The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-11-28
FIRE HORSES.
Their Training For Active Service and
Average Life.

Their Training For Active Service and
Average Life.
Those who have seen fro horses
dashing from their stalls to an ex-
act spot where the suspended har-
ness may be dropped upon them
and with a few deft manipulations.
fastened ready for a start have lit
tie idea of the patient and persistent
effort required to train the animals
to promptly and unfailingly do their
part in securing the che great point
of dispatch.
1t is marvellous to some observers
to note the precision with which q
horse responds to an alarm. and,
coming from the stall on a trot,
stands directly beneath the collar
and traces that they may be snapped
on him in less than ten seconds
time. Then lie is ready at the driv-
er's call to dash out of the house
and along the silent or crowded
streets, day or night, as the time
may be, until he has reached the
spot whence an alarm comes.
The raw" horses are bought
from the contractor at $3.50 each.
They are taken on 80 days trial,
and if they cannot be taught in that
time they are returned. The green
horse when taken to the stables has
not the faintest idea of the terror
in store fer him, and only realizes
it when led into a large room and
tied securely. 1t is then that the EN-
ployees of the stables with gongs,
old d%ishpans, ETC.. introduce to his
%horseship mere noise in 20 seconds
than he ever heard in all his life be-
fore. When he RECEIVERS from the
shock of the terrible din and stops
kicking and prancing, he is led back
to his stall. Tie same amount of
noise is repeated the next day and
the day after that, until the horse
Gisdainfully ignores all efforts to
upset his nervous system. After
this he is taught to come under the
harness at the sound of the gong
and pull in single and double har-
e an engine, truck, cart, engi-
neer's carriage and police patrol
wagon. This is continued until the
animal learns to do thoroughly what
is required of him. 1t usually takes
but ten days earnest work on the
part Of the trainers to break a horse
in.
Objection is often made to the
pace at which fire apparatus are
drawn through the streets. and prob
ably there are those who would con-
denim as q waste of time the hours
and days spent in shortening to a
minimum the period needed to get
an engine under way from the time
the alarm sounds in the engine
house. The freman's reason in both
cases is tle axiom that more ma
be done in minutes just after a fire
has started than in hours after it
has gained Roadway"
The horses which draw the en-
gines, trucks and carts seem to learn
how much depends on them, and
they strive their utmost, pulling up
at a burning dwelling painting and
almost. ready to fall after a run
which taxes them exceedingly.
1t is a hard life fer the horses as
we'll as for the firemen, and the av-
erage life of a horse in the service
of the department is four years.
Some only last six months; others
ten years. Some CT the animals are
even more fortunate than this.
There is in the city's stables, at
Twelfth and Wharton streets, a no.
BILE old horse named Dad. He is "a
years cid and Las seen II years ao-
tive service and willingly pulls a
hose cart to fires Wien the depart
ment is shorthanded. The lot of q
fire hcrse is not a happy one. He is
SO carefully stalled and gets into
such eccd condition that sharp
changes in the weather play sad hav-
&C with him. He has to rush from
warm stall ard plunge out into the
chill air of a winters night and race
along until he h-eaks into a thor.
ough rerspiraticn. Obliged 10 stand
at a FIRE ground, with the icy wind
tapping a blanket around his body,
it is no wonder that he has to be
taken to the hospital to recover from
a heavy cold, while, with falls and
knocks and kicks from unruly mates,
his chances for a long and happy
life in the department are lessened
materially. -Philadelphia Ledger.
WINDOW DRESSING.