The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-08-11
Oar Horses at Homs.

male escort who arp in the habit of hail
ing passenger horse to bear them
to their destination very seldom give
even thought to the history of the ami.
mails whose tendons and muscles are the
means Of saving them an arduous walk
through the hot sun Of a summer after.
noon. Notwithstanding the important
connection between tho average Cal
horses existence and TINT Of tho average
citizen, the latter rarely gives q thought
to the plodding animal that jogs along
an day over the cobblestones. The
ChesCnut and Walnut streets line Phila-
aelphia, runs abNut eighty cars u day on
Its three branches. 70 moya tllose tha,
have in all TIA horses. M'$sF'E E"E.t
| People about the city have a general
ldea that the life of street-car horse is
a very hard and rough one. The public.
however, sees the horse only while at
work, and his manner Of living when
not trotting with " car load Of people
through the busy streets Of large cities
is completely hidden from the curious
gaze OF ordinary mortals. Even tho
people who remain in the car until the
depot is reached noYer think of visiting
the stables OF iMuiring how the horses
live.
The stable-boSs Of the company has
| charge OF tho purchase, sale and general
| Keeping of the horses, although it is ali
done under the eye Of tho superinten-
dent. The majority of the horses in
! this city como from the green fields and
prairies of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. Wis
| consin and other Western States and
| their youth is spent miles away from the
toll and TURMOIL Of their maturor Years,
and the hOofs are ut first. soft and not
accustomed to the hard and unyieldinp
coDbles OF II city pavement. Every ami
maj that is purchased is carefully ex-
amined by the stable boss, and is com
PEELED to make one trial trip in company
with one OF the OLD stagels hcfore it is
paid for. If lie promises to mako a good
animal he ispurchasod. The ages range
from 5 to 3 years. None older than 8
nor younger than years are purchased.
All horses when brought from the West
ern pasture to the heat and dust of the
city are liable to have a spell of sickness.
and it is generally several weeks after n
horse Is purchased before he can he
worked regularly as a car horse. No
marks are put on the horses to distin
gulsh them, nor are they numbered and
an account kept of each. If this were
done, and large number Of any par
tlcular lot died soon after they were
purchased, it would tend to shut out the
horses from that section, whereas the
cause may be and most lik ely would he
from the weatherand general treatment
experienced in their journey east. Some
h9SsiiSes RaX he weather, while
others may not meet with anything but
sunshine and cool breeZes. 1t would
hardly do to blame the breed Of horses
it the former suffered more than the
latter. The prices paid for the horses
average about $1G5. For some fine ami
mails considerable more is paid, while
others again fall far below this figure.
Each morse makes three trips a day or
covers distance Of twenty one miles
outside OF this nc has nothing to do but
eat, sleep and rest. The question Of
provender forms rather an important
one to the horse, and is made the subject
or considerable study by those having
charge OF him. The horses of the Chest
nut and Malnut-streets line are fod three
times day. The principle articles of
diet are hay, meal and bran. The guam
tlty OF each varies slightly with the
weather, but averages Is pounds of hay,
10 pounds Of meal and 2 pounds of bran
day. About pounds of the hay are
cnt fine while the other is fed as it is.
Hostlers play an important part in the
care OF the horses. Each hostler has II
horses TO care for. IIo must clean them,
examine the condition of tho shoes, look
after the sanitary condition, feed and
water them and put them in and take
them out Of the cars. The hospital is
also an important item in connection
with horse-car stable. There are gen-
erally about IA horses in this department
which are suffering from various dis
eases and complaints. They are treated
chletly by the stable boss, but several
times Il week a regular veterinary sur
ge0n stops and looks after them. No
medicine is ever given to any of the
horses unless they are actually suffering
from some disease,
a blacksmith shop Is also connected
with the stables, and four blacksmiths-
three shoers and one jobber-are con-
stantly employed. One set of shoes will
last barely three weeks, when they have
to be renewed. The hOstlers are obliged
to examine the hOOfs, and Whenever one
ls loose the horse in taken to the black
smith shop. Hardly any chemicals out
side OF limo are used to keep the odors
out of the stable. The place is very well
drained, and lime is all-sullicient, except
in very warm weather, when a little
earthly plaster is strewed around the
stables. Rye straw is used exclusively
for bedding. Timothy hay is used for
feeding purposes, but for cutting several
brands are mixed. The cleaning is all
done by the old-fashioned brush and
currycomb.
The endurance of the horse varies
considerably. Some arc useless after
several months work, while others are
goo for fifteen years service. There
are two horses now in tho stables at 41st
and Chestnut streets which have been
in continuous service for ovor fifteen
years. Such horses, however, arc very
rare. When an animal becomes unfit
for car use it is sold, generally to far
| mcrs, but sometimes to be used in the
city for cartiny purposes. Old horses
generally realize about $40 or 500. The
average weight Of the horses is lilo
pounds,
The meal and bran for feeding pur-
poses is ground on the place. n 60
horse power engine runs the machinery
The hay is also cut by machinery
ALL kinds of roots IN the cellar will
| keen betoer ii little fraah dirt 10