Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-04-23
THE LITTLE RAT MULE
DISAPPEARING From THE STREET
RAILWAY SERVICE.

Is e1tnk " hat Hr Nosts, hrakrn and 4
Unbr"ken~A A Hsris Little Brat.-His +
work and Wears ar service.
How often one hears the remark,
"Just look at tllose mules drawing that
car: they look like rats" They have
thus become known very generally rs
little rat mules. aud the description is
good one certainly Many II them don't
look much larger than n good sized billy
goat. being 80 small thai they are hidden
from the people IN tine car by the dash
board in front 1t certainly dues look
cruel to make them phil car loaded
down with people, load that would
strain powerful horses on an up grade
Ii is like u great many other things,
however.
1t is cruel only IN appearance. The
little mule Is eqnal to this and much
more. Ii the ear wonld hold more peo-
pie he aud his mate would pull il any
1 place, and on a level would take il skip
| ping along So fast that yon wonid almost
/ begin Ia think no other motive power
WAS required 10 realize rapid transit. He
/ has endurance. speed and strength, aud
I thrives where an animal more hardy and
stronger IN appearance would soon die.
\ In rapid motion he goes by jumps aud
+ jerks but he aecompltshes the desired
result. and is one Of the most servicea-
Bile animals 70 he had in the street rail.
way business.
/ He il, however, rapidly disappearing,
\ giving way 10 mechanical motors As
the old darky said when he SAW the cleo
tric cars, "The Yankees il great peo-
/ pie: they want satisfied ter free de
nigga. and now they've done gone and
| free, de mules. That isabout the case
In St Louis. tor instance. the little rat
mnles-and, for that matter. the larger
| mule aud 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 somewhat remarkable
statement, but II is correct
The little rat mule is peculiar ami
NAL. Born aud raised in tine southwest,
Texas and Mexico. he il now going to
the south and southeast for service on
the plantations, In the very recent past,
when all the street cars w-r,. drawn by
horses and mules. the demand for them
was very great for that purpose, but as
things generally equalize themselves, 30
has the demand for horses aud mnles
The street railway companies which
have changed to cable ar electric motor
power have generally disposed of their
live stock 10 very fair advantage, though
there are still on hand some of the little
rat mules that are unused.
This little animal il one af some valne,
thongh he does not look IL Twenty dol
lars would he "A very fair valuation. but
, in fixing that estimate ynn would be
away off the mark unhroken lie com.
mands considerable more than that.
The cheapest lot that ever came 70 st.
Louis, probably, was one Of 200, the
price paid for them being few cents
less than twenty siN dollars per head,
but they We're unbrnken lie Is IA stub
born little brute. and there is considera
BILE labor in breaking him 80 he can be
. put ahead of bohtall aud trusted te
> the average drives. Thus broken he
: has value of sixty to seventy five dol
lars
, One would naturally suppose that his
| raiser would break him. and get his en-,
, hanced price. bnt, as Il rule, he has come
) 10 the ST. Louis railroads ms wild n
could be. and also ~ stubborn. but the
employees Of the companies have had 4
great deal af fun IN breaking them In
AMI reducing them IT, traetabiity. They
: hive also had some exciting experiences,
too. as the little fellow has heels qnite as
serviceable as his larger relative. and be
, 4. Il. L
} got 10 look ont for them. and you have
: got to put some muscle into use when
you think you nave an easy task to hold
them with the lines. This il not at all
easy sometimes. a. he has strength and
, frequently very hard month--har,l
|. enough To pull bohtail car by it with
the traces slackaned.
, II has been said that il seems cruel To
,, run these little fellows 10 street car
loaded down with passengers. To the
contrary, there are few animals which
haye an easier life The pulling of the
car Is nothing IA them. They can laugh
. at that and grow far. Twenty-Five to
thirty miles u day for them is nothing at
i all. aud that is abnnt what they GOV.
I er, with rests between trips. Through
with their days work. they ARE turned
. into big yard, where they run and roll
! rs they plrase. 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 10 the farm, where
! they may still be OF some use.
They are age1 before thai time comes.
: however There are, for instance. little
rat mules as much as 90 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
I Appearances, good for several years yet.
! They are as strong and active as ever.
. apparently. and will hkely.a year from
now start in for second life ON south.
! ern plantation. THIS il long time for
an animal 70 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 httle fellow. He might be
; subjected to twice IL much, possibly. and
) still not fall nHder IT.
Ia addition to performing service
equal 10 that eE the horse or the large
Iinnle. the little rat mule Il one OF the
easiest animals known IN the care re-
quired II might. in fact. he said that
ne really does not require any care He
a l. E5 L.