A HUMANE CATTLE TRUCK.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3372, 24 January 1884, Page 2

A HUMANE CATTLE TRUCK.

In obedience to an order of the Legislative Council of South Australia, Mr H. 0, Mais, the engineer-in-chief of that Colony, has furnished a description of the best cattle truck which he saw during his recent travels through Europe and America. He has selected as an example Burton’s patent stock car, which is made and used in America. The following are the points which are to be specially noted in the Burton car : —l. The cattle are fed and watered. 2. The facilities for keeping the car and cattle clean. 3. The cost of construction, with improved running trucks, does not exceed in America £50 —the cost of the ordinary stock car of the same size. 4. There are 36ft of space without obstruction, and the oar can be used as an ordinary box car. 5. Each animal can lie down and get up when it pleases, being independent of one another, and having 2ft lOin in width by Bft 7in in length space for this purpose. 6. The “ suspension car truck” springs and air brake enable the car to be run at passenger speed, and reduce the time of transit. 7. The cattle standing lengthwise instead of fore-and-aft can be carried with greater comfort to them- \ selves and are better able to resist the sudden jerks and motions of the train. 8. It is unnecessary to enter the car to unload, feed, or water the cattle, and one man can attend to 20 cars easily. The water is obtained from the ordinary water-tanks at the stations, and the feed is carried under each car. At a trip made in May, 1883, the car was loaded at the Union Yards, Chicago, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, ;with eighteen head of cattle, having a nett weight of 24,200 pounds (or an average of 1,344£ pounds), in 13 minutes. The car was run over the Grand Trunk line, and not unloaded until arrival at Watertown, near Boston, on the Monday afternoon following, a distance of about I, miles. The animals frequently laid down during the trip, and the unloading occupied less than five minutes. The cattle were then weighed, and the eighteen head were found to weigh 23,8501bs (or an average of 1,3251 b), giving an average shrinkage, after a six days trip, of only 1.3 per cent; the estimated shrinkage between Chicago and Boston being from 10 to 15 per cent, the average being about 8 per cent; and, in the United States where the number of cattle carried to the principal stock markets amounted to 3,016,968, the loss by shrinkage alone for one year amounted to £1,600,000 sterling. It may be briefly stated that the car is divided into three compartments, and in each there is room for six head of cattle without crowding, the animals standing lengthwise in the car. Each compartment is divided into two stalls, each stall having ample room for three head of cattle, and in front of each beast are the feed and water| troughs. In the top

of the car there is a pipe running along the car, and to this pipe there are down pipes attached leading into each tank in every stall. The main pipe has connection for coupling one car to another, so that all the cars can be supplied from one source if necessary. The cars aro run on what are known in America as “ suspension car trucks,” with double eliptic springs fitted to run at passenger speed ; the cars are fitted with Westinghouse automatic air brakes. The length of the car is 52ft, its width 9ft, its height about 9ft, outside measurements respectively. Such cars as the one described would be a great boon to the owners of pedigree stock and valuable horses if placed on Australian lines. The En-gineer-in-chief of South Australia, however, does not express an opinion regarding the adaptability of the trucks for the conveyance of ordinary bush cattle. Before Burton’s patent car can be brought into general use in Australia, stock will have to be trained to feed in stalls, and this training should not be difficult to accomplish.