The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-01-11
BIG BUTCHER WAGONS.
Mammoth Horses of Some of Chi
cago's Packing Houses.
The Teams When Passing Through the
Streets Present . Very Imposing Spec
tacIe and Are Objects of Com
staut Admiration.

Chicago has one of the largest
wagons in the world. II has been as
serted that there is none as large else
where. The builders of the mammoth
wagon, however, make no such claim
for it, but are justly proud of the prod
uct of their skill.
This wagon is the property of Nelson,
Morris Il Co, the packers, and was
built in the car shops under the super
vision of Mr.. Hit. The massive springs
and axles used in its construction are
about the size of those on ears, and can
sustain fifteen tons. This would have
been a good car load a few years ago,
but cars as well as wagons, have been
increased in size and capacity, and the
car load of to-day is somewhat larger.
The ordinary two-horse wagon has a
capacity of about six thousand five
hundred pounds; four and one-half
times this load could be carried by this
giant wagon. 1t is uniform in color
with the other wagons belonging to
the company, having yellow gear
and maroon box As the wheel team is
the only one that can pull backward
powerful brake is necessary for use in
stopping and on grades.
The wagon is. of necessity, of the
'cut-under" type, as this is the only
form that can be ''cramped" sufficiently
to permit the lead horses to be brought
into use when backing. Its weight is
six thousand one hundred pounds. AS
occasion requires, either six or eight
handsome roam horses draw this wagon,
making an imposing display
Mr.. Pursel, who buys the horses used
in the Morris stables, says that great
L
mails used in the lead teams Anyone
who watches these horses threading
their way along crowded street will
see that they must have 4 high grade
of intelligence to enable them to per-
form their work. No whip is needed
with such horses; they know their
drivers voice and obey immediate
ly. They have broad foreheads. intel
ligent eyes and all the marks that go
To indicate equine sagacity.
The eight horses and wagon weigh
about eight tons and, together with
the harnesses, are worth something
over five thousand dollars. Roam horses
We're selected partly because there We're
a great many of that color already in
the stable and partially because they
were considered harder and better able
to stand the work required of them
than horses of other colors.
The ma jority of the packers favor
horses OF certain colors, but in Armour
* Co.'S stable no such rule prevails, ex-
cept in the case of their large wagon.
for which eight coal-black Norman
horses were selected. The capacity of
this wagon is about eighteen thousand
pounds. Like all the Armour wagons.
il is painted a bright yellow. The box
wagon has been adopted to avoid the
injury that is frequently done the meat
by the stake wagons.
The Armour barn accommodates
about two'hundred horses and is one of
the largest in the city. Oats have been
rather high lately and wheat has been
fed to the horses for several months.
The employees about this barn say that
the results have been in every way
satisfactory and that other stables are
adopting this system. They claim that,
although wheat costs more, a buShel
will go twice as far with horses as a
bushel of oats. and hence it il cheaper
to feed. The horses, they say, are get
ting fat, and are doing far better than
they did on oats. Men not connected
with the stable. however. intimate that
the fact that Mr.. Armour is a trifle
long" on certain grades of wheat has
some connection with his discovery of
its good qualities as horse-food.
Swift & Co. 5 stable contains, with
very few exceptions, nothing but gray
horses.
An exception. in this respect, is their
six-horse wagon, for which three
sorrel and three gray horses were re-
lected 1t capacity is sixteen Thousand
pounds. The colors used are red and
yellow.
The colors adopted by the Libby, Nc
Neill & Libby stables are red run
ming gear with a deep-green box. This
firms large wagon is drawn by six
roam horses that average sixteen hun
dred pounds apiece-the heaviest six
horse team in the city. This wagon
can carry a load of twelve tons
Preference is shown to roam, chest
nut and gray horses. They are all of
the Percheron variety, that hardy
breed that, it is said, partly owes its
development to the necessity that was
felt during medieval times for u
horse powerful enough to carry those
animated fortresses, knights in armor.