BULLOCKS AT LARGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19366, 24 July 1925, Page 3

BULLOCKS AT LARGE

ESCAPE FROM TRUCK. A QUEENSLAND SENSATION. SYDNEY, July 17. Considering the thousands of cattle that are handled on the Australian railways daily, the number of incidents associated with this transport is strikingly small. Many of them come direct from a semi-wild state on distant, far-flung cattle stations, where they have been roaming gully and range from calfhood until brought to a railhead for trucking to a slaughterhouse. It is a tribute to the skill of the cattlemen that so few accidents occur. But to prove that even skilled Australian stockmen are not infallible, a truckload of Queensland bullocks the other day set out to rebel against their summary conviction to the slaughterer's knife. The bullocks were being detrucked at the Newmarket saleyards near Brisbane, the operation being superintended by two stockmen. One of the latter was at the side door, where there was a small space, to prevent the bullocks escaping. The first of the 18 bullocks in the truck, however, charged him. and he had to get out of its way. All the cattle then streamed out of the truck and made off along the line in the direction of Wilston. Mounted stockmen pursued them, and rounded up nine of them at Wilston station, after much excitement among onlookers on the platform. The other nine bullocks continued on towards Windsor, and on an overhead bridge they were met by a train proceeding from Brisbane to Mitchelton. With a screeching and grinding of brakes the train was brought to a standstill before striking any of the bullocks, a serious smash thus being narrowly averted. One bullock had become wedged in between the sleepers, lhe others, in their fright, having jumped from the bridge to the roadway, a distance of 30 feet. One of them was killed and another died shortly afterwards. Two others and the one on the bridge were fatally injured, but the others escaped uninjured and made merry use of their freedom. They raced helter-skelter along the road and charged several persons before they were captured. One beast rushed at a man and his wife, and in protecting the latter the man was knocked down, his clothes were torn to ribbons, and he himself suffered a bruised back and shock. A woman was also charged, but escaped uninjured.