Evening star., 1896-09-19

stupidity Is SO opaque that he is not hooked
up at all, but is sent back by return fast
freight to the dealer AS general thing,
however, horses are hooked up on the first
or second IaY apd driven out to see how
they manage themselves in harness.
If they display Skill address and manage-
ability under the reins they are then driv-
en- to test than for speed If they respond
to the departments requirements in this
respect, they are driven again to test them
for their combined speed and wind. Chief
Paris says that he has frequently gotten
hold Of raw horses Of such natural intel
ligence. and acQuisttiveEess that they acted
| like veterans within forty-eight hours after
| their installation in an engine house. He
mentioned particularly pair OF Maryland
| horses which he purchased few years ago,
| and which performed capably and even
brilliantly at a big fire only twenty-four
| hours after their first lesson had been
| taught them.
| When fire horses are to go out in teams
that is, to haul engines and trucks, instead
of the lighter work of pulling single hose
carts-they are matched up in the fashion
| they appear to drive best. While some
| horses do better on the nigh side of a
| team. others are better adapted for work
| on the of side
| When the Alarm is Sounded.
The fire horse is. secured to his stall with
tie-strap, which serves the purpose of
! halter. The stalls are made open at front
and rear alike 1t is from the rear, how
|
ard thus ne stands with his head to the
| front, ready to jump at the first sound OF
| the gong. The tie-strap is secured at one
| end by staple driven in the side Of the
| STALL At the other end Of the strap Is
ring. The existence of the fire horse is
passed with his bride on and the bit in his
| mouth.
There is spring bolt rising within lit
| tie recess in the side of the stall. The end
| Of the tie-strap with the ring on it is passed
| through the throat-latch of the horses
bride, and the ring is placed over the
| spring bolt in the side of the stall. SIM
| pie mechanical contrivance, operated by
the same electric current that touches off
the engine house gong. pulls the spring bolt
| down whenever an alarm Is sounded. Then
the ring the tie-strap is released, and
the. chafing horse is instantly set free.
Springing forward, the trained animal
takes his place under the hanging harness.
beside the pole OF the fire apparatus, engine
or truck, as the case may be.
| 1t very often happens that a new horse
', undergoes his engine house drill for weeks
before he Is called to fire, but in the esti-
| nation of Chief Paris such training does
not accrue particularly to horses advan-
tage. He believes that the surest and
quickest method of drumming fire" sense
into new horse is to take him to all the
very soon after his installation in the en-
g1ne house. This, he says, inspires a new
horse with the spirit of the thing, so that
in one actual fire call he acquires more
master In the progress of innumerable
drills.
Drilling a New Horse.
The drilling Of the new horses is very in
teresting and entertaining. The engine
house gong is sounded The man standing
at the horses head pulls down the spring
bolt and releases the tie-strap. Standing
at the rear of the stall Is a fireman who
slaps the horse on the ha. .,nch upon which
the man at the horses he4d promptly leads
HIM out te the pole where he is hooked up
On the third or fourth renetition of the les
son, most horses learn what this means.
The brighter animals will often get out OF
their own accord the signal within
twenty-four hours after their first lesson
Others, not quite so capable, will do sc
within two days, and within a week the
most of them get out to the pole in good
style. In the course Of time the horses will
learn to spring to the pole at night, quite
unaided while the men are scurrying down
| the sliding poles.
! Chief Paris says that it would be i'm