Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1903-06-05
RACE HORSES AT SEA
Precautions Are Taken In Shipping
Thoroughbreds Across Ocean.
stalls Pndded and Floors Covered
with Peat Moss Clean dill of
Health Nsesssnry for
Each Homo.

Few persons have an idea Of the de-
tails attendant upon the shipping of
a thoroughbred from this country 10
England on one of the Atlantic Trans
port line steamers which handle most
OF this line OF business. \ thorough
bred is not handled like n dray horse.
The race Is as much entitled to com
fort and conside ration as n irst-class
cabin passenger. His owner is so
lici;ous as To his welfare and is will
ing to pay well for it. The slightest
jolt due to the rolling of the ship in "a
heavy sea might disable n thorough
bred so that his trip TO the other side
would all be in vain. therefore the
greatest care must be taken that the
quarters on board ship are provided
with precautions against such acct
dents, says the New York Sum-
The railroads have gradually met
the demand for the traffic in race
horses and now run whole trains of
specially constructed horse cars for
the accommodation Of thoroughhrsts.
According 10 the laws Of the United
states n horse brought over Il railroad
10 4 seaport town preparatory to an
ocean voyage must ave Is hours OF
rest in q stable after leaving the ears
before he IS led up 10 the gang plank
to his stall or shipboard. The New
York Central road has \ specially con-
s;ructed stable for this purpose at
Thirty-siXth street and the North
river, and other trunk lines are max
ing preparations to provide similar
quarters. These stables and the quar-
tiers for the horses aboard ship are I'M
der the direct jurisdi .,ion OF the Init
ed States bureau Of anima! industry,
Of which the chief executive for the
port OF New York is DR.. William II.
Rose.
The inspectors employed by this bu-
Tcau have many duties 20 perform.
among them close scrutiny Of each
ship before horses aTe-allowed Ia 20
aboard. According to the require
menrs OF the law. each stall must be
eight feet in length and TWO feet six
inches in width. Ih,s" are the accom-
moGations for ordinary horses. but
the box stalls for rturuughbr,ds are
generally ten by righ' feet. with the
walls and root IhickIN padded. The
floor Of one Of these stalls is covered
with six inches Of peat moss, over
which at night a heavy mattress of
straw j. thrown 30 that The raCchorse
cnu enjoy "A comfortable sleep. But
tive same mattress j. not used two
nights in succession. for The law says
that the rurehors- must have a clean
bed every night.
The inspectors disinfcct every
thing h"fDrr 2 ship sails. including
stnllS. blankets, feed troughs. water
rail~. pitchi"rke and c~urrycombs. \
hor." cannot ." aboard until he has
received a clean bill OF health from
Il veterinary surgeon who represents
the bureau. Will the attendants
VIII" suil WIKI III" animals must make
ho~rs"incu. Uncle Sam also sees to
II that ia" horses. whether they are
poor beasts Of burden or rich racers,
receive proper rations. They get all
tn" hay they want. the thorough
brcdS receiving extras in the shape
Of bran mash mixed with oats, flax
seed meal and oatmeal, with corn in
cold weather.
Som" Of the box stalls are built on
the main deck with powerful fans to
pr"duc" y"ntilrti"u. The old plan ~
"sliugimg' a horse aboard a steamer
has been done away with. big gang
plank~ having been substituted. \
thousand horses can now walk
aboard in the same time it used to
take To get an animal onto the deck
by mean # Il sling. When one of
the Atlantic Transport liners lands
"a load Of horses ON the other side
they ar" put into the Cumpany's
stables On the dock and cannot leave
until nurc yctcrinaries have gotten
in their work. Horses shipped To
this country must pass through
what j. known as horse quarantine"
under the wutchful ~" Of a yctcr.
inair attached to the department Of
agriculture. So much care is rNcr.
cis"d that il i estimated that not
mor" than one horse in u hundred
dies from the effects Of an occnu
voyage. The attendants on these
"hors" ships" say that they have
never seen a thoroughbred suffer
from scHsickncSs.