The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-09-23
PALACE STOCK CARS.
Description of the Montgomery stock
Car-The Cutting Down OF
~ShrInkngc.

Cuhaua Iieldius COuLIlbuIeS II lOIlB let
ter to that journal, in which he de.
scribes the Montgomery. stock car, and
the trial trip Of a train made up of such
cars from New York to Chicago. We
make the following extracts:
The car itself Is built somewhat after
the pattern of the ordinary stock-car,
and in appearance resembles such a
car. 1t is sc feet, Z in ches long out
side measurement, and SO feet clear.
1t is 9 feet wide and I feet, 6 inches
high. The cars are ordinarily provided
with three folding flexible partitions,
making four compartments capable of
easily holding four or five cattle, accor-
ding to the size of the latter. Some of
the cars are arranged for eight compart-
gates which fold either way from the
sides of the car, are about the height
of the ordinary steer, and are a combi-
nation of wood and rubber, with metal
Stats with broad rubber bands, This
construction affords lightness combined
with great strength and elasticity. The
lowest edge of the partition is composed
of one of the broad rubber bands, which
allows the steer a greatly increased
freedom and Ease in lying down and
prevents wrenching and scratching of
legs and hips when suddenly rising.
The gates swing easily and aid the load
er greatly in forcing each lot of four or
five steers TO their allotted space. They
swing upon a simble hinge of pecul lar
construction and are easily fas tened by
a simple device. Upon return trips
from the east the gates are easily and
quickly detachable from their fasten-
ings and are placed in racks beneath
the roof, allowing the usual amount of
room for general frei ght. An increased
width in the clear of the car is obtained
in the construction by running the
wall-posts down the outside of the stills
and fastening them there by a strong
device, thus %obviating the weaker effect
of mortising the stills. The placing of
GhO DoDLo az INK Chu VI VIC bluCo
affords another element of strength,
which is added to by a complete system
of trusting. The cattle are fed in re-
yolving troughs of galvanized iron,
which when not in use are turned bot
tom side up by a simple crank move
ment. The feed is dropped into the
troughs from bins above by a single
turn of a handle at the end of the car.
The mechanism of the feed dropping
device is of the simplest kind and can
hardly get put of order. The watering
is done from the standpipe which
serves the engine, the water-tubes of
the ars being connected the length of
the train by flexible couplings. These
tubes consist of the main, which runs
along the roof of the car and subor-
dinate tubes fed from the main, which
let the water into the troughs.
The cars are also equipped with the
westinghouse air brake" which
places the tram under the control of
the engineer, enabling him to run at Il
high rate Of speed and make quick
stops; also the ''Janney coupler" and
the suspension truck" The usual
humping and jarring by which the cat
tie are almost thrown from their feet is
entirely prevented by the use of this
close coupler mentioned, while the
trucks allow the car to ride as easily as
the ordinary Pullman sleeper.
The trip from Chicago to New York
was made i'll less than ffty-three hours.
During this time the cattle were
watered and fed three different times,
when they were observed to eat and
drink heartily, and without any mani
festation of fear.
The twenty cars referred to CON
tanned 361 cattle, including Texans,
Colorados and natives, bought in the
Chicago market without any regard to
selection. They weighed AS, 45O
pounds before shipment, and after their
arrival in Jersey City weighed 400, $40
pounds, an average loss of only PA
pounds per head, against a loss of from
80 to 100 pounds per bead when shipped
in the ordinary cars.
1t is stated by a prominent and re-
liable cattle shipper of Chicago:
First-That the time of transit from
Ogalalla to Chicago is five days.
Secondhand the shrinkage is from
sixty to seventy pounds per head.
His experience in using improved
stock cars a
First-That the loss by shrinkage
was an average of only twenty-five
pounds per head.
Second-That the improved coudi-
ton of the cattle enhance their value
one-fourth per cent per pound.
Making a liberal allowance on the
above, as a basis of estimate, il follows
that the saving to the shippers will be
in the cutting down of the shrinkage
of the weight. This will be q saving
say of thirty pounds per head, valued
at five cents per pound-S1.50 per head
by sixteen head per .........".......-. .s2i 90
Enhanced value-estimatlng weight a
LOCO lbs. per head, 1000 lbs Z sixteen
head per car-lG,eO0 lbs say one.eightn
cent per Id ...-.-....-....- % %
81 %
No shIpper-Hsving our own conduc-
tor the owners shipper is dispensed
-tA q al.