The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-20 00:00:00

THE HORSE GANG.

Among the contrivances on the Scottish central
line, none struck us more than that which is called
the " horse gang." The first sign of this thing
filled us with an undefined feeling of something like
terror : the next with thoughtful solicitude; and,
finally, with an abortive attempt at laughter, so odd
like, and yet fearsome, did the affair appear to our
unintiated eye. Although it is far from being either
new or uncommon, we cannot resist an attempt at
describing it, that others may go and see it as well
as we. 'The horse gang, then, consist of what, upon
level ground, would be a wooden platform, five or six
feet broad, and twelve or fifteen yards long, raised
upon one end, and leaning upon the edge of the cut,
at an angle of about fifty degrees ; at least those we
saw at Kippenross were so situated. This, then,
being given, the query is, how is a man to be made
to wheel a loaded barrow up almost this perpendi-
cular affair, and then to take it down again, though
empty ? Well, there ii upon the top of the bank
a little gin to serve as a rope, and to one
end of the chain a well-trained horse is yoked,
and to the of •er a short piece of rope with an
eye at each end, at which place it is strongly
fastened to a piece of board, which we call a protective
board. This rope is then fastened by another strong
eye in the middle to the chain. The rope
and
th e stilts
of as they are together, are then put upon
shall not
slide back, and they cannot get
of the barrow, in such a manner as thradt
forward
then seises the
the barrow. The man who is to wh for the sides of
and intimates to a stilts of the barrow with both hands,
_The driver then speaks
driver above that he is ready.
to the horse, which movesd
his barrow. It is, however,
off; and, turning the gin,
brings up both the man an
upon the platform which creates
,1 man
nd
even his life depends entirely
uneasiness in the oyes of the looker-on for
a
' The man is at right angles to it, and
the first time.
barrow, as no mechanical means are
mhnimde to
ita:orkin
In short, it seems a
firmness of nerve with which he holds the
upon
h thereforefeeneplointshiglemohnfi s osfa tfhe safety,
g, and yet we never
heard of any accident occurring those employed
to
in it, and w® understand they get better wages than
used
dlyts dotanfngtahetertacoush
any other labourers upon the line. In descending, which
he does at the same angle at which he went up, the
weight of the chain and its friction on the ground
serve to balance him. We are satisfied that no person
can look upon this contrivance without interest. At the
present time, when every exertion is making to finish
the line, the labourers are allowed to work as many
hours as they please each day; and so completely do
some of them enter into this arrangement, that it is no
uncommon circumstance for many of them to work a
whole week with only two nights in bed, and some of
them seek only one by way of brag; and it is
rougher it
i! _
short time ago since one fool•hardy fellow rcugls
out the whole week. He went out on Monday morning,
and did not return till Saturday afternoon.waggons at He was 4
" tipper," that is one of those who empty the
mere animal gratification
in the intervals between the
himself down on the ground of the next waggon,
the bank head; and the only restiieg6t
emptying of the last and arrival
d a few minutes
when he occasionally obta.ihnoe sleep; and
was to throw
bi
possesshard,
just in order that at
such indomitable
y
the end of four weeks
of
two more o
enjoy a day or
and drinking are in the aseendant,—.
when jollification
Scottish Railway Gazette.
yet,and umustni r3i- nogf etnheorsgeymweonraki
e may be the more able to
s o h

FALL or Two Housrs IN rr.BsOil
saturday, evening, two, houses, Nos. 25 and 26, Endell-
wstirtehtta' loudSL Geri al .formerly called the Bowl-yard, fell
greatly to the terror and alarm of the
surrounding neighbourhood. It was at first reported
that several persons were buried beneath the ruins; but
on inquiry such was found not to be the case, the whole
of the inmates having fortunately made their es
without sustaining any injury, except a boy namedcgt
son, who, in returning to fetch his cap from out of No..
26, was struck by some of the falling materials; and the
occupiers of the premises, as well as numerous lodgers,
have lost the entire of their furniture and prop:rartL,
which is buried beneath the ruins. The front
have since been taken down.