Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-03
HORSES FOR FIRES.
SELECTING AND TRAINING ANIMALS
FOR FIRE ENGINES.

Considerable Patience and u Period Of
About Month Is Needed for Raw Re-
cruits-The Horse Plays an Important
Part at Every Fire in a Big City.
OF the praise which has been showered
npon the New York fire department for
the excellence of its system, the splendid
animals that haul the heavy engines and
trucks have their share. Any one who
has watched one of the crack engine
companies tearing through the street in
response to an alarm cannot have failed
to notice how the horses strained every
muscle to cover the distance as quickly
as possible, with scarcely touch from
the drivers whip. Some Of the horses
show an almost human intelligence in
the quickness with which they respond
to the alarms sounded by the big gongs.
Nowhere can that be seen better than
in the house of Engine Z, at Chambers
and Center streets, where two horses, 10
and Charley, hold the record for the
quickest time in getting into harness.
Horses and men have to show off fire.
quently for the benefit of visitors. The
foreman sounds the gong in one of these
exhibitions, but does not release the
horses at once, as the regular alarm does
by electrical apparatus. The two big
horses, whose stalls are on either side of
the engine, strain at their halters and
jump in their eagerness to get to their
places. The moment the foreman re-
leases them by touching an electric but
ton they spring forward and duck their
heads under the collars suspended with
the rest Of the harness from the cell
ing and ready to be fastened about their
necks
Sometimes the foreman snaps the col
lar beforehand to test the intelligence of
the horses. Then 10 and Charley poke
their heads through the closed collars
and struggle until they get their heads
through them. At an actual alarm of
fire the horses will start on the instant,
and they vie with the firemen in their
eagerness to get to the fire.
AN IMPORTANT ANIMAL.
1t is plain that the horse plays just as
necessary part in the autonomy of the
fire department as a human member
The more intelligent the horse is the
quicker the engine or truck which he is
helping to haul will be at the scene of
fire. Horses that enter into the spirit of
the work as heartily as the firemen are al
most invaluable, for every moment saved
frequently counts for much in saving
life and property. 1t follows that the
training Of the horses which are added
every year to the department is as i'm
portant as the training of the firemen,
who must learn to handle the hose, ak
and scaling ladder with expertness. Al
though that branch of the service is
heard of seldom by the general public,
Chief Bonner gives it the strictest atten-
ton, and the recruits in horsehesh have
to go through an ordeal just as severe as
that which their human allies must un-
derGp.
The training stables in West Ninety
ninth street are in quiet neighborhood
and the new building is used also as the
departments horse hospital. Foreman
Joseph Shea, who is also DR.. Shea, has
charge Of the stables. He was grad.
uated as a veterinary surgeon and has
been connected with the department for
eleven years. His position is one of the
most important in the department. He
looks after all the sick horses in the
engine houses, and is kept busy at the
hospital with the horses laid up there.
He buys the green horses for the depart
ment, accepting them only after they
have shown their ability to do the work
required.
The commissioners allow $500 for the
purchase of each horse, and DR.. Shea
makes his selection from the big punches
of western horses in the Bulls Head
market He always selects horse of
good size, generally blocky, with plenty
of muscle. The horse that has speed and
strength in good proportion is the horse
that DR.. Shea is looking for constantly.
TRAINING NEW HORSES
There are 800 horses in active service
in the department, and about fifty re-
cruits have to be added each year. They
usually go up to the Ninety-ninth street
stable on trial, half dozen at time,
and DR.. Shea has month in which to
accept or reject any one or all of the lot.
In that time he can tell whether the
horse is likely to be of any value.
As soon as the green horses arrive
they are housed comfortably in the third
story of the stable. Three roomy box
stalls are there, too, and their doors indi-
cate hard usage "Some of those green
horses" one of the stablemen said,
"don't seem to know anything else but
how to kick, and they do that with
vengeance" All of the new recruits do
not take kindly to their new quarters
and still less to the training. In the
ground story the green horse gets his
first lesson. He is usually four or five
years old and barely broken to harness.
A psrt Of the story is partitioned off for
tender or hose cart. The customary
big fire gong is on the wall, and all of
the alarms from Morrisania to the
Battery are sounded. In stalls beside
the tenders the raw recruits are broken
in, two at time. At first they must
become accustomed to the sound Of the
big gong. Most horses are so confused
by the changing that they are absolutely
intractable for awhile. Some never get
accustomed to the noise, and these are
rejected. In the course Of day or two
the average recruit begins to understand
that it bears very close relation to his
movements. New York Sun.
DR.. Hollands Advice.
After j. G.. Hollands woman lecture