Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Golden Plunger Awards by Bathroom Readers’ Institute Page B
Authors: Bathroom Readers’ Institute
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so he could continue to do his job. Who was Jumper’s great assistant? A baboon named Jack.
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Wide constructed pegs to complete his legs and even built a small trolley to make it easier to move around. But living and working alone were tough with his disability, and he began to look for solutions. One afternoon in 1881, he found the perfect one.
There are a couple of theories as to how Wide found his baboon friend: One says that he spotted the animal pulling an ox wagon in the town center and pleaded with the animal’s owner to give him up. The reluctant owner was finally persuaded, but he entrusted Wide with the baboon, named Jack, with one admonition:
give Jack “a tot of good Cape brandy” every night, or don’t expect him to do any work the next day. Wide agreed.
A second story says that Wide found Jack as a baby, in a cage at the local market. He bought the animal and brought him home.
Whichever is the real story, the first thing Wide trained Jack to do was push him the half-mile from his house to the train station in his trolley. Jack took to his new job very well.
JACK TO THE RESCUE
Wide’s job as a signalman involved listening to the whistle blasts of the passing locomotives. The three tracks were assigned a number of whistle blasts: one blast for track one, two for track two, and three for track three. Four blasts meant the conductor of the train needed the keys for the coal sheds.
Wide didn’t expect Jack to do this job for him, but it turned out that Jack was quite a listener. After only a few days, the baboon had figured out the codes and rushed to get the keys for a conductor who sounded his whistle four times. Wide was astounded but knew he—and Jack—were on to something.
Wide started training the baboon to make the appropriate track changes, too. Jack’s performance was flawless, and Wide knew he had found an assistant who could take on the demands of the tough job.
TATTLETALE
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before Wide’s unconventional assistant was noticed. A local woman saw the baboon working the railways and complained to the authorities. A team of inspectors visited the station to see what was going on, and when they learned the truth, they fired Wide on the spot.
But Wide was never one to give up . . . and certainly not when it came to the job he loved so much. He pleaded with the inspectors to put Jack to the test. When Jack performed the tasks perfectly, the amazed men gave in and admitted he was no ordinary baboon—this was Jack the Signalman. Wide and Jack were reinstated. Jack even received an official employment number from the local government, making him a full-time employee.
KNOWING JACK
Jack was so good at his job that he even looked at the oncoming trains before changing the signals, a sign that he wasn’t just going through the motions. He actually understood the importance of what he was doing. But more importantly, Jack and Wide developed a true friendship. Jack’s loyalty helped him learn to do all kinds of jobs for Wide, including helping to clean the house where they lived in and acting as night watchman.
Jack died in 1890, but he still inspires people today. The Albany Museum in Grahamstown, South Africa, has an exhibit dedicated to him. And a photographic museum recently opened at the site of now-closed Uitenhage station, where locals still marvel at the story of Jack the Signalman.
MEMORABLE OSCAR ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES
“I’m speechless now. I, well, I, thank you life, thank you love, and it is true, there is some angels in this city.”
—Marion Cotillard (Best Actress for La Vie En Rose )
“Marlon Brando very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. And the reason for this being is the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry.”
—Sacheen Littlefeather (refusing Brando’s Best Actor award for The Godfather )
“This is one night I wish I smoked and drank.”
—Grace Kelly (Best Actress for The
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Wide constructed pegs to complete his legs and even built a small trolley to make it easier to move around. But living and working alone were tough with his disability, and he began to look for solutions. One afternoon in 1881, he found the perfect one.
There are a couple of theories as to how Wide found his baboon friend: One says that he spotted the animal pulling an ox wagon in the town center and pleaded with the animal’s owner to give him up. The reluctant owner was finally persuaded, but he entrusted Wide with the baboon, named Jack, with one admonition:
give Jack “a tot of good Cape brandy” every night, or don’t expect him to do any work the next day. Wide agreed.
A second story says that Wide found Jack as a baby, in a cage at the local market. He bought the animal and brought him home.
Whichever is the real story, the first thing Wide trained Jack to do was push him the half-mile from his house to the train station in his trolley. Jack took to his new job very well.
JACK TO THE RESCUE
Wide’s job as a signalman involved listening to the whistle blasts of the passing locomotives. The three tracks were assigned a number of whistle blasts: one blast for track one, two for track two, and three for track three. Four blasts meant the conductor of the train needed the keys for the coal sheds.
Wide didn’t expect Jack to do this job for him, but it turned out that Jack was quite a listener. After only a few days, the baboon had figured out the codes and rushed to get the keys for a conductor who sounded his whistle four times. Wide was astounded but knew he—and Jack—were on to something.
Wide started training the baboon to make the appropriate track changes, too. Jack’s performance was flawless, and Wide knew he had found an assistant who could take on the demands of the tough job.
TATTLETALE
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before Wide’s unconventional assistant was noticed. A local woman saw the baboon working the railways and complained to the authorities. A team of inspectors visited the station to see what was going on, and when they learned the truth, they fired Wide on the spot.
But Wide was never one to give up . . . and certainly not when it came to the job he loved so much. He pleaded with the inspectors to put Jack to the test. When Jack performed the tasks perfectly, the amazed men gave in and admitted he was no ordinary baboon—this was Jack the Signalman. Wide and Jack were reinstated. Jack even received an official employment number from the local government, making him a full-time employee.
KNOWING JACK
Jack was so good at his job that he even looked at the oncoming trains before changing the signals, a sign that he wasn’t just going through the motions. He actually understood the importance of what he was doing. But more importantly, Jack and Wide developed a true friendship. Jack’s loyalty helped him learn to do all kinds of jobs for Wide, including helping to clean the house where they lived in and acting as night watchman.
Jack died in 1890, but he still inspires people today. The Albany Museum in Grahamstown, South Africa, has an exhibit dedicated to him. And a photographic museum recently opened at the site of now-closed Uitenhage station, where locals still marvel at the story of Jack the Signalman.
MEMORABLE OSCAR ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES
“I’m speechless now. I, well, I, thank you life, thank you love, and it is true, there is some angels in this city.”
—Marion Cotillard (Best Actress for La Vie En Rose )
“Marlon Brando very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. And the reason for this being is the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry.”
—Sacheen Littlefeather (refusing Brando’s Best Actor award for The Godfather )
“This is one night I wish I smoked and drank.”
—Grace Kelly (Best Actress for The
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