Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 April 1917 — BURS ARE FOILED [ARTICLE]

BURS ARE FOILED

Flagman, Endeavoring to Protect Train, Chased by Brutes. SAVED BY HAPPY INSPIRATION Made Complete Circle of Fire by Using Oil in One of His Lanterns and Betting Match to It—Ravenous Animals Killed. Down in the northern part of Pennsylvania, just beyond where the Susquehanna sweeps to the east toward the Blue Ridge, we have a branch line breaking into the foothills of the Alleghanys, climbing and winding through the wild wooded timber country of the Ganoga region, and many are the interesting tales tinged with au atmosphere of the bear tribe that emanate from that mountainbus section. One cold bitter utght last February a heavy freight train was slowly toiling up a long steep grade striving to mnkft a siding farther o.n to permit the evening passenger train, then due, to pass. When about half way between two stations which, in that vicinity, are a considerable- distance apart, it plunged suddenly into a big snow drift and stalled. It was about nine o’clock and intensely dark. The flagman, quickly alive to the situation •and the need es protecting the passenger train following, quickly grabbed his lantern —red and white —hurriedly" buttoned his heavy coat about him, pulled his cap over his ears and plunged into the darkness. He had gone possibly a quarter of a mile and was just entering a long deep cut when four Jean, ravenous bears clamored out of the thicket and started after him. There was but one course to pursue. He could not turn back. It was necessary to flag the train ahead of him —the safety of the passengers depended upon that. To climb the steep sides of the cut was impossible. To stop meant a fight and probable meal for the bears. His only safety was in flight. So, still clinging to the lanterns, he ran along the track, stumbling and hurrying, with the bears in close pursuit, running evenly for nearly a mile when his wind began to gjve out. The bears, hampered by the uneven course and darkness, managed to keep about fifty yards behind. The hard pace was rapidly telling on the flagman. He was about to resign himself to his fate when a happy inspiration struck him. He stopped and heard the grizzly quartette approaching with thumping tread. He waited until they were close enough to feel their breath, then started running in a circle, the bears following closely. He quickly unscrewed the oil cups of the lanterns and poured the oil as he ran until he had completed the circle, edging toward the center followed by the bears, he touched a match to the oil and knowing the bears’ fear of fire, he jumped through his circle of flame with the bears terror-stricken and imprisoned within. He hurried down the track in the direction of the oncoming passenger tfain, which he man«ged to stop, the engineer being attracted by the flames of the fiery circle. The situation was quickly ex - plained and the train shot down through the cut and the flames, killing the four bears outright and landing them on the cow-catcher of the englne.-— ~~