Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-06-28
CATTLE ON SHlP6oARD.
An Experienced Cattle Man Describes 10
vine Behavior on AN ocean Voyage.

w AAitAAA AAAAlAN - AANN vi " NAAN
of the largest cattle exporting houses in
Now York city. He has made about fifty
trips across the ocean, taking from 100
TO 200 head of cattle each trip.
ave are improving every day, he be-
gan, in answer to the reporters inquiry
as 10 how the expectation is carried on,
but nothing " he continued. .'will ever
be absolutely perfect until some one builds
a ship purpusely for cattle expectation.
when we first began to export, we
were new in the business, and we had to
pay heavy for our experience. At that
time we used to lower the animals into
the hold of the vessel in pens in which
they were packed SO tight that they
couldn't move. 1t was impossible for
them TO lie down, and il one managed to, il
could not get up again-but oon another
would drop from sheer exhaustion, and
then the scenes that would follow after
the pressure had been broken would defy
description. Many i'm the pen would he
either trOddcn or kicked TO death, others
have their limbs broken and have TO he
killed.
Nowadays the system is more perfect
in the hold Of the vessel. In big freight
ships. whose holds are wide and pur-
posely constructed for the traffic. We
build stalls running the whole length of
the ship.
"When an animal is lowered into the
hold of a ship it is led along the passage
way and backed into one Of the stalls,
which are made of strong boards and
timber joints. In this it is firmly bolted
in by a door. The pen is wide enough to
allow the animal u lie down, but no
matter how heavy the sea ii cannot be
thrown down, as it is strongly protected
both front and rear"
''How do cattle act at sea-"
well, when first shipped. what with
the excitement Of being lowered down
into the hold and then hacked into the
stall-and that is no easy job, ! tell you
the animal is certainly more or less en-
cite but when say 200 get eXCited-and
Nv, ,ken more than that at one trip
then il is n scene that is apt Ia try the
nerves of "A man. Cattle for expectation
are selected from the best stock, and are
therefore well fed and high mctllcd. For
that number uf cattle ! generally have
about thirty men with me, the ship
owners allowing so many Ia 20 free n
helpers To- the other side. ! have the ami
mails beds made. their managers well
filled with the most tempting food and
plenty of water served them. We gunrr-
ally bring them aboard hungry. and they,
begin munching. and by the time We "a
outside Sandy Hook they are like a tired
hungry person. exhausted 10y travel and
feeling satisfied and warm. They soon
liz down and fall asleep. We never start
with a load Of cattle in a storm, ar in a
heavy sea, for If we did the animals
would get 50 scared that even the
stcadiest slip would feel the effect Of
their tossing to and fro, and 1t would be
dangerous.
Everything is kept quiet during the
night. only the watchmau hring per-
mitted 10 stay in the hold where the
cattle are stalled. In the morning we
feed them again. for it is important to
keep them well fed on the way out.
Then the ship has struck deep water,
and if there is heavy sen the ship rolls
considerably.
Its strange, but still true. said Mr..
Reilly, 'but the steer is. if alone. the
least easily frightened animal you can
imagine. | have seen fat cattle wake up
on their first morning out, when the ship
was rolling heavily. They couldn't get
up. 50 they braced their feet against the
sides Of the stall and lay there patiently,
now and then lowing. and eating the
feed thrown them AS naturally as if they
were on land.
Cattle" continued Mr.. Reilly, do
not gut scasick. and as q rs they can
get on their legs it is n curious sight.
They are tossed back and forward. and
with their Stamping make n terrible
racket. and they seem to look at each
other rs if inquiring what all that shak-
ing up and down meant,
"lt is then that the cattle mons work
begins. There are always Sumr vicious
hrutns among them. aud il they are not
quickly yuIduel there would I've a panic.
The cuulr men quickly but quietly 20 Ia
the vicious ONES, coax them At first. lat
il that fails throw them down, and. 50 to
speak. rut them in irons,
Cattle soon gut tlIcir sea legs. and as,
except IN stormy days, the matches are
kept open, they get accustomed to their
staiis and very few lie On the voyage.
think That on an ordinary voyage we
lusu gisut 3 per cent. On n stormy yog-
age, wlcu ihu MATCHES cannot lr opened,
# course wo lose more. and uuhudV
would imagine how horrible a ship's
hold l. with ~ many herd " cattle con
fined for purhaps two, even thnc weeks,
without having amy air.
The English government laws in re-
| gard t. the importation 81 cHitlc from
America are very strict. No sooner does
the ship reach Liverpool than the cattle
are un.lir al and driven INFO "goycrn-
mrnt yards. There they are allowed 90
rest. Thpr are aired, fcl and wHtercd
and then thoroughly examined by the
government INSPECTORS. The next day
thoy mutt ln sold. for the law makes II
cOmrulorv hat Hi American cattle must
h. slaughtered IN the thirl dny Of land
ing. That how it Is that quotations for
American louf are 80 frequently marked
dull. Thr butchers buy the cattle at
the lowest wn.s knowing tint we must
have them Eilol right oil. New York
Star Interview.
Patrons ~ the Barber shop.
The Wort hing a man with a tender