New-York tribune., 1896-10-25

From The San Francisco Call.
Dog-motors are plentiful enough In Belgium and
few other parts OF Europe. but they must surely
be conceded to be a rarity in California. Many
people who have travelled all over the state say
they have never seen any But there Is one at
least, and that is not very far from San Fran
cisco. 1t is on the Swiss ranch top OF the hill
TO the westward Of Mill Valley. 1t is in plain sight
from the road. and hundreds OF people passing tha;
around at good speed but few would think that
the motive power generated by a dog. Th2
cheap and servceable machine IT has proved tc be.
The cost is trhing. not the twentieth part OF VIVA
a windmill would cost, and for the purpose moth
ing could be better o One dog can easily pump
is dogs like the work.
Dog-motors are built on the same principle as as
cages for squirrels and other small animals. They
really barrels made so that the dog can get In
and out at a piece the bottom. and soon
as he starts 10 the inside the barrel slides
from under his feet In this way II rotatcs as fast
The motive power of the machine is commun-
Gated TO the pump by means OF a crank mat con-
Revolving the motor causes the piston 10 rise and
fall the as If a man were working the handle.
For over a year the dog motor the hill back
Gyp. and she really likes the work and knows
i'm the "sSa sac Whe Gyp was rs' put into the
machine she knew just what she had TO do. and
started In at a great rate. She go fast that
she would have fallen from exhaustion had she
not been lifted out But as she has grown older
likes the work as much as when she started. When
Gyp first started In to pump water she did not
know when to stop. She pumped and pumped until
the tank ran al! the time In a few weeks,
though she was iaugh, that all she was expected
10 do was 10 keep the tank fu and now she doesn't
do any more.
When Gyp Is taken to the motor In the morning
she first looks into the trough TO see how much II
lacks OF being full She then works accordingly, and
when she thinks she has done enough she runs
out and takes look at II. II II is full she Hes
down and rests, and II there still few inches
remaining she starts In again and does not stop
until the trough IL running over
All that Gyp Is FOR cattle 10
drink 1t flows directly from the well into the
drinking trough. 30 that they can get II without
trouble Gyp knows she sees band
Of steers making for the trough what they are
after, and she starts In pumping. SO as 10 Keep
them from emptying 1t. Her idea seems 10 be 10
keep the trough full In fact she is unable 10 rest
unless she knows II Is In that condition. Gyp has
10 work hard to do her work Each stroke OF the
pump brings up about quart OF water. and she
has to make about six jumps 10 do IT.. but when
she feels like working nothing stops her. and the
pumps make al least ten strokes a minute. or per-
haps 500 gallons Of water in ten hours.
Cyp is the only dog on the ranch that has ever
liked the work. Others have been tried. but 1t Is
! from jumping the job Even Gyps brothers al
ways had business elsewhere whenever they
| thought there was any pumping 10 do. There was
! one. though. that was good worker. He used &c
| get mad at being put In the motor that III
| seemed trying to 1t out for spite He used tt
run and run until the axle fairly smoked. but a'
soon as he saw that he couldn't do the machine
any harm he curled up in the bottom and went Il
| sceD.