Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 158, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1910 — GOATS ASSIST RAILROAD [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GOATS ASSIST RAILROAD

THE Union Pacific railroad has discovered a new use for billy goats and every day at half a hundred stock feeding stations on the line of the big railroad system, solemn goats with long white beards act the part of Judas, luring unsuspecting sheep to their doom. Little did the grave members of the Interstate Commerce commission think when they made a ruling that live stock en route from the great western ranges to the packing houses along the Missouri river, should not be kept aboard railroad trains for more than 28 consecutive hours, but that, at the expiration of that period, the animals should he taken from the cars and given water and provender that the ruling would be responsible for the creation of a band of goats trained to Ingratiate themselves Into the confidence of Innocent little lambs, matronly ewes and stately rams and bring these down to their death. But such Is the case. And the Union Pacific railroad has a flock of goats, each Individual member of which can do better work along the lines for which it is trained than half a dozen men could do in twice the time.

When the 28-hour law went into effect the Union Pacific railroad found It necessary to build big feeding yards at numerous points along its line—ln fact, these yards were installed about every 25 miles from end to end of the big system. During the shipping season that railroad brings hundreds of thousands of sheep from the great ranges of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, California and the southwestern states to the packing houses at Omaha. Under the new law It was necessary that these sheep be unloaded, fed and watered, and then reloaded every 28 hours. Those men who have ever attempted to drive sheep will remember how difficult the task is, especially to get the animals headed in the right direction. “As timid as a sheep” is a proverb, and Its truth Is proven every day and every hour wherever sheep are handled.'

If the sheep are in the stock cars It is a big job to get them out. Efforts of the attendants to get them to leave the cars usually result In the whole bunch crowding up In one end and refusing to go out the door. Sometimes It was even necessary that each individual sheep be actually lifted up and taken from the car.

And sometimes this 28-hour limit expired in the dead of night, when the sheep were all lying asleep on the floor of the car. At such times It was almost impossible to unload except by the “hand” method. At times half an hour was consumed In unloading a single car. After the sheep were fed and watered came the reloading, and again there was trouble, almost as much as when unloading. The railroad found It necessary to maintain a large force of men at each feeding station, it "being found more economic to do this than to spend hours and hours loading and unloading a train. This cost money, and lots of itj, but there seemed no means of avoiding the expense. There stood the United St&tes courts ready to inflict a SIOO fine every time a car of sheep was not fed and watered every 28 hours. Employing the men was cheaper than fines;

One day a stockman who had come into South Omgha with a train of sheep dropped in at Union Pacific headquarters to see General Superintendent W. L. Park on business, and in the course of his conversation began telling of the trip down from Idaho. He had had lots of trouble loading and unloading, he said, until he reached North Platte, Neb. “But there I 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 a plug of tobacco 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 will follow where another one leads. “The boy walked up the chute into one of the cars. Billy was right hehind him and sheep were simply fait 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 freckle-faced kid and that old billy goat did in five minutes what half a dozen men could not have done In ten.” . The stockman saw only a fanny oocurrence In the work of the goat, but Park saw the solution of a big problem. Two hours later a special train carrying the general superintendent left the Omaha yards, its destination being' North Plattte. 6n arriving there the boy proudly made Billy show off. Within a month every feeding station on the Union Pacific system was equipped with a couple of billy goats and their training was begun. Today, when a long line of stock cars, each filled with sheep, draws up at a feeding yard, one of these goats Is sent up the ohutes and into the car among the sheep. He quickly makes the acquaintance of the newly arrived animals and then calmly walks out the door. True to the idea of following a leader, the sheep fall in line and march out behind old Bill;

This action is repeated until all the cars are emptied—and then Bill gets his reward —a chew of tobacco. The goats have learned to chew tobacco from the train men who pet and tease them whenever they have the opportunity, and the "chew” Is usually given them as a reward when their task of unloading a train o| sheep is completed. The railroad company makes a regular allowance to pay for tobacco fbr goats. When ready to reload, the goats are again sent among the sheep, with whom they frolic a few minutes, and then they start for the cars, followed by the sheep. When all cars are loaded 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 a train arrives at night, especially are the goats nepessary. At such times they enter the cars where the sheep are lying on the floor and butt the sleeping animals around until they are thoroughly awakened—and then they lead them out Into the feeding pens. These goats are great favorites of the railroad men and seem to know every brakeman and train employee on their division. But not a single one of the railroaders Is more,necessary 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 thla work has long been known at the packing houses, where they are utilized to lead animals to slaughter.

ONE OF THE LEADERS

A BLINCH OF KIDS