Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-02-06
CREScEUS.
How the Splendid Creature is Cares
For

How the Spieadid Creature is Cares
For.
If there is anything Cresceus wants
he has only to ask for it. The most
particular care is taken that the horse
does not take cold or any other all
ment, says the Baltimore American.
On the floor of the stall straw is
spread, and a bale of hay is always
there for him to eat when he pleases.
The hay which he eats is brought from
California, and is very expensive. It
costs $40 ton. Besides the hay,
Cresceus eats from ten to twelve
quarts of grain a day. There is also
given him some green grass. On the
day before he races he is not given
the grass. He drinks very little
water.
While on the road Cresceus travels
in cars made especially for his use.
These cars are fitted with every facil-
ity for TIE safety and comfort of the
passenger. The car is generally
known as palace horse car and is
| TO the usual freight car what the par
Tor car is to the ordinary coach It
resembles freight car only in general
shape and outside finish, but here the
resemblance stops, for In almost every
other respect it is the equal of the
ordinary passenger car. 1t has the
trucks and wheels of a passenger
coach, with the same easy springs. and
the latest brake and heating arrange
ments, so that the equine occupants
are not subjected to inconvenience
of an ordinary stock car, with their
stiff springs and continual humping.
AS these palace horse cars are quite
frequently attached to passenger
trains it was decided to equip them
with the latest style couplings in use
In all frst-class passenger trains. Thus
equipped they are transported all
over the country.
The car mas large door on either
side, similar to freight cars, and Is
high enough to permit the largest
horses passing through with ease. The
most striking feature of the interior
is the extreme neatness and good
order displayed on all sides. By an
ingenious arrangement of portable
stalls the car can be made to accom-
modate from four to sixteen horses.
1t is very seldom that a car is taxed
to its utmost, and the most common
plan is to so arrange the portable
stalls as to form four box stalls This
allows much more freedom of action
by the attendants who accompany the
horses On their journey
The car is well ventilated by means
Of an opening the full length of the
car well up under the caves of the
roof, which also furnishes a certain
amount of light to the interior. The
slatlike sections of these ventilators
are adjustable, and can be opened and
closed at will. Up under the roofs are
racks for holding the bags of corn,
meal, ETC., in addition to which there
are number Of small bins at one end
of the car, where the feed for the day
is kept Where the trips are short
there is no need of elaborate provi-
sion being made to feed the horses, as
they are unloaded from the car every
night and carefully stabbed. Every
palace horse car carries it's own water
tank, which has a capacity of probably
one hundred gallons, and pipes from
this tank lead to all parts Of the car
and supply a liberal amount of water,
both for drinking and cleaning pur-
poses. A certain amount of space is
reserve at one end of the car for the
accommodation of the groom in charge
of the horses, In the SDacR allotted
to him he neatly arranges the para
phernalia which is the indispensable
part of the racing business, and the
hundred and one articles are systemat-
ically arranged so as to be really for
use at a moments notice