The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-02-13
LOO CAR HORSES
FED AND HOUSED AND CARED FOR
UNDER ONE ROOF.
Keeping Them In Condition-How Ca,
Horses Are Injured-The Average Loss
Per week-The stables-Pur-
chase of Animals.
New York Tribune. ]


SHi, there, shouted gruff voice. A 70
porter moved to one side and team oI
horses were driven into ths main depot Of
the Third Avenue Surface Railroad com
pany. "A team comes in and goe, out
avery two minutes,n said John r.. Waller
the company's foreman
"on each day in the yearr queried ths 70
porter.
NO. was the answer, Gbut in seasons liks
this When we are at our busiest team
goes out and comes In every thirty seconds. "
The company own about 2, 100 "head OF
cattle'-to use the technical tsrm-but 400
OF them are required for its other stables.
Mr.. Waller has made study of the horse,
and Is able to tell by glancing at an an.
imal whether or not it Is In
condition. Il laughed" said he,
when an old horse doctor told ms
years ago that he could tell the
condition Of q horse by looking at him.
have since discovered that the old Vet knew
what he was talking about II you spend
your days and often your nights, for years
among horses and keep your eyes half open
you can't help understanding them. They
have much in common with the human
family The old horses, for instauce never
take kindly at first to q new horse and will
KICK at him when they get q chance. A,
soon as the stranger begins to feel at home
the Kicking stops, because he has plucked ur
spirit enough to kick back. They often feb
over their feed The horse first served q
looked upon with feelings of envy by those
that have to wait q little longer They
seldom kick any Of the men, except IL a
man happens TO pass close to their heels with
boz OF feel. Then they sometimes attempt
70 KICK. There is one man In the stable who
had his head almost kicked off last year.
Two horses were fighting. One made q ter.
rible kick with his hind feet just as the man
was passing One Of the feet struck him In
the face and dashed him up against a stall.
No. the queerest part Of the business was
that be didn't die"
Ihe stable occupies three stories Of the
huge building, which covers q square. Tbs
descent to the floor below the grade Of the
street Is as deep as the ascent to the floor
above the ground, but the horses manage tc
make the trips without accident. Each
horse, or rather each pair Of horses, for
every horse has q mate, is expected to work
three hours per day. A team which starts
from Harlem makes one round trip, daily.
Ii an accident happens to horse while on
duty the driver informs the foreman of IL
with the attendant circumstances II
driver fails to do this and the negligence 1.
discovered, the company has no further use
for him The best possible care In taken OF
the stock for obvious reasons
Car horses arc injured In a variety Of
ways. They run the greatest risk during the
hottest part OF the summer and the coldest OF
winter. These two periods aggregate about
four and half months. The month Of Sep
tember was the hardest month Of this wear
Tor car horses. An intensely warm term
came on tho heels Of . cool period, and thu
result was the prostration Of large number
OF car-horses in this city as well as in many
other parts OF the country. Leaving in
tensely hot and cold weather out of the uues.
ton, the most periious season for the car
horse Is dry, windy weather The cobbls
stones over which he travels are then az
smooth as polished glass. Not particle Of
any foreign substance can get fooths ID on
them, and the sharply y-shod hoof will slir
from them with the same ease
as the human foot will slide Off
The smooth side Of banana skin.
Some OF the roadbeds offer even more
than the usual facilities for accidents of thi,
nature. They are constructed on the shape
,f watershed, sloping from the center to
he tracks. Tn these the car horse has
hard time indeed In wintry and windy
weather. Comparatively few accidents hap.
zen in wet weather. Unless they happen TO
break q limb, only a small percentage of
iorses which slip and fall suffer permanent
injury. With rest and care they generally
ecover from sprains ard strains. Out OF
200 horses the Third avenue company loses
,ut one week, according to its foreman.
The latter has ninety three hostlers under his
ye, besides large number Of men employed
n other capacities. Each hostler is expected |
o groom twenty horses per day, and to feed
md bed them.
The tables are as clean as 1t Is possible to |
eep them. The horses are In keeping with |
heir surroundings. Horses are purchased |
{ ali seasons, but the best are bought In the |
all The seller Is willing to take much less
. the beginning than at the end Of winter.
he company has q standing price Of $l55.
'ome splendid specimens Of horse flesh have
cen bought for this figure. Gray Is the
oior preferred Horses OF this color are
aid to suffer less from the heat than blacks
nd bays. From eight to ten horses are
sed In snow sweeper, and one
sam possessed by the company attract much
tsention as they rattle through the avenue
he ten grays whirl the huge sweeper
long as IL it were light road wagon. Sew
raj Of these horses stand seventeen hands
Ugh. Every new purchase is subject to an
tack OF pinkeye This Is attributed 70
hange Of climate and surroundings Most
the horses come from the west, and they
70 found to require from week to two
eeks to obtain their 4sea legs" Il is COM
ION opinion that the lot Of the car horse q
Of happy one. In comparison with the
lte Of large number Of horses which re-
i've but little sympathy, the car horse Is to
} greatly envied. He Is not overworked;
J Is well fed, well housed and 3 seldom III