Railway Jack: the true story of an amazing baboon

A baboon named Jack officially worked for South African railways (1881-1890) as a signalman and was paid twenty cents a day and half a beer weekly. Jack never made a single mistake in his entire Railway career. Jack was a chacma baboon who assisted a paraplegic railway signalman named James Wide, also known as "Jumper" Wide, after losing his legs in a railway accident. 

James Wide trained Jack to help him with his daily tasks. Over , Jack learned to operate railway signals under supervision, requiring careful attention and precision.

Jack the Baboon became famous for his reliability and accuracy in railway signal operation. He never made a mistake in the nine years he worked for the railway. Jack passed away in 1890, and his skull is preserved at the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, South Africa, as a reminder of his unique contributions to the railway industry.

Jack assisted a paraplegic signalman named James Wide at the Uitenhage station in Cape Town, operating levers to change tracks for incoming trains. The railway initially doubted Jack's abilities, but after verifying his competence, they officially employed him, paying him 20 cents a day and half a bottle of beer each week.