Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-10

able in the end. Chi HENRY O. FARGO.
cago now ranks as one of the best paying
p lnts of the company, being next to New
York.
The American occupies handsome edifce
On Monroe street, between Dearborn and
State streets, which it built for its main
offices along in the seventies. The building
has large stone front, and is 81 feet front
by $50 feet deep. If one steps into the COW
cred freight yard in the rear a remarkably
busy scene meets his Wow. Wagons are
coming and going and others are backing
up to large platform shaped like three
sides of hollow square.
There is rapid loading and unloading Of
freight. This latter is handled in lively
manner, calculated to make the spectator
shudder. Every box, package, etc, is way
billed there, first being weighed, after
which the proper amount to charge for its
transportation is fixed. 1t is sight to see
the scrippers and billing-clerks who work
like so many automatic machines with
steam-power arms. 1t would, perhaps, be
well to show where these horses and wag-
ons come from, and tell something about
the men who drive them. For this purpose
a glance at the stables of the American
Company on Fourth avenue, between Van
Buren, and Harrison streets, will be necessa-
nv. The building is two hundred feet 'front.'
one hundred feet deep, has French press
brick front and including the basement, is
five stories in height. Two hundred and
sixty-six horses are in this stable. They
are all fine animals, selected expressly for
the business by the superintendent of the
stables, Colonel D. c. Leach.
The horses are one-quarter Norman, pur-
chased in Chicago as they come in from the
surrounding country. They are light on
their feet of good speed and, at the same
time, possessed Of good drawing qualities.
Their treatment IS admirable and the
drivers are not allowed to carry whips. A
driver found mistreating one of these
animals is discharged forthwith. The gen.
eral run OF horses will average seven years,
service although some Of them are good for
eighteen years, and there Is one animal
owned by the company that has hauled one
of its wagons for twenty-four years. He is
still hitched up daily to one of the money
wagons and is remarkably fat and sleek,
looking apparently able to travel few
more years in the same way.
When the Nicholson, or wood pavement,
was in vogue in Chicago. the horses were
seryicable for a greater number of years
than they are at present since the stone
pavements have been put down. Now, they
give out in their feet after seven or eight
wears service, and, when this is the case,
they are sold to parties who require them
for light work
They are fed three times day on oats
principally, and soft food IS given twice
week. About fifty tons OF hay are con-
sumed every month. The shoeing is done
by contract, the blacksmith furnishing the
nails and doing the work, but the horse
shoes are made for the company and are
known as the Borden shoe These shoes are
sent out from the supply department, and
every horse in the companys service, no
matter where. is fitted with them. Some OF
the horses work ten hours continuously, go
ing out at 80 in the morning and coming
in at 1890 in the forenoon. Others Will
make trips between six in the morning and
/ o'clock noon, going out again for few
hours in the afternoon. Part of the horses
are kept in the basement. and part in the
third story. Those in the latter place ascend
ard descend by means of a runway
covered with tan, and they can find their
stalls without the assistance of the
hostlers The cleanliness and ventilation
Of this stable is something commendable.
Il is free from all odor, as the horses are
bedded with sswdust-
Budd Doble, the horseman. says II Is the
finest ventilated and healthiest one he ever
saw When horse gets sick or of his
feed he is at once put in the hospital "
roo-ny box stslls-where he rests till serv-
iceable again. The floors Of the stable are
laid with asphalt, and roof runs along the
top of the double line Of stalls on each floor
10 keep CT . drsught from the windows
There are twenty hostlers and the stable IS
never closed. night or day Wsschmen are
on duty at night who take in and put up the
horses while other wstchmeu are cleaning
harnesses and washing wagons. The stalls
in the upper story are made Of polished oak
and iron. The sleeping rooms for gToons
are In the story above, and there are stor-
age rooms for grain and hay, and also stor-
age rooms for unclaimed freight, in the
other stories Of the building
There is 8 harness shop m the building
where men are engaged constantly On re-
pairs. The harnesses are made for the
company II New York and sent ont 70 the
6iEsEant aEsncies over the cusntxx