Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 280, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 November 1914 — MADE PREY OF TIGERS [ARTICLE]

MADE PREY OF TIGERS

RAILROAD EMPLOYES THE VICTIMS of Man-eaters. Elaborate Precaution* Necessary In Nepal to Secure the Safety of Workers Who Dwell In District* That Are Isolated. When, for the first time, the long, straight, eteel ribbon of rail penetrated the jungle of Nepal, an independent kingdom situated at the foot of the Himalayas, the explosions of dynamite cartridges used by the engineers caused the total disappearance of the hordes of man-eating tigers which had hitherto rendered the district absolutely uninhabitable. During the first two years of the railroad construction pot a single coolie of the 6,000 employed in the work fell a victim to tigers, and hunters were convinced that there was not a man-eater within a radius of 150 miles.

During the third year 15 workmen disappeared. The engineers surmised that they had been carried off at night by tigers, but were careful not to voice their suspicion, for fear of causing a panic among the coolies. The noise of the dynamite apparently no longer scared -4he man-eaters. ‘ At last the line was opened, and during the first year everything went smoothly; the whistling of the locomotives filled the tigers with a wholesome fear!

In September, 1899, a train was derailed some miles from Bankipore because the pointsman was not at his post. Attacked in the signal-box by a tiger,'the unfortunate man had been carried off alive into the jungle, and the peasants heard the poor wretch’s cries fade away in the distance. The whistling was no longer terrifying to the tigers. During the following month four workmen were devoured on the line and five gatekeepers met the same fate. Then came the turn of*a stationmaster. For two hours-he and his family had to defend themselves against a tiger and his mate. The unfortunate Hindoo telegraphed for help, but it arrived too late —the ferocious beasts had succeeded in entering the house by an insecurely fastened window!

Finally the railroad company decided to rebuild the little isolated stations and to screen the doors and windows. For the signalman and gatekeepers, veritable fortresses in miniature were Constructed. These refuges are of masonry; the door is large enough to admit a man, but narrow enough to impede a tiger's head. Inside is a telephone, in communication with the two nearest stations, and the rules insist that these shelters shall always contain a jar of fresh water. Thanks to these measures, the number of victims has considerably decreased during the last five years. Rut even now, all over India, numbers of railroad employes are caught on the line and killed by these terrible man-eaters. — Wide World Magazine.