The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-11-15
The LaJost ShooinR.

|. Clangl clangl jingleI bangl clink
clink! clang! What have we here? 4
blacksmith-sliop? Not exactly that
DGC IL IS tho shOelng department Of tho
West Division street railway company
and is not the least interesting of th,
many ramifications Of the horse. ca
business. Step inside and take a loo]
around. That good-looking man will
tho black moustache is the foreman
and will cheerfully explain the modus
operandi hore. 1t is not like an or.
dlnarY shoeing shop. 1t is much NOR,
spacious, to begin with, for large
number Of horses are shod here daily
but Its most notable popularity is the
total absence of fire. No flaming forces
no wheeling bellows, no flying sparks
none of that fiery furnace light That re-
leyes the dingy gloom Of tile common
smlthy and marks the face of the
Drawny smith with alternate strealss of
PerSpiration and coal dust. Here all is
cold and cheerless, and the muscular
manipulators Of tile sledge look cool
and clean. Let us ask the wcll-dress-
ed foreman about this.
Heat is no longer Il necessity in
shaping shoes for horses" he replied
y on sec the forges which we form
erly used are now idle, and we have
reduced our working force to onc-half
It's former SIZE. This is the result of
adopting what is known as tho Good.
enough shoe, which comes to us already
made. The shoes are all ono size. and
can be made to fit the largest or
smallest hoof. Here is Il sample. You
see it is made Of the best of iron, but is
much lighter than the old-fashioned
Snoe. The cOrks on the ends are done
away with, and it is not SO long by an
hch or more. In fact, you will OBJ
serve that the new shCe doesn't extend
pack tar enough to bind the frog of the
loot and interfere with the free, natur
al action of the muscles and tcndons in
that part. 1t is sufficiently corlied,
and the absence Of tho rear corks
least"
but how do you make shoe of that
SIZE tit a large footp"
The foreman picks up from the floor
all old-style shoeIof the largest size,
weighing about two pounds.
"lf wanted to nt tho foot that wore
ttiat shoe, here is the way L would do
IT," he says; and stepping to the anvil
ne strikes the new shoe a dozen blows
"lth a hammer, spreading it till the in
ner Semlclrcle is precisely the same as
that Of the old one.
ut is now about three months. he
continues, "since the company adoptnd
Chls method of shoeng its horses. and
the result has been found beneficial in
every respect. The ball of the foot is
lefC unhampered, and Il healthy circula-
TO! ton is permitted, SO that disease of the
frequent and severe. Then the di(ffccr,
enco III the weight is an important
item. This old shoe weighs about two
pounds; this new one, twelve ounces.
Tho horses don't slip nearly SO much
WITH the new ones rs they did with the
DID,"
GLOW many horses are used by tho
west side company?"
About three thousand.
"lIow often are they provided with
new sh0es?n
thlS barn travel eighteen miles Il day;
mat IS, they make three trips to State
street and return. OF course their feet
Somctsmes get in bad condition from
corhs and swelling, but our stock is
well cared for and every precauton is
taken to keep the animals in good,
healthy shape. Would you like to take
pecp into the hosptal?"
what hospital?'
1.-The hospital for no rses. 1t is on
tho opposite side Of the street. Come
along"
Across the street is large brick
barn, and into it the foreman Of the
shoclng establishment leads the way.
This is The hospital. Here are long
rows of stalls, and in almost every stall
stands a horse, fet lock deep in water.
About every two weeks" explains
the foreman. "the horses are brought
in here and permitted to stand an hour
and half in these vats Of salt and
water. The solution takes the swell
ing out of their feet and limbs, and
cools the fever, if there is any. When
a horses feet are in very bad condition
the brine is made extra strong, but
ordinarily it is weak. a horses ankles
cannot fail TO puff up a little from con-
stant travel on hard pavcmcnts."
switch, III your opinion, is the best
pavement for car-horses-the wood or
the stone?'
"The stone is now generally conced-
ed to be the best. Some people con-
tend that stone paVcments are hard on
horses, but L think wooden ones are
worse. Besides, horses slip less on