Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-09-09
ON BOARD A Cattle SHIP.
ruE rRr ACROSS rur ATLANTIC.

ruE rRir ACROSS ruI ATLANTIC.
seven hundred aud thirty-two head ~
good. sound American cattle were lying
aud standing around brighton stock
yaris, a few miles from Boston. when
pur.uan, Ia an order from the shippers,
snd ten others struck that locality one
cold aud raw morning last spring. We
had arrived there Ia open the proceed.
log. requisite To bringing ihis mass OF
frc.h beef In good condition To John
Bulls stomach. Tor they were all con-
.lgnci To his biggest market--lcndon.
On the strength of previous. service In q
similar capacity, had, the nigh, before.
managed to secure arrangements where
BY had the privilege of being steward
to these four-footed passenger. during
their trip scro.. the western ocean.
Twenty dollars and n frc- pass home
we're the wages part of the agreement.
II NAV b. that ! sm unable to under
stand how closely the Job resemble. q
slnecure .o that nv thinking the rrmu-
ncratlon by no mean. bur,icn.ome may
~ due Ia that, or possibly Ia q little
sslfshncss, which Ia probably part of
me a. we'll a. lot. ~ other we'll meaning
folk. Of course. the .ca brccr"s, the
pure air, the healthy effect of the trip
arr, like the usual chromo, thrown In.
pITTicuLrr ~ HANDLING .rocS.
will require but q small -ffort 70 the
mind a. comprehend the difficulty at
,endaui on preparing and handling this
mas of live stock Tor q fourteen or NJ
teen dsys' Journey acros. the Atlantic.
Caiilsmen deem those cattle that are
home fc,l-nailSc. they call ihcm-the
easiest to take care OF; those that occa-
.ion IA. most trouble AMI danger are
What are known "a "mullc., "north-
~es,sr." ani long .horu~i colorado..
The rope. by which they are tici NJ
on board ship are put on prNiou. to
starting. Some sixteen az so, acconiing
a. siF., are driven Into car; and two
men Ia DO the rOplng aud Que io hold
the cattle NJ, 90 Ia With them and CON
.,liuie a gang.
something about nv .hape, .ire, ng-
ur-, form az feature attracted the bos.e.'
aitention. probably, ot they wouldn't
have put me Into as hot di.h ~ water
a. holding those bullocks up SEEMED to
me to b.. An old hand generally .e-
cure. the ioh aud, for NV part, ] am
willing that an old hand should secure
II for all time Ca come.
ruI pUrf 90 HOLDING ur
/. performed by one man going into the
car With head toIr, standing At one
end, shouting, slapplng and punching,
Ia work AMI hem the cattle Into n solid
a. -. "A. .Ns oh
Ia enable those that throw the rope.
around their neCss to do 80 without
danger. And thl. throwing the rope.
around their necks IL procccilng that
requires XII aud experience. J remrm-
her Que candidate for cattiemen's honor.
coming into q gang ,o exhibit hi. knowl-
~igr of the business. lie crrpt along
the UPPER side ~ the car, called for .
rops. and Jumped on the back 10 an old
.hort horned mule. The snimsl took u
In good part apparently. stood up steady
head downwar,l, and he proceeded a.
ba.lness. lie followed the motion 81
the bead which kept going downward
when, feeling the rope probably, the
MULE suddenly raised HI. head, aud i
am surr that fellow studied astronomy
for fye minute. afterwards.
I do not know which fob \. the most
preferable. roplng or holding NJ, but
Know for certain that neither of thru
had any stp.,-ial attraction for me. u '.
certainly no, conducive to comfort Ia D.
t~lrllng aud twisting the tall 10 q blg
harly bullock. to keep him of YOUR
tayorite corn; nor :. u altogether pleas
ant To h. made the occasional recipient
20 we'll directed rap on the shlns from
the.e hari-hoofed gentry. Hut when
YOU are there YOU must take the risks,
and alons With thsm an occasional ,olley
of pretty lumInou. profanity. without
which an old hand would dc.m the occa-
.Ion old and peculiar, u not absolutely
monotonou. aud dull.
oS BOARD sIIir
the arrangements Tor the care of the
cargo ~ live stock are better than one
would suppose possible. The pens,
which are spaced OF Ia accommodate
I've, run fore and aft, aud arr generally
ou two decks, although on thi. OCCASION
Ne carried some % or 80 on the saloon
deck, = strange place, one would think,
for such company.
The roor I. cleaied down In such a
manner a. render. the footing ~ the
animal secure when the motion 81 the
hip makes II necessary. II l. remark
able how rapidly some of the bullocks
will acquire those nautical necessities,
sea leg. After they are out while
they will sway aud swing with the mo-
tIon ~ the .hlp as II Ia the manner born.
large quantitie. ~ hay and straw are
~ course. necessary for the feeding and
bs,ldIng % such number Of stock.
rIIE WATER u PROVIDED
A. required during the course % the
voyage. IL l. condensed and put Into
large hogshead. placed at convenient
paints throughout the ship. Their mode
~ procedure In feeding L. systematic
and methodIcal. You are called at A.
NJ, take your allotted station and water
the number 81, you; then after an Inter
val of an hour, YOU feed hay, nj III
o'clock a bucket full of corn each, at
night hay, and 80 on daily, I'LL you reach
shore.
At night two men are deputed for
watch duty.
That 4. a disagreeable business la bad
weather. An animal may lie down and
gr, flung half way over the trough by
the lurch of the vessel. Here you cut
m. rope, get assistance and work him
into his pen, generally mi hour. job too.
We had the good fortune to meet with
nice weather aud brought In all our load
In good condition. Generally two or
three are lo.t In q trip; sometimes a