The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1893-02-09
SHOD WITH SNOWSHOES.
Horses Of tho Sicrras That VICAR
Strange FOotge-r.
They Arc Compelled to Pull Eeavy Loads
Across tho Mountai is-A Travellers
Interesting Description OF
I.i5 Trip.

They Arc Compelled to Pull I-eavy Loads
/ Across tho nIountai ,s-A Travellers
Interesting Description OF
Els Trip.
"Well, can't say that I've seen
horses skate, but I've seen them do the
next thing to it-use saowshoes and do
their work with them on jlst as well as
if they didn't have them on. or nearly
So" said gentleman from California
the other evening to 4 New York Herald
man.
. This is the way it was: About the
middle of April Il year ago, | hid busi-
ness up in Plurnas county. California,
and went by stage running from Oro-
vile to Quincy, the central point in
Plumas county. We left Orovillc at
seven in the morning in a four-horse
'jerlly.' 4 sort Of stage wagon specially
built for rough mountain work. For
the first six hours the road was as dry
as 4 board. but after the noon change
of teams we struck patches of snow
which soon merged into solid and deep
snow going. Tom, our driver. had
it was being hitched up, saying:
'Thcrn's our snow horses. Well soon
have to leave the wheel and take the
'slcdders" when we get further up the
road
Though I had ridden behind and
upon many kinds of horses il, the lest,
yet had never been introduced to the
snow breed before, and l looked at
them very closely.
"They were all four white or gray,
whether from age or natural disposition
, / couldn't tell. but was much ini-
| pressed by their tremendous scif-con-
sciousness, their extremely slow mo-
tions. the deliberate way in which they
stepped, straddling their legs as far
apart as possible. and ttcir rcluctan
to raise more than one hoof of the
ground ut time. Livery enc of the lot
was Old enough to vote, and at a rough
estimate twenty dollars Il head would
have been about fifteen dollars over
their value. At the end Of the trip
thought twenty dollars apiece was fully
nine hundred and eighty dollars less
than they were really worth
Don't think much of en-. do you?'
asked the driver of me as he started
them up with Il click. No. he contin-
ned, they're not much to look at. them
four old hide packers, but the company
wouldn't trade that lot for the best
eight flyers in the craciest livery stable
in Sacramento. Bat for those iavalu:l-
BILE critters the mails wouldn't get
CT II, fl,..
route. They're snow horses. they are,
: and when they strike the snow higher up
they'll put their snow moccasins on and
show you valley people how they earn
their oats
THAT old gray quartette plodded and
worked its way along very we;iriiy to
US until we got into the deeper snow
and drew up to q large sleigh standing
alongside the road
"'Change cars called ont the driver,
and gents will please shift their own
traps or they'll get left Unhitching
his team from the 'jcr.sy,' Tom Ii. d up
his horses in pairs in front of the
sleigh and then took out of it couple
of gunny sacks, from which he pro-
duced sixteen pieces of wood having the
appearance of fat dishes. which he said
were the snoTshoes used by the four
horses. | examined the shoes with
much curiosity
The shoe was made of stout. sea-
soned, one-inch plank of tough hickory
wood, fourteen inches square, strength
ened on one side 10y covering of oil
cloth and two onc-inch wide strips of
hickory wood screwed on to the main
plate. So situated that when adjust
cd horses foot would be ght in the
center of the shoe were three holes
clear through the wood and oilcloth
underneath. One of the holes was
large enough to let the heavy and very
high toe calli Of the horses shoe pass
through, while the two other ho' S Us
readily permitted the two hind calks of
the shoe to enter and come out as did
the toe calls. Then wrought iron
band, separated in the center, swung
on hook and eye on either side of the
horses hoof after he had been fitted
with the snowshoe, by passing the
calks through, was brought together in
front of the hoof al inch below the cor
onet, and then tightly joined by screw
and nut passed through holes bored in
the projecting ends of the band. Ev-
erything fitted rs snug as possible. and
when the screw was tightened up no
amount of scrapiag or kicking could
loosen it from 4 horses foot. The snow
team understood the business perfectly
and took it as 4 matter of course that
they should be thus decorated.
They actually seemed to know a
little more about it even than Tom did.
Indeed, one old plug held up his off hind
foot and knocked Tom on the arm with
his shoe as a hint to have the nut
screwed little tighter on the iron
band. Though | never before saw
horses SO qucerly shod and apparently
anchored with these strange gcarings,
the animals seemed to consider it quito
the proper thing to have the shoes on.
THE passengers having by this time
piled all their traps into the sleigh we
made another start for Quincy. but at
snail's pace as far as speed was con-
cerned. After we got under way we
found the snow getting deeper every
yard. until in places, Judging by the
trees, it must have been at least fifteen
feet deep became quite interested
in the sagacity of the four horses and
their singular clcvcrness in handling
themselves on their unusual footing
found out why they were so slow in
moving and why they stradded SO
wide. Their slowness was to prevent
sinking too deep in the snow from the
heavy treading. and the straddling to
keep them from sllinning their legs or
cutting q tendon with the edges OF the
'snowShccs.'
"A month later. on my return. when
the roads were clear of snow, it only
took twelve hours to make the trip from
Quincy u Croviilc. though in coming
p .-.'ar!y tEirtysix hours were re-
CURED