The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1891-11-27
THE LITTLE RAT MULE.
DISAPPEARING FROM THE STREET
RAILWAY SERVICE.

How often one hears the remark,
"Just look at those mules drawing that
car; they look like rats" They have
thus become known very generally as
little rat mules, and the description is a
good one certainly. Many of them don't
look much larger than good sized billy
goat, being so small that they are hidden
from the people in the car by the dash
board in front. It certainly does look
cruel to make them pull car loaded
down with people, a load that would
strain powerful horses on an up grade.
1t is like great many other things,
however.
It is cruel only in appearance. The
little mule is equal to this and much
more. If the car would hold more peo-
pie he and his mate would pull it any
place, and on a level would take it skip
ping along so fast that you would almost
begin to think no other motive power
was required to realize rapid transit. He
has endurance, speed and strength, and
thrives where an animal more hardy and
stronger in appearance would soon die.
In rapid motion he goes by jumps and
jerks, but he accomplishes the desired
result, and is one Of the most servicea-
BILE animals to be had in the street rail-
way business.
. He is, however, rapidly disappearing,
giving way to mechanical motors. AS
the old darky said when he saw the cleo
trio cars, 1.-The Yankees is great peo-
pie; they want satisfied ter free de
nigga, and now they've done gone and
freed de mules" That is about the case.
In st. Louis, for instance, the little rat
mules-and, for that matter, the larger
mule and the horse-are few in number,
not one in thirty for those employed as
recently as three years ago. With our
increase in population, new industries,
etc., this is a somewhat remarkable
statement, but it is correct.
The little rat mule is peculiar ami
NAL. Born and raised in the southwest,
Texas and Mexico, he is now going to
the south and southeast for service on
the plantations. In the very recent past,
when all the street cars were drawn by
horses and mules, the demand for them
was very great for that purpose, but as
things generally equalize themselves, SO
has the demand for horses and mules.
The street railway companies which
have changed to cable or electric motor
power have generally disposed of their
live stock to very fair advantage, though
there are still on hand some of the little
rat mules that are unused.
This little animal is one of some value,
though he does not look it. Twenty dol
lars would be very fair valuation, but
in fixing that estimate you would be
away off the mark. Unbroken he COM
mands considerable more than that.
The cheapest lot that ever came to st.
Louis, probably, was one of 200, the
price paid for them being a few cents
less than twenty-six dollars per head,
but they were unbroken. He is a stub
born little brute, and there is considera-
put ahead of bobtail and trusted to
the average driver. Thus broken he
has value of sixty to seventy-fve dol
lars.
One would naturally suppose that his
raiser would break him, and get his en-
hanced price, but, as rule, he has come
to the st. Louis railroads as wild as
could be, and also as stubborn, but the
employees of the companies have had a
great deal of fun in breaking them in
and reducing them to tractability. They
have also had some exciting experiences,
too, as the little fellow has heels quite as
serviceable as his larger relative, and he
knows how to use them too. You have
got to look out for them, and you have
got to put some muscle into use when
you think you have an easy task to hold
them with the lines. This is not at all
easy sometimes, as he has strength and
frequently a very hard mouth-hard
enough to pull a bobtail car by it with
the traces slackened.
1t has been said that it seems cruel to
run these little fellows to q street car
loaded down with passengers. To the
contrary, there are few animals which
have an easier life. The pulling of the
at that and grow fat. Twenty-Five to
thirty miles day for them is nothing at
all, and that is about what they COW
er, with rests between trips. Through
with their days work, they are turned
into big yard, where they run and roll
as they please. They never die, or at
least the employees Of the street rail-
ways never hear of their dying. When
they approach that period of life they
are sold or sent off to the farm, where
they may still be of some use.
They are aged before that time comes,
however. There are, for instance, little
rat mules as much as 20 or 25 years old
still in service here, and some which
have been in the service twelve and
fifteen years. And still they are, to all
appearances, good for several years yet.
They are as strong and active as ever,
apparently, and will likely year from
now start in for a second life on a south
ern plantation. This Is a long time for
an animal to tramp over granite and
other kinds of paving, through mud and
in all kinds Of weather, but the limit
has seemingly never been reached with
this hardy little fellow. He might be
subjected to twice as much, possibly, and
still not fall under it.
In addition to performing service
equal to that of the horse or the large
mule, the little rat mule is one of the
easiest animals known in the care re-
quired. It might, in fact, be said that
he really does not require any care. He
fourishes best when allowed to rough it.
He is, Of course, fed grain and hay, but
he is not in tine least fastidious about his
food, as is the horse, and in the absence
Of anything else would probably manage
to live on old boot legs. He likes moth
ing better than to run to fodder and
cheap food.-St. Louis Globe-Democr
BasiIs Forge.