The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-04-30
ON BOARD A HORSE SHIP.
By 0. E. HAMILTON.

BY o. E. II
! What is more novel than the "modus
operandi' of a horse ship? The S. S.
Darius has accommodations for pas
sengers, but is really cargo boat ply
ing between Australia and the Dutch
Netherlands, Singapore and Calcutta.
This trip she has, as mentioned else
where, more than four hundred I'M
broken horses, some cattle, sheep and
fowls aboard. To make the morning barn
yard more complete, an old tom cat
meanders around at milking time, and
the workmen have number of Gagged
birds, such as butcher birds, an Indian
minar, Australia rosella parrots and
some big white crested cockatoos, the
later being trained to use heated ex-
pletives for the men in case something
goes wrong.
She is a four thousand ton vessel,
single screw and slow boat, making
only eleven or twelve knots an hour in
good weather and in stormy sea COW
ering at times only two or three.
Though an old boat she is owned by
Scotchmen and will therefore be made
to plough the waves for many years to
come. We had planned to go to India
by way of the wonder land of Java,
Singapore and Rangoon rather than via
Colombo and the eastern coast of India
The writer had been to Colombo three
years before and then we anticipate
the way decided upon will be of more
interest. The former is the beaten
track of travellers, the latter at the
present time more difficult to reach in
suffering the privation of the best ship
accommodations and in extra time.
There are no boats plying this way de-
pending on passenger traffic, all are
mainly cargo vessels.
We left Sydney December 22nd and
have about three and half weeks afore
US, if nothing worse. Horses arc to
be taken in at Melbourne, two days
steam from Sydney, and at Adelaide, a
three days run from Melbourne. These
stopping periods give us brief time
with friends ashore. The bay at Ade-
laide is protected off the mainland by
Kangaroo Islands, but within few
hours sail westward the great Aus
tralian Right must be entered. 1t is
said that this huge blight the contour of
which is noted on any map, has been
formed by the huge waves in their in
hinder sweep form the southwest eating
out the Australian southern shore. The
two hundred mile bite into the land
is itself sufficient commentary, prob
ably, on the rough seas to be encount-
cred here. We crossed this blight once
when for three days the 5000 ton
"Orizaba" shipped tons of water every
minute. The hatchways were closed and
all the seasick passengers were i'm
prisoned below. 1t is rarely differ
ent, but we are now cut on one of the
rare times. How agreeably surprised
to pass the first day in this blight on a
sea as smooth and reflective as glass
The whole journey of four days across
was delightful and pleasant. A Won
derful contrast indeed to the journey
of three years before. We are begin.
ming to love the ocean for it is so human
in its way. Once calm, now desperate
AT one time waves lash and plash anC
f1irt with the sunbeams like gay dane
ing lassie; then again the terrific walls
OF water accompanied by the artillery
of heaven. come down on the lonely
. ship like Wellingtons army on the
French at the fateful Waterloo. 1t ha!
as many moods as in human life. TODAY
in this blight we never saw the ocean 81
smooth. Not even are the long tida
waves noticeable. Sleeping breathles
!: sleep.
z The days are cool, the nights colder
!. What breeze there is has passed through
5 the refrigerator of floating ice burgs,
z days journey south. At this season O
!. the year portion of the great fields O
5 ice about the pole breaks up into hug
z ice flows travelling northward and ar
s great obstruction to ships plying be
5 tween Australia and Cape Town.
!: The horses occupy much space o.
[: three decks, the lower, main and upper
z They are arranged in rows lengthwis
:. of and on both sides of the ship. TEN
8 porary wooden stanchions with iron fee
g boxes are securely arranged for ship
y ment. Securely" arranged, but for a
8 ordinary trip only. In high sea i
9 the last shipment a monstrous wav
x broke down all the stanchions of tn
s upper deck, carry the roofing all away
g and left the horses sprawling, tied t
n loose poles, all over the deck. A spac
8 is likewise occupied with cows. Tire
g calves have arrived since leaving tn
* last port which lay claim to room in TIL
gangway. The cows have room enoug
!. in which to lie down, but the hors
4 stalls are 80 narrow that the poor brute
= are compelled to stand during the Who'll
journey from twenty-one to thirty-f iv
days. Then for horse experience al
other may be added. Most of the Eng
fish speaking race remember tn
"tether-board" of childhood days. Jus
imagine board fifty or sixty feet Ion
and with a horse on each end facin
each other and lettering to an angle {
+, forty degrees. In very fact that is wha
\ the gallant four hundred have don
J several days thus far on the journe,
L The first day was off Port Phillips Heat
ID near Melbourne, in rolling sea.
r. was an odd sight to see the horse
getting their ''sea legs" While the shi
re rolls from side to side at an angle {
about forty degrees long row of horse
n reach forward stretching their head
and necks out over the troughs as thei
IS side of the ship goes down and throw
~ ing their bodies forward. A long ro'