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JACK, THE RAILWAYMAN |
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A
hundred years ago, an unusual
signalman started working for South African Railways. His name was
Jack and he was a tame chacma baboon, the largest kind
of monkey in South Africa. |
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The
monkey was owned by a railwayman called James Wide, who had
lost both legs in an accident. He had bought Jack so that
the animal could help him get about by pushing him on a
special trolley. Then he discovered the monkey was more clever
at operating the train signals than he was. So Jack was set to
work. |
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He
learnt each lever by name and, at Wide's command, could
push them into position when a train approached. He was
also put in charge of the keys and even did the station's
gardening. Then, at the end of the day, he would push Wide home in
the trolley, jumping on the back for a ride whenever it
went downhill. |
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Not
surprisingly, one or two passengers objected to the fact
that their lives were being placed in the hands of a monkey.
Yet Jack never made an error, and he soon became famous.
His main reward, however, was the affectionate pats he
received from his master. He died after nine years of living with
Wide, leaving the lonely signalman brokenhearted. |
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