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When the Cape Government Railways opened the first railway line to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town during the latter part of the 1800s, one of their better-known employees was a Uitenhage railway guard named James Edwin Wide, affectionately known as ‘Jumper Wide’.
Jumper Wide got his nickname from his habit of jumping from one train car to the next while the train was moving through the station. Possibly the first guy to pioneer train-surfing, Jumper eventually found out what happens when you monkey around and whilst jumping from one truck to another one day, he slipped and fell underneath the moving train. As a result, Jumper Wide lost both legs at the knees.
Jumper could no longer work as a guard for the Cape Railway Government and became unemployed. He was forced to make his own peg legs and strap it onto the lower half of his body. With this modification, James was again employed by the railway company as a signalman.
The story could have ended there, but one Saturday morning while visiting a market, he noticed an ox wagon being led into the market by a young Chacma baboon who acted as “voorloper” (Oxen leader). James was intrigued and after some negotiation, James bought the baboon, named Jack, from its owner and took it back to his post at the Uitenhage station.
Wide was convinced that this intelligent ape could serve him in a useful capacity, and set about training the baboon. Jack was a quick study, and by watching James, he soon learned how to perform several of the conductor’s tasks around the railway station.
At first, they could not believe her story and an inspector was dispatched to the station, leading to both Jumper Wide and Jack being dismissed from duty.
Jack the baboon nailed it. A locomotive driver was given secret instructions and each time he blasted a different signal, Jack would change the correct signal and points without fail. Jack even looked around in the direction of the oncoming train to confirm the correct lever and signal were changed.
Impressed with the ape, the railway authorities duly re-employed both Jack and his human partner, even going so far as to register the baboon as an official employee. He was paid twenty cents a day, and half a bottle of beer each week.
Jack remained by Jumper’s side until 1890 when Jack contracted tuberculosis and died. Today, his skull is on display in the Albany Museum in Grahamstown. The pair’s exploits remained an endearing story and were eventually even immortalised in a children’s book.
