The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-06-09
CYE- OF ZrT ZEP0E7aS 90

ono day n stockman who had come
into South Omaha with train Of
sheep dropped In at Union Pacific
headquarters TO see General Supcrin'
tcudcnt w. J.. Park ON business. and
In the course OF his conversation be-
gan telling Of the trip down from
Idaho He had had lots OF trouSla
loading and unloading. he said. until
he reached North Platte, Neb.
But there | saw the funniest thing
In my life" he laughed. The station
agent there has a boy and that boy
has a goat--just a plain Old billy goat
And that billy goat has learned to
chew tobacco.
when we got ready to load our
sheep. that kid took n plug OF to-
bacco in his hand and started. Billy
started after the tobacco. The KID
walked through the sheep and Old
Billy followed him. And blamed If all
those sheep didn't walk right after
that old goat They thought he was
one Of them. and you know a sheep
THE boy walked up the chute into
one OF the cars Billy was right be-
hind him and sheep were simply fail
ing over themselves to get In Tho
boys and Billy remained near the door
and when the car was filled with
sheep they got out and the door was
closed.
THAT frccklc faced kid and that old
billy goat did in i've minutes what
half n dozen men could not have done
in ten"
The stuckman saw only a funny &c.
currcncc in the work of the goat but
Park saw the solution Of big prob.
lem.
Two hours later a special train car
rying the general superintendent left
the Omaha yards. It's destination be
ing North Platte. on arriving there
the boy proudly msdc Billy show Of,
Within q month every feeding sta
ton on the Union Pacific systcm wa9
equipped with couple of billy goats
ana their training was begun
Today. when a long line Of stock
cars. each filled with sheep draws up
al a feeding yard, one OF these goats
is sent mp the chutos and into the car
among the sheep. lie quickly makes
the acquaintance of the newly arrived
animals and then calmly walks out
The door True TO the idea Of follow.
ing leader the sheep fall IN Ilue and
march out behind old Bill
This action Is repeated until an tho
cars are empticd and then BIZ gets
his rcward-a chew Of tobacco
The gonts have learned to chew to.
baCco from the train men who pet and
tense them whenever the" have the
opportunity, and the chew" Is usu-
ally given them as reward when
their task Of unloading Il train Of
sheep is completed. The railroad COM
pany makes a regular allowance to
pay for tobacco for these goats
When ready to reload, the goats are
again sent among the sheep, with
whom they froic few minutes, and
then they start for the cars, followed
by the sheep. When all cars are load
ed the goats receive another chew OF
tobacco.
The feeding yards are all equipped
with electric lights so that cars may
be loaded and unloaded at night, thus
| saving much time. And when train
arrives at night, especially are the
| goats necessary. At such times they
enter the cars where the sheep are ly
| ing on the floor and butt the sleeping
animals around until they are thor
! oughly awakened--and then they lead
| them out into the feeding pens.
These goats are great favortes of
the railroad men and seem to know
every brakeman and train employee
on their division. But not single
| one of the railroaders is more neces-
sary to the economical operation OF
| the line than is one OF the Bills. and
| none OF them do more work for their
salaries than the goats for their feed
and tobacco.
The facility of the goat for this
work has long been known at the
packing houses. where they are
utilized to lead animals to slaughte.,