The Washington critic., 1886-06-21
ANOTHER LOCAL ENTERPRISE.
Washington Capital Interested in the
Sheliabarger Livestock Car.


Shellabnrger Livestock Car.
A small knot of gentlemen before
| the show windows of Mr.. G. G. Dun.
canson's store, corner of Ninth and ID
streets, gazing at the model OF Gu.
riously constructed railroad car, at.
tracted CRITIC reporter to the spot
Saturday afternoon. Some one in the
crowd was explaining that the car was
the model of an improved livestock
car for transporting cattle, and that
the Shellabarger Live Stock Car Com
pany Of this city was going right to
work to make number of them, as
several Western railroads were going
to use them. Upon inquiring of Mr..
Duncanson, IL was learned that such
were the facts, and that new business
enterprise of considerable magnitude
was being pushed forward In Wash.
ington, controlled entirely by Wash.
ingtonians. Little has been said about
the enterprise here, all the transactions
being with far Western railroads.
A pERrLExtNG PROBLEM.
For number OF years past, eyer since
the shipment Of live cattle from the South
west to Eastern markets has been such an
extensive industry, the question Of provd-
ing comfortable quarters for the thousands
Of heads of cattle shipped annually has
been perplexing one. In the long stock
trains OF often thirty cars, each car con
tanning twenty-five head of cattle, packed
like sardines in box, 1t is impossible to
provide for the actual wants OF the poor
creatures, penned up in their close quarters
for days ut n time, unable to lie down, or II
once down unable to get up, and thus
tinmpled to death. Such trips not only
harass and fatigue the cattle to such an eX-
tent as to deteriorate them as marketable
beef, but an enormous number are killed
or die on the passage. Statistics show that
fully IA per cent. of all the cattle shipped
this way die on the road.
THE PROBLEM SOLVED.
The Humane Society has had the ques-
tion under consideration for three years aud
the railroads have made efforts to procure
live stock car that would be practicable
Any number of cars have been built that
would facilitate the transportation Of live
stock, but the objection has always been to
such cars that they are worthless for any
purpose other than cattle car. They
must always be hauled back to the cattle
country empty, as their special interior con-
struction prevents the storage of merchan-
disc. Being so constructed, they form an es-
pecial and very expensive class of rolling
stock. But this difficulty has been overcome
by syndicate OF Washington capitalists, OF
whom c. c. Duncauson, esq, is at the head,
with what is known as the "Shellabarger
patent livestock car"
COMFORT AND SAFETY SECURED.
The plan for securing the comfort and
safety Of the cattle is not by furnishing a
specially-constructe car, but by frame
work that can be put In any ordinary freight
car, dividing the car into sixteen compart-
ments for the cattle, so that they can lie
down and rest at any tune. When the cat
tie reach their destination the framework
can be taken down in few minutes, folded
up and put in bin underneath the car.
The arrangement is so very simple that the
only wonder about II is that some one has
never thought Of it before. The cattle
stand four In a row across the car, so sepa-
rated that they cannot horn each other or
interfere at all. AT their heads are feed
and water troughs, the water being supplied
by pipes running underneath the roof, with
hose connections. When the train stops for
water for the engine the whole train load of
cattle can be watered in five minutes. There
are numerous points OF detail In the con-
struction that are good, but the main
feature Of excellence and the one that en-
sures the adoption Of the plan by all stock
shipping railroads, is the convenience OF
using 1t on any ordinary freight car, the
only additional expense incurred by road
using this plan being the payment Of roy
atty TO the patentees and the very slight
layout for the material of the framework.
THE INVENTION WELCOMED.
The invention will be hailed with delight
by all humane persons and by the public at
largo when they realize the Improvement in
the quality Of beef from cattle brought In
this way. 1t will have the effect of lessen
per cent. of cattle now lost In shipping.
Being local enterprise and local benefit