Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-07
"CATTLING IT OVER"
crossing the Ocean With a Shipload Of
Steers.

IGN travel. studied il out. In the
,sor,estown. where, in n partitioned
sarner of a dark shed on Il long dock.
80 met the fat shipping master. the
';y.looking jester who owned up to the
aannosition OF that captivating "ad."
&c writer in the Boston Trans
cript.
We signed for the trip To Liverpool
What our wage was to be we did not
,,,uire. though the atmosphere OF the
n,see suggested the thought that il
mid not be too burdensOme wien We
| got it.
Ar four O'Clock we went aboard. We
.,,ud out that we were to sleep in IRON
h,nks of the steer2se pattern. set
elaar aft in the gloomy recesses just
o.ar the uropelers. We dropped our
luggage into our choice of berths.
which is Storage and cattlemcn's
custom of selection. At six o'clock our
steamer. with two low boats TO port.
wss worked clear of the Slip. We
,odeed 10 one side. big coal barge
marked Pocahontas and. IL the other.
we,l-traveled municipal bridge. The
nier We left behind ms was not crowded
N SOC us off though some 'longsho ore
mon in blue ovPrallS did wave US adieu
with cotton hooks. But a throng of
workers hurrying home wards over the
bridge stopped long enough to see II
We would not possibly damage the .oal
barge as we crowded by. They wc~c
disappointed.
Ia,
bor and we We're SIN looking back
ward 10 reminiscent wharves. spires
and gilt dome in the twilight. when
the word was passed for Cattlemen to
muster forward. We gathered in the
shadow of the portentious bridge. from
where an under officer looked down
upon Us curiOusly, as if he had never
seen our like before. There we we're
formed into TWO legions by the sudden
orders: Morris men this way" and
Swift gang here" 1t was most simple.
We were MOrris-siXteen of us to wind
ward There We're also sixteen Swifts.
we noted 10 leeward. In the event Of a
"mix-up" it would be : pleasure to
know that the forces were equal.
our foreman checked us off by name,
HUOhtu US bNtl Nllllbul lei OE anu
then split rs into groups of four as we
stood As the down-sweep of his arm
formed US so We We're to he yoked for
the trip, in group one. two. three or
four as it might be. our first business
was to see that the cattle We're proper
ly stalled. In the confusion of getting
them aboard ship this was hurrially
done, and 50 now they must be all ar
ranged safely. not more than four in
stall, with all heads toward the alley
ways and headropes securely knotted.
The Morris firm had the after hold.
with four hundred or 50 head of cattle
therein. Each little gang had about
hundred head to look after. Most of
these brutes having suffered a long
harassing journey in the cars, We're
not yet pacifed, and to go in among
them called for nerve. Ours was 4
quiet lot and so we escaped the posi-
bic contempt of the chief of our four.
an old hand. who shed Scorn with but
little effort
We filed to our quarters that night
without supper. ct is not customary,
1t seems, to issue a ration when the
steamer leaves so late in the afte"Tiaon
as mad this one) Down among the
bunks, which We're on the same leck
with the cattle, we sized up our COM
pany. Som" were not yet sober and
the manners of others We're somewhat
constrained. One rough looking cas-
toner cast a satrical leer at our suit
cases which, it may as well be said
now, are not de riguer in cattle cir.
clAs
Aw s'y,' he inquired, yer didn't
pflng along your musical Instruments,
tGG- did yer-an' yer fishin' tackle?'
Do We look like that kind of peO-
pie, We rejoined. among this push?'
"Aw dino. They comes mostly with
them make of valiSeS An we've seen
en- before: Guitars an banjos. an one
hioomin' mess of EN- had hooks an
lines too"
We could understand the banjoS and
guitars, bit we doubted the fishing
tackle. What was their notion for
fshing?"
AW dino. Mebbe they'd been read
IN one Of Charlie Ballem's notices,
sames what caught you lads in this
mornings piper. aw imagine. Mebbe
thfy thought the captain'd stop the
snip of the Grand Banks. an allow
efn to htave over their trout lines an
hooks"
How did the musical crowd make
OUT"
Anthem. Awe crossed with
lots Of en-. Gets seasick most of EN-.
ana don't know a cattle boat from Il
AefSey ferry sometimes. College reo-