one of the en-
| bankments was scraping off the brush
| on top for supper. / always have been
| equal to an emergency, but when
saw that elephant right dead in my
| eourse--I guess his tusks must have
| weighed 900 pounds-I,ll admit felt up
against a difficult problem. 1t was too
late to stop the car, which wouldn't
have teen of any use, because old
| Steam Shovel would surely have no
ticed me- You see | was we'll into the
| cut, and he could easily have yanked
| me down with his trunk If l had at
! tempted TO climb the bank, or caught
me in no time if / ran back up the
| track. There was absolutely nothing
else to do but keep on going and Won
der what would happen when I bump
ed into old Steam Shovel. The way he
| Il. tEa ouv,ff roo
| surfing. / had almost got into his
shadow-the axles had been creased
before 1 started out, and was there
fore running along pretty smoothly
| when, declare, the space between his
| body and the ground looked for all the
| world like railroad arch. He was
such monstrous big elephant. BY
golly, That gave me an inspired idea.
You often get them that way when up
against an unusual problem. I had
frequently ducked railroad arches from
the top of construction cars, and
thought l might just slip through un-
der old Steam Shovel.
$50 as | came on almost right up
against him, 1 dropped on my knees,
land-weil-I managed to keep my
breath under control. As | sit here, it's
the actual truth, shot right under
him-right between his fore and hind
legs. I guess the top of my head must
have tickled his under parts some, for
he gave a kind of kick with his foot.
I and grunted as if an insect bothered
him. That shows how close / made my
mathematical calculation. 1t brushed
my cap off too, but | didn't stop to
pick it up. / went on, being gratified
that the grade sharpened quite bit
as it ran out of the cut.
4 IT turned my head backward Just
once. Old Steam Shovel had also evil
IDENTIFY noticed something unusual. He
was sitting on his tail, staring at my
cap, and maybe wondering if that was
the insect which had bothered him.
left him sitting. We parted right
there, without any thought on my part
of extending an invitation to meet old
Steam Shovel again. But. as l said
before" concluded Jenkins with pure
| ly reflective expression, 1T merely IL
Illustrates the unusual incidents one IS
likely to run up against in African