The age-herald., 1898-01-30
From the Chicago Chronicle.

QuleS taxes a Sneep Dy Cne nlIlu ltS, uosSSS the struggling animal into position and reaches for the steam power clippers, which hang near at hand 1t takes just two min- utes for that sheep to emerge from his professional care clean and white and minus about six pounds of first quality wool. That is the way they shear sheep nowadays i'm the big plant of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad near here. Last week the steam power plant was started and twenty have been steadily bending over the lambs and sheep ever since, sending the buzzzng clippins scur- rying through the matted wool and making 1,500 sheep every day look as if they had been shaved by a barber. Until last week this work was done by hand, and the proc ess, while exceptionally rapid, did not yield such results in many ways as does the steam shearng. Dick Marquies comes from Missouri where he proved himself to be a "naItural born' shearer, and he can get more wool off a sheep in less time than amy man in the plant. His record is 2io sreep in a day of tan hours, which is pretty fair for a young fellow.
 Burns at Montgomery
 few miles outside this city at place called Montgomery are the sheep barns and the shearing shed of the Burlington
 
 and consists of three immense bars, each 450 feet long, the shearng shed, power house, offices and residence of John Brick son, the superintendent. Five years ago the Burlington Railroad company realized the immense advantage to the farmers which would be derived from centrally located plant, where thousands of shesp could be sent from the far western coun- try, fattened dipped, sheared and cared for in professional way close to the great market, Chicago. It was designed to locate a sort of clearinghouse. where the ani- mals could be handled according to the wishes of their owners, where the wool could be held for shipment, the sheep sent to Chicago to be slaughtered or kept for another wool crop to grow or otherwise handled, as the owner might direct. Mont gomery was selected as an ideal site, ana the Burlington officials soon recognized that they had made wise decision Sheep were sent in from Montana Wyom- ing, Texas, Colorado and other points in the western country, and force of shear CTS was kept busy most of the time clip ping the wool by hand. The immense pens and feeding-houses are capable of accom- modating 50 GOO sheep, and 1t did not take long for them to be taxed to the limit Of their capacity when the farmers learned that their stock could be so well cared for by experts and at a small commission
 New Process Hero
 Although steam shearing plants have been been in operation in Australia for many years this country has been strangely backward about adopting the system, ana sheep raisers have largely clung to the old hand-shearing, although power plants are in operation at Casper, Wyo., and In certain parts of Montana. But so great did the business become at the Burlngtons plant that it was decided to equip power shearing shed, and an Australian expert, Holiday was sent for to place the ma chimes A new shed about 150 feet long was built and equipped with pens and runa- ways for the stock and twenty clipping machines were installed. boiler and en- zine house was built adjoining and the plant complete.
 The system is simple. The clippers work on the familiar principle of the hand clip pers used on small boys heads in barber shops. comb with very sharp triangular teeth and a moving set of teeth Eassfng back and forth under It. Shafting was put in and each clipper is attached to a f1exi- be standard which allows the cutter to be moved in any direction by the opera tor. Behind each operator is small pen into which about dozen sheep at time are driven from the runway. The men wear overalls and caps and work very steadily. When the operator Is ready to begin he opens the door of the pen, which causes great scurrying among the heav- fly fieeced lambs and sheep. Selecting a animal at random, the man seizes 1t by one of Its hind legs and with quick jerk throws it to the floor. Then it is dragged out of the pen and the door is closed With a delft move the sheep is made to sit upon its haunches though sitting in chair, and when its head and forequarters are pressed between the knees of the opera tor 1t is helpless. After a few intellectual struggles the animal becomes resigned to the situation. and with the left arm of the operator encirclng its neck and his hand clutching its horn or face it has no chance to escape.
 How the Work Is Done -s
 The clipper swings on its flexible support close to the operator and when he has the sheep in the correct position he reaches for the machine and passes it through the wool on the breast between the fore,egs A broad streak ot white shows as the clip- per rapidly mows swath through the fleece and the wool falls off great curl to the floor. All over the belly of the sur prised sheep the buzzing litt.e machine is passed revealing the pink flush of the skin under the wool. The sheep's position is shifted slightly and the machine with a few sweeps wl1iks the wool from it's Legs and then the heavy fleece on its back goes to swell the pile on the floor. When every part of the body has belen touched by the buzzer the door of the pen Is pushed open by the operator and the sheep, white and dazzled, is released and pushed back into the pen, while another is dragged out to be clipped.
 Two minutes is record time for the com pletion of this process, although, of course, all of the operators are not so expert as to make this mark, Some work slowly and carefully, removing every weStge of wool in a neat, symmetrical way and leaving the amb as clean as freshly shaved cheek. If an operator shears 100 sheep a day he is making good average and some fall be- low this number. When the shep is re- turned to the pen the operator gathers the wool in Etttle pile and binds it up with a cord-hanging beside him. Down the cen- ter of the narrow shed between the two rows of machines runs little track on which a big car Is pushed by a stout young man, and into this tine wool is tossed, and thus transported to the end of the room, where it is sacked. The sacks are about 12 feet long and are rigged up in a high framework. The packages of wool are tossed into the sack and tramps down tine wool into compact mass. More is thrown in and tramped upon untiu the sack Is packed full. when 1t Is tied and piled in