The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-23
TRAVELLING WITH A HORSE.
IT rs SOME TROUBLE, nut ALSO SOME
Fun, If DOME IN PROPER SIIRIT.

| In hurry is In tho caboose OF q freight train.
Tho caboose is variously known rs q hack by
the men who work on the train, and as n cabin
car by the officials VI the road But the most
euphonious name for It. and the one to which
| II answers In most peoples minds, is cabooso.
| Few people know how comfortable caboose Is,
or how comfortable 1t can be made, aud what
fun 1t is to ride in It whom tho weather is pleas
ant, and when there ls no object in getting
anywhere III hurry.
| 1t is hard for any one who Is not n railroad
| man to get ride In caboose. No tickets for
1t are sold, and both tho railroad officials and
the trninmen do not like to tnke outsiders.
There is only one sure way, and that is to ship n
| horse or some othor stock over tho road and to
| get pass which entities the bearor to ride in
the caboose and nowhere else. Several Of the
| large trunk limos have regulations that thoy
will take no horses or cattle for shipment I'M
| less n man accompanies them to look after
them. This is in order that tho cattle may DO
fed and cared for on the way, and that the rail-
road company will be released from its re-
| sponsbility in case they are eick or anything
| happens to them through defective care. SO
| when freight ratio Is made for horse over
these roads the pass is included 1t is called
| drovers pass. and requires the bearer to go on
the same train. He may ride In any part OF tho
train except the engine, and II ho is friendly
with the engineer he may ride thore.
| A reporter took horse over TO tho freight
station OF the Pennsylvania Railroad in Jersey
City few days ago. He had previously writ
ten to the freight agent asking him how much
it would cost to ship the horse and how it could
DO shipped. Tho answer was that the horse
would be sent at n 100-pound ratio on an estl-
mated weight OF 5000 pounds several times
what tho horse weighs. and that n man must
go along with it. Tho extra weight is put on
the horse because ono horse takos UP great
deal OF room. for even when only one horse Is
shipped TO place he must have an ontire box
car all TO himself. The shipments have to be
made from Jersey City as 1t Is less trouble for
n man to take the horse over TO Jersey City
than It is for the company 10 put him on a car
in New York and transfer him there.
The horse arrived ut tho freight station at
about $3.50 o'clock in tho afternoon. There was
a train OF cars making up at the station. but
a great dcal OF ceremony had 10 DO gone
through with before the horse was taken.
Three freight agents had to DO soon
before an empty box car was found in
which the horse could be put. Thon one OF
the employees took the horse and told the re-
porter to go up In the freight Office and make
the arrangements about II. These arrange.
ments consisted In signing a number OF re-
ceipts and releases. and in going from one
window to another until at tho cashiers
window the freight money was received,
and a green pass emitting tho "drover"
to ride in the caboose after car No.
1169S was handed out. These were only
preliminaries to the start. The freight men
took tho horse In the car and tied ropes to his
halter so that :he could not fall either one way
or the other. 1t seemed as though these ropes
were stronger than was necessary. but the
joltinG on a passenger train on the toughest
road in this country is nothing TO the hand
ling that q freight car gets. Some sawdust
was thrown in the car for tho horse to stand on
SO that he would not hurt his feet and he was
left there.
Around the freight stations In Jersey City
are several boys who have spent their lives in
taking horses and cattle to and fro on the rail-
roads. One Of tho most picturesque of these
boys turned up about the time that the horse
was tied. He wanted the Job Of going with the
horse. Five or SO for the trip would be ample
pay for him, though he got no ticket or pass
back. His name was Archie Horton. He had
red hair, freckles. and q stub nose and two
teeth out. His clothing was q pea jacket.
checked shirt, big shoes, suspenders OF II more
recent date. and a. long pair OF trousers.
Archie said that he lived by taking out horses
when he could get that Job. and by taking milk
cans over TO New York when he could not and
that he had been In hard luck for two or three
days and had had nothing but a cup OF coffee
that morning and only one meal the day before
He wanted 10 go along with the horse. but tho
pass was not good for two. Archie un derstand5 !
about the handling of the horse in the yard, 80
he was retained until the train started.
For two hours tho car was shifted up and down |
one OF the yards. Engines bumped into it and !
other cars thumped 1t, Will the horse Jumped /
During one Of tho shifts the car was struck SO |
hard that the passengers were knocked to the |
except to get bale Of hay and as it was T not
certain when the car would get out, that was
hardly safe A bucket Of wafer was got for
porter sat inside the car on wagon cushion !
and lap robe. while Archie stood by tho big !
high, so that tho horse g head would not Strike,
day and let in plenty OF light and air Il was as
tobacco factory fnlt a dozen tines tis'" By
railroad men drilling. 1t is the arranging OF
each train BY cars SO that the roar cars can DO
not hayo to be shifted around at local points In
order to got off the cars for that point. The cars
to Be- OF ss bosa 12 2
nearer are points are toward the end, The cabooso
hey 1S we're SH Shifted d0zfP o Gsr s
Ing yard to the upper yard and run
out mile or two , over the tracks The
way climbed into the car while 1t was in mo,
tion. An ordinary man would fall and break
his neck or have his logs chopped of il he had
but In the trip OF half n mile some twenty or
thirty boys rot In 70 Ialk with Archie and TO
look at the horse. All tho railroad men looked
at the horse too.
Railroad men. not tho kind that work on
passenger trains. but the real railroad mon
who work In freight yards and on freight
trains, have true sport ing blood In them They
know all about base ball games, pri2o flghts.
and horses. As soon as they heard that there
was horse IN the car they took turns in Com.
was, step Of little over three three feet
70. thu, sill OF the. car and three feet more
railroad man to, clear this as easily as a
full-grown man to ride in an elevator The
TSatShman IN the yards dsh came ana drove tho
Same around he would have to 1 co T H6oyS
tho car was shifted down into tho upper
yard and around to Hargimus Cove, where
!he floats come IN fro. from New York. i Was
were making up the fast Western Heights. THe
gar with the horse in Il was tackled on behind
banana train. The bananas were green, Lut
,ven then they We're securely locked UP. Tho
lOors had to DO left open in order 10 ventilnte
ho cars but strong iron Gratngs. chains,