The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-17
LOO CAR HORSES
FED AND HOUSED AND CARED FOR
UNDER ONE ROOF.
Keeping Them in Condition-How car
Horses Are Injured-The Average Loss
Per Week--The Stables-Pur-
chase Of Animals.
New York Tribune. I


ali. there, shoutel gruf voice A re-
porter moved to one side and team OF
horses were driven into the main depot of
the Third Avenue Surface Railroad COM
pany. a team comes in ana goes out
every tive minutes said john f. NaileF'
the company's foreman
ION each day in the year" queried the le-
pcrtr.
No" was the answer, "but III seasons Ike
thiA When we are at our busiest team
go out and comes in every thirty seconds.
The company own about 2,100 head Of
cattle"-to use the technical term-but 4J0
of them are required for its other stables.
MI 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 ME
years ago that he could tell the
condition of a horse by looking at him |
have since discovered that the Old Vet knew
What he was talking about If you spend
your days and often your nights for years,
among horses and keep your eyes half open
yoa can't help understanding them, They
have much III common with the human
family. The Old horses, for instance, never
take kindly at first TO a new horse and will
kick at him when they get 9 chance As
soon as the stranger begins to feel at home
the kicking stops, because he has plucked up
spirit enough to kick back They often fight
over their feed. The horse first served is
looked upon with feelings of envy by those
that have to wait a little longer They
seldom kick any of the men, except if a
| man happens to pass close TO their heels with
| box OF feel. Then they sometimes attempt
| to kick There is one man in the stable who
| had his head almost kicked off last year.
| Two horses wero fighting. One made 4 ter
rible kick with his hind feet just as the man
| was passing. One of the feet struck him III
the face and dashed him up against a stall
No, the queerost part Of the business was
that he didn't die
| The stable occupies three stories of the
huge building, which covers square The
descent to the floor beio9 the grade Of the
| street is as deep as tiia ascent to the fiool
above the ground, but the horses manage tl
| make the trips without accident. Eacl
| horse, or rather each plir of horses, foI
every horse has mate, Is expected to worl
three hours per day. \ team which start
from Harlem makes one round trip, daily
| If an accident happens to u horse while Oh
duty the driver informs the foreman Of it
! with tie attendant circumstances. If
driver fails to Do this and the negligence
discovered, the company has no further us
for him Tie hcsF possible care Is taken o
the stock for obvious reasans.
Car horses are injured in a variety Q
ways. They run the greatest risk during tn.
| winter These two periods aggregate ab0u
four AMI half months. The month Of Sep
tember was the hardest month Of this yea
for car horses. An intensely warm tern
came on the heels of Il cool period. and tn
result was the pyostration of a large numbe
Of car-horses in this city rs well as in man
other parts Of the country, Leaving il
tensely hot amt cold weather ont Of the que.
ton, the most pariiou' season for the ca
horse is dry, windy weather The cobb
stones over which he travels are then 2
smooth as polished glass. Not a particle {
any foreisn substance can get q foathol 0,
them, and the sharply-shod h0of viii Sli
lram them with TIE same cas-
IS the human foot viii slide ci
III, smooth side IF . banana skin
Some Of the roadbals oiieF even NOR
than the usual facilities for accidents OF til
nature They are constructed on tie shan
Of a watershed. slopn. from the center t
the tracks. On these the car horse has
hard time indeed in wintry and wind
weather. Comnaratiyely few accidents har
n,en in wet weather. Unless thew hapren
break a limb. only q small rorceBtars q
horses which sin and fall suffer perq,agen
injury. With rest and care tAey general
recover from srrajus and strains. Out &
200 horses the Third avenue co,nrany iose
Int enc week. ACCORDING TO its foreman
The latter has ninetr-thrse Loetlars under h
eye, besides a large NUMBER Of men eraploye
in OH, capacities. Each hostler is expacte
70 groom twenty horses pr day, ana 10 fyc
and he'd them.
The tables are as clean rs il i pas-ihga {
keen them. The horses ar, in l,.a;, a. Wit