Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-10-10
FIRE HORSES.
their Training For Active Service and
Average Life.

aCG SpOl Wu6To lue SuSpeutSo Atii
ness may be dropped upon them
and with few deft manipulations,
fastened ready for start have ut
tie idea of the patientand 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
horse responds to an alarm, and
coming from. the stall on trot,
stands directly beneath the collar
and traces that they may be snapped
on him in less than ten seconds
time. Then he 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 S1S9 each.
They are taken on 80 days trial,
and if they cannot be taught in that
time they arereturned. The green
horse when taken to the stables has
not the faintest idea of the terror
in store for him, and only realizes
it when led into large room and
tied securely. tits then that the en-
ployees of the stables with gongs,
old dishpans, etc, introduce to his
horseship more 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 The same amount of
noise is repeated the next day and
the day after that, until the horse
disdainfully 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
ness 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 horse
III.
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 waste of time the hours
and days spent in shortening to
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 the axiom that more may
be done in minutes just after fire
has started than in hours after 1t
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 burning dwelling painting and
almost ready to fall after a run
which taxes them exceedingly.
It is hard life for the horses as
we'll as for the firemen, and the av-
erage life of horse in the service
of the department is four years.
Some only last six months; others
ten years. Some of 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 old and has seen II years &C
tive service and willingly pulls a
hose cart to fires when the depart
ment is shorthanded. The lot of a
fire horse is not happy one. He is
so carefully stalled and gets into
such good. condition that sharp
changes in the weather play sad hav-
oo with him. He has to rush from
warm stall and plunge out into the
chill air of winters night and race
along until he breaks into thor
ough perspiration. Obliged to stand
at fire ground, with the icy wind
Tapping 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 long and happy
life in the department are lessened
Observation-Disclosures Ledger.
Last SUNNI ct one Of our grandchild-
en- was sick th a severe bowel trouble.
Our doctors, NEEDLES had failed, then
we tried Chan ,erlain's Collie, Cholera
and diarrhoea Remedy, which gave
very speedy relief. We regard it as
the best medicine ever put on the
market for bowel mplaints.-Miss Z.
G. Gregory, Freder;ckstown, Mo. This
certainly is the best medicine ever put
on the market for dysentery, summer
complaint, collie and cholera infantum
{ in children. 1t never fails 10 give
prompt relief when used in reasonable
utme and the plain printed directions
Wa followed. Many mothers have ex-
-, ed their sincere gratitude for the
has effected. For sale by l.