Morris tribune., 1897-01-06
RUNS A DOG ENGINE.
A California Canine Who Knows Enough
to Boss the Job Herself.

| A California Canine Who Knows Enough
| to Boss the Job Herself.
Dog motors are plentiful enough
In Belgium and a few other parts
Of Europe, but they must surely be
conceded to be ararity in California
Many people who have traversed all
over the state say they have never
seen any. But there is one, at least,
and that is not very far from San
Francisco. It is on the Swiss ranch
on top Of the hill to the westward OF
Mill valley. It is in plain sight from
the road, and hundreds of people
passing that way wonder what 1T Is.
They may see it turning around at q
good speed, but few would think
that the motive power wa a nerated
by a dog. This motor has been IN
use, for two years, and a most cheap
and serviceable machine it has PROV
ed ta be. The cost is trifing, not the
twentieth part of what windmill
would cost, and for the purpose
nothing could be better One dog
can easily pump water for herd OF
200 cattle. And the best of it is some
dogs like the work.
Dog motors are built on the same
principle as the exercising runs that
are often attached to cages for SOUR
rels and other small animals. They
are really barrels, made so that the
dog can get in, and as soon as he
starts to run on the inside the barrel
slides from under his feet. In this
way it rotates as fast as the dog
runs.
The motive power of the machine
Is communicated to the pump by
means of a crank that connects with
a piston to rise and fall the same as
if a man were working the handle.
For over year the dog motor on
the hill back of Mill valley has been
operated by a dog named Gyp, and
she really likes the work and knows
more about pumping water than half
of the men in the state. When Gyp
was first put into the machine, she
knew just what she had to do and
started in at a great rate. She ran
so fast that she would have fallen
from exhaustion had she not been
lifted out, but as she has grown
older at the business she has learned
better. But she 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 over all the time. In a few
weeks, though, she was taught that
all she was expected to do was to
keep the tank full, 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 it lacks
of being full. She then works ac-
cordingly, and when she thinks she
has done enough runs out and takes
a look at it. IF it is full, she lies
down and rests, and if there are still
a few inches remaining she starts in
again and does not stop until the
trough is running over
All the water that Gyp pumps is
for cattle to drink. 1t flows directly
from the well into the drinking
trough, 50 that they can get it with
out trouble. Gyp knows as soon she
sees band of steers making for the
trough what they are after, and she
starts in pumping, SO as to keep
them from emptying it. Her idea
seems to be to keep the trough full.
In fact, she is unable to rest unless
she knows it is in that condition.
Gyp has to work hard to do the
work. Each stroke of the pump
brings up about a quart of water,
and she has to make about six jumps |
to do it, but when she feels like |
working nothing stops her, and the
pumps make at least ten strokes a
or perhaps 500 gallons of |
water in ten hours. San Francisco |
Call