The Portland daily press., 1895-05-03
ANIMALS CRAZED BY FIRE.
The Difficulty of Rescuing Horses from
Burning Buildings.

The panic that is inspired in the minds
fire can be understood only by those who
have witnessed a fire in large sta BILE
where mum bers of horses are kept, says
the st. Louis Globe-Democrat. The scene
that ensues is one of the most frightful
that can be conceived. The horses are
rescued from the burning building with
the utmost difficulty, and only with
most serious peril to the lives and lin bs
of the rescuers. The animals go mad
with fright, rear, kick and dash from
side to side SO wildly as to make an at
tempt at rescue as perilous as an advance
on a hostile battery. When rescued they
will often break away from those who
hold them and charge back at full
speed into the burning building there to
perish in the flames. They resist every
attempt to take them out. They have
been known to tear their rescuers with
their teeth, to throw them to the ground
and trample on them, to kick out their
brains. A S the fury of the flames increas-
es SO does the panic OF the unfortu nate
| animals. They scream out in agony as
the fire reaches their bodies, yet they
will not for all that seek safety in the
open air. They are crazed with fear
ana yet remain to be burned to death,
when a ten-seconds run would carry them
to liberty. But they never make the run
and as rule are burned alive in the
stalls, where alone they seem to fancy
they can find security.
There is but one way to get them out
and that is to blind them with some con-
venient cover, such as a coat or q
blanket, and thus, unable to see the dan
gers about them, trem mbling in every
limb, apparently ready to fall to the
earth with fear, they may be led out
But the cover must not be too quickly
removed from their eyes; in fact, it
should not be taken off until the ami
mails are out of sight of the burning
budding, otherwise they will break
away from the persons leading them and
in spite OF the stoutest efforts will dash
back TO perish in the flames.
For COWS burning building does not
seem to have the same fascination that
| it possesses for horses. 1t is said that
when a COW stable is burning the
animals may be led out without serious
| difficulty, save that which may result
from their fright aud the use they may
make Of thier horns in their own frantic
efforts to escape. Tt is singular fact,
however, that has often heen noticed
along the lines of railroads. that the
headlight of locomotive exercises on
calves and sometimes on their mothers,
also, a species of fascination nearly akin
to hypnotism
Engineers tell many stories of this
peculiar fact. Not long ago on rail-
road running out Of this city toward the
south the engineer of night train
noticed something ahead of him on the
track. Always apprehensive of danger
he blew his whistle, put on his brakes
and guardedly approached the spot
where the obstacle was observed. IL was
soon seen to be a calf that stood in the
center of the track, staring with wide
open eyes at the headlight. The whistle
screamed shrill alarm, the calf did not
move; the bell WAS violently rune,
but the animal needed it not. With some
difficulty the train was brought to a halt
within few feet of the fascinated calf.
that stood with head erect gazing at the
slight though petrifed. The fireman
jumped down from the cab, seizing the
calf by the ears tc drag it from the track.
when Instantly. the moment its eyes