The Sun and the New York herald., 1920-09-12

TNHEhE u fatihfaetion after all, In
having served your city faithfully
and bravely, even n you finally are
relegaied to farm work or the easy life OF
hauling a park lawn mower,
For that Ia the fate Of the majority Of
the eighteen equine beauties recently re-
tired from the Fire Department service In
order to make room for the advanced mod
els In motor propelled fire engbes, trucks
and hook and ladder apparatus,
Their going last month marks the pass
Ing Of Manhattan's fire engine horses and
the beginning Of a new era In the other
boroughs where eventually the motor ma
chine VIII respond 10 New Yorks danger
alarms.
What II Msahs to Jim cAnAvAn.
Jim Canavan In the man who picked those
specimens Of horsefeah for the Fire De-
partment. canavan Is head OF the horse
division and IN chief veterinarian. Event
uaily the big Fire Department building at
81, Edwards and Bolivar streets Brooklyn,
viii have 10 be converted into some other
useful appendage OF the CommisslonerB
varied charges. And Jim himself may have
20 learn TO tinker with automobile ap-
paratps Instead OF doctoring sick and In
Jured horses, But 40 far he has not given
worried moment 20 the contemplation OF
this change In his daily activities. There
are sun enough animals In the citys sta
bles 10 keep him busy and interested
Canavan spoke rather sadly OF the dozen
and half fine fire horses which 40 far as
In work Ia concerned. have passed com
pletely out OF his life, lie In glad that each
ana every one Of the horses has found n
comfortable stall In which 10 pass It's
last years "They were beautiful anInals."
he commented. AS fine AZ you ever see.
And as kind and true an was ever hooked
up TO wagon or tender. We used 20
taee them In here and train them. II they
showed any signs OF vciousness, then we
got rid OF them. You can't have n horse
that's vicious In the Fire Department, be-
cause In our wonk they would get worse.
The life they live makes them that way"
Formerly the department used TO auction
discarded horses. Announcement was made
OF the time OF the sale which was held In 81.
EDWARDS street, In front OF the department
building Even the best OF the lot offered
To the highest bidder rarely brought more
than $50 I'VE never knew how the horses
would be treated after We sold them" Cana
van e"iu hpeCuhuNely, sometimes the
street vendors bid them In for hltchlng 20
their pedlers' carts. We couldn't help knock
Ing them down II the pedlers bid hlsh. But
we hated 10 see the horses 20 that way,
Sometimes the buyers treated them bad.
didn't feed them enough and kept them in
unclean places. The Society for the Preven-
tion OF Cruelty to Animals investigated
their new homes and saw their new owners.
After that we decided 10 give the horses
away. The department can call them In
again at any time II the Chief isn't sats-
fled with the way the horses are being
treated"
Now the society finds out Just what sort
OF work the horses win have do on the
farms where they are TO finish theiV useful
lives.
In Pastures New.
Farming is light work for them" con-
tinued the horse division chief They'll
be kept in good condition. have comfort
able place TO live. and get good feed. The
farmers like them pretty we'll. Why, some
Of the horses take 10 the new life 80 quick
that they consider themselves part of the
family and come right UP to the house 10
nose around and ask for sugar, and the
farmers are crazy about the horses"
In the event that the farmer 20 whom
the fire horses are consigned wants TO dis
pose OF the departments old horses. the
Commissioner must be notified. The horses
cannot be sold. They can he turned back
to the Fire Department. That hasn't hap
penedy but this humane provision is made
10 that another comfortable home can be
found.
Eight horses in the Manhattan section
were included in the last list OF discards
Five were retired from The Bronx and Ave
from Richmond Borough Only one was too
old and feeble to be OF any use In any ca
pacity. He was nineteen years old and had