The Greeley tribune., 1906-07-05
BULL POWER
REMARKABLE D1TcHING OUT
FIT IN THIS COUNTY
Picturesque Language Of "Bull
Whackers" the Real Motive
Power Before the Plow
What They do

y. .
Over ina swamp, o mile or two
east of Evans, for the past week
there has been expended more pic-
turesque profanity and other vocal
demonstration than has ever before
been heard in Weld county In the
same length of time. But to one
who has heard and seen this perfor-
nance and its cause, and judging by
results, the effort not alone seems
justifiable, but quite necessary.
Twenty -four large fat bull teams
have been tugging away and strafn-
ing madly a. huge wire cable. at
the end of which is attached giant
plow that screams and groans as 1t
digs its way slowly through the wet
and sticky clay soil. The whole is
called a ditching outfit, and while it
may bessfairly familiar in some OF
the middle western states, 1t is cer-
tainly a new one on the Weld county
farmer.
The huge plow digs ditch six
feet wide at the top, two and half
feet wide at the bottom, and three
feet deep, and deposits the displaced
earth a fair distance from both
banks OF the new ditch. 1t moves
forward at the rate Of from Is to 100
rods day. and through marshy soil
that would be hard to dig By any
other method, As & assss
| In this case the work Is being done
to catch seepage water running
through long slough, that starts
at point near the East Evans
bridge over the Platte river, and
running In northeasterly direction
for several miles. There are no
engineering difficulties to overcome.
The ditch line corresponds exactly
to the dividing line between high
land and low land, and in this case
it seems is about as distinct as a set
of engineers stakes.
There is never any doubt about
the water running in the ditch when
completed. The water is always
right behind the plow, and ready to
Jump forward at the start of the
machine. This plow is no play
thing, as already stated. 1t is built
of heavy timber and steel, and kept
In position by huge wooden wheels.
About an eighth OF mile from
the plow another apparatus almost
as wonderful as the plow itself Is to
be seen. This is called u crab or
dead man," the latter because it
sticks like death, to the earth. To
the dead man is fastened the big
cable mentioned. Then the cable
is passed through an enormous pully.
fastened to the plow. To the loose
end of the cable the twenty.four OK
teams are hitched, and then things
are ready for the chorus Of Missouri
ians to begin their music; and gee
whiz. If you never heard anything
like it before you will want to stam-
pede the first thing. Such shouting,
cussing, cracking whips and other
unearthly noises that nobody but
professional ''bull whacker" would
ever think Of are to be heard. 1t is
the motive power behind the whole.
What the steam is to the engine,
the bullwhackers' language is to the
bull team. Without this the team
would be as dead as an.'engine with
a busted cylinder head. There
would simply be nothing doing in
the plowing line.
When the six teamsters, which,
for politeness' sake we will call
them, do finally get the long string
of cattle to pulling together, the
cable tightens; the dead man, with
arm and legs as stiff as fence posts
grips the grass, with fingers and
toes, and finally arms and legs dig
into the ground, three or four feet,
and stops. Then, slowly the plow
moves forward, throwing up world
of earth and water on both sides.
When the cable is wound up COM
pletely, half of the teams are sent
over to yank the dead man out of the
earth and haul him ahead again
few hundred yards, where again he
is set up ON his long stiff legs, and
the old operation is repeated, with
the same motive power and the same
result.
The whole kit and outfit belongs