Evening star., 1900-10-18
LOADING HORSES.
Two Minute Put Aboard Ship for
Service in China.


Two Minute Put Aboard Ship for
Service in China.
From the San Francisco Chronicle
In the past two days the mammoth steam
ship Samoa received into her holds and had
closely stalled all along three tiers of decks
total of S6S cavalry animals reared in
California and destined for the kaiser's
troopers in the campaign against the
Boxers. These are some Of the horses that
but a month ago were running wild
upon the ranges and then were driven to
Baden and subjected to the halter, to the
saddle, to the burden Of mans weight and
to the responsibilities and activities of the
life OF a rough rider. That such creatures
can SO soon be brought from the bucking
corral and thrust into the depths of a
ship for a 7,OOO-mie Journey across the
Pacific Is but another evidence Of the skill
or the western broncho breaker and Of the
ingenuity of the Californians who are sup
plying this rush order.
Never have even the most docile of horses
been so rapidly received into an ocean
transport. These were tailed, hurried
aboard, and assigned to compartments at
the surprising ra.e of two a minute. To
do this the shippers abandoned the GUS
tomary portable boxes in which horses
are holsted high in the air and then lowered
into the vessel one at a time. Instead they
constructed steep incline plane with pro-
tect1ng side fences and cleated floor SINH
:
Experienced freighters came down to the
Howard street pier. where the Samoa lay
looked at the new and steep chute extend
ing to the ships top deck, and shook their
heads, while wharf idlers. who know how
all things should be done, yet do nothing
themselves. murmured disapprovingly.
Nevertheless. on Thursday the horses in
halter-led punches of four and five, with
vaquero. began Gathering upon the wooden
pier at the end Of their twelve-mile run
from the breaking grounds at Baden. The
police kept the crowd back on the wharves,
and the horses rapidly accumulated in
groups with q mounted breaker in the CEN
ter Of each.
Every animal bore deep burned into the
left side of his neck his recently acquired
numerical title. the Samoa's CONSIGNMENT
being those branded from one to 800. Some
of the heavier horses, destined for service
with light artillery, had an before the
numerals. while the cavalry animals were
all distinguished by a prefxed r.
Apparently gentle enough were the pa
ttent-Waitinf platoons upon the pier. Group
after group was dissolved and animal after
animal led forward, his number recorded
in a book by one of the mustached German
officials standing fussily by and talking
what none of the vaQueros could under
stand. The prelude was tame. But in the
next few moments the innate fury Of the
wild beast reaSSerted itself, first at the en-
trance to the uptited chute and again on
shlpboard at the beginning Of the descending
tnclines leading with tortuous turns to the
double rows of close fitting stalls on the
main deck on the spar deck, and lower
yet. even to the level. The inside Of
the Samoa was almost packed with horses,
each with q little tin feed box fastened to
the beam before it; each with steady
draught OF fresh air coming from a small
hole In q large ventilator pipe extending
all around behind the stalls Deep down in
the lower regions, below the swish OF the
water line. was slowed the 1.2OO tons of
hay that shall sustain these horses on the
four weeks trip to Taku. Way aft were the
hunks Of the eighty-three white men who
will feed and groom and exercise the
horses. The inclined chutes were the tests
of the latent rebel nature. That three men
were badly kicked and miraculously escaped
death indicates the violence and the frenzy
with which some OF the hundreds OF ami
mails fought against traversing the strange.
steep alieyways. One man would enter the
chute leading the horse, and. II the animal
merely hesitated. two mounted vaQueros
would ride to the prospective passenger
and fairly bump him into the chute with
their horses stout shoulders Often this
did not avail. The horse would rear. and
plunge and drag back. and pull away. and
throw himself. Again and again these tao
tics would be repeated. and inevitably the
rebel would be taken up that chute.
On the deck the fight was worse Led to
the mouth of the descending chute each
horse had heavy rope passed around him
like breeching. one end fastened to a side
post Of the passageway ard the other
pulled tightly forward by four stevedores.
After violent kicking. rearing and repeated
falling and urging. the worst of the bel
ligerent ones would suddenly respond to
the rear force disappear down the incline
plane into the labyrinths of the ship. and
thence go meekly along the narrow stand
ing room permitted an equine traveller.
These S68 animals which were taken
aboard the Samoa comprise the largest load
Of horses ever taken from this port; but
greater ones are soon to follow. for there
ara 500 horses and 800 mules waiting
at Baden. and other hundreds OF horses
are coming In from the ranges The Samoa
ran for SIX months on the Atlantic and
then took q great load Of rails from
Baltimore to Vladivostok for the Trans
Siberian railway before coming down to
San Francisco to get these horses. Her
crew of seventy-eight men 10 made up OF
Lascarz. who are employed on a basis Of
two for one white mans Job. and they are
paid less than half what . white man would
receive. Tho best Of them get SO q month
and the poorest $. but every one OF them
has a wife In far-on India who shares this
beunty.