The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-03-30
OATS RUSHED BY
SPECIAL TRAIN
QUICK WORK ON PART OF A. j
BREITENSTEIN SAVES $4,000
SHEEP BAND.
Train Is Given Right of Way and
Teams Wait for Arrival at Craig
Depot Forage Hurried to the
Sheep Pens and Valuable Flock
Saved from Starvation.

Sheep Pens and Valuable Flocl
Saved from Starvation.
Quick work on the part of A. j
Breitenstein, secretary of the Great
Falls Commercial club of Great Falls
saved $4,000 band of sheep from
death by starvation a few days ago
Word came by wire from the Hell
ena owners that band of sheep al
the home ranch of the Bear Tooth
Stock company, just outside of Craig
asked to ship 800 sacks of oats to
Craig by express. He was authorized
to expent any amount to save the
band, up to $4,000.
Oats Located.
Oats were scarce. He finally To-
Gated a carload. Men were put to
work sacking the oats. The sacking
was finished early in the morning,
the men working all night.
In the meantime it had been ascer-
tanned that special train, consisting
of an engine and box car, could be
chartered for less than the express
charges would amount to. A special
was chartered, and two hours after it
left Great Falls, pulled into the Craig
depot. Several freight trains were
sidetracked in order to give the spe-
cial quick run.
Relief Forage Arrives.
Men and teams were waiting at
the Craig depot. The relief forage
was rushed to the sheep pens, several
miles away. In the days that fol-
lowed more forage was shipped in,
and the band is probably safe.
Other shipments of oats have been
made in several instances, but this
was the most spectacular instance
and the closest call since central
Montana has been in the grip of the
storm. The pleasant weather of the
past few days is welcome relief to
stockmen, and is giving them
chance to make preparation for any
bad weather that may come during
the next few weeks.
To Rush Forage.
The three transcontinental rail-
roads operating through Montana
have been appealed to by the Mon
tana railroad commission to give live
stock feed preference movement and
also to raise embargoes on such car
loads transferred from one line to
another. Only the Northern Pacific
has been heard from yet, according
to advices from Helena, and it will
ingly agrees to do everything possible
to relieve the situation and get hay
to stock.
Situation Serious.
The commission wired: "Consider-
able stock suffering lack feed. Sug
gest preference movement cars hay
and grain for food both state and in
terstate; also the embargo on car
loads transferred from home line to
connecting line be lifted as to these
commodities. Situation very serious.
Understand considerable corn and
grain moving from east and hay from
Washington. Should be given pref
erence movement"
One answer has been received so
far, this from superintendent Rapelje
of the Northern Pacific. He said
Given Preference Movement.
instructions have been issued to
see that shipments of hay and feed,
both state and interstate, are given
preference movement. We have for
some time past allowed our cars to be
used for other lines, cases of hay and
grain for feed and superintendent
have again been instructed if they
have loading of this kind on connect
ing lines to advise transportation
promptly and arrangements will be
made for movement"
500 a Day for Feed.
It is costing Antoine Himmelbauer,
a prominent rancher of Silver vicin-
ity, 500 a day to feed 81 head of
cattle, according to Supervisor Seeley
of the Helena National forest.
He is obliged to haul hay from the
railroad to his cattle in order to tide
them over the crucial period. TO date
he has lost but a comparatively small
but the present upkeep
of his animals is 33 1-3 cents day,
per head.
Other stockmen of Lewis and
Clark county are having hard times
to keep their stock from dying, ac-
cording to reports brought to Helena
from those who are seeking to pur-
chase feed for their cattle.
S. o. S. From Sheepman.