The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-30
FIRE HORSE DIDN'T
LIKE new HOME
Charlotte Equine Prefers
Old Quarters
Especial to News and Observer.)

Charlotte, Y. c., March 27.-The
"home-loying' bump in the brain of
the big f~ire-horse, Fred. is believed by
Chief Will Orr, Of the charlotte fire
department., to be abnornaliy devel-
oped, and on account OF Fred's an
guish of mind caused by his removal
to a new station and his break for
home Saturday night, the chief has
determined that Fred shall stay at his
old home in the future and another
horse was sent out to take his place
at the newly created fire station in
Dilworth.
Fred vas sen out to the Dilworth
station about two weeks ago, but ever
since that time he has seemed RESTLESS
and his thoughts seemed to be far
away. He lost his accustomed vi
vacity Of movement and the firemen.
who had made a pet Of the big white
horse, were at a loss to know what
his trouble was.
Saturday evening about 8 o'clock.
however, Fred showed clearly what
was causing him to pine, and his fer
vent love of home has won for him
a rather unique distinction.
The big horse was evidently wait
ing for his opportunity and it came
Saturday evening when he saw a
chance to walk out of the stable I'M
fettered. He made a leap towards the
door and was half a block away be-
fore the firemen realized what had
happened. Then itkdaWned upon the
men that Fred had started on a mad
| run back to his old stall in the up
town station on Fifth street. A tele-
phone message was sent into the lat
ter station to be on the lookout. that
the horse was coming back home. The
chief set forth Immediately in his
buggy to meet the animal, but the
horse didn't take the shortest route
| Tac n0T9 ln ~ loo 49, @s@1
around the station and came in from
the north-just the opposite direction
from that in which the new station
lay.
The chief made an investigation and
found that the horse, accustomed to
the strong pull Of the bit in his mouth
when running, had miscalculated his
momentum in turning me and
had failed to slack his speed sufi-
clnet1y to turn several narrow corners
and as a result the big animal a
been forced by his own weight to run
off down side streets that he didn't
intend to take. When the horse reach
ed Fifth street he mad an attempt to
turn, but the corner was narrow and
the horse ran several blocks before
he managed to calculate his speed suf-
fciently to turn.
Again, running parallel with Fifth
street along Ninth the animal seemed
to experience the same difficulty, only
turning towards Fifth after he had
run several blocks farther than neces-
/ Sary.
About thirty minutes after leaving
the DilWOrth station the big horse
Numbered into the Fifth street station
and went Immediately to his stall
which he had left two weeks beroe.
Another animal occupied his stall, and
Fred seemed n~on-plussed until a fire
man came up and patted him or the
neck. Then he became more at ease
and neighed with pleasure as he look
ed around the familiar interior of the
station.
Chief Orr and some Of his men held
a conference and decided that IT would
be useless TO try to keep Fred at the
new station, so his Ole stall was va
Gated in his favor and he stepped
proudly in and lying down was soon
asleep. Another horse has been sent
out to AXE Fred's place at the Dill
worth station.
It is needless to add hat the fire.
horse has recovered mis- spirits and is
highly pleased with his reinstallation
at the Fifth street station, where he
has spent some three or four years
of his life. and has row himself
one Of the most valuable horses in
the department.
The efforts of the heavy animal to
turn into the right street in his mad
rush away from the hated new quar-
te RS to his old home were almost pa
thetic, and the animal a more than
a mile out of his way in his efforts to
reach his orne quarters.
"
A ModerniZation.