KinSource - Tale of the Week - Fire Department Boasts Equine High Brow Who Counts Rings Of Alarm Gong

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The Minneapolis Journal, May 19, 1911, p. 14

Fire Department Boasts Equine High Brow Who Counts Rings of Alarm Gong.

"Silver" Is a Horse of Unusual Mental and Physical Makeup.

The real equine high-brow of Minneapolis belongs to the fire department. Intellectually "Silver," a 10-year-old silver roan, has it on any horse in the city. He has forgotten more than most horses ever know.

Naturally, also, being in the fire department, "Silver" has a pretty pair of heels, which he delights to show to rivals of the genus equus. "Silver" has cogitated on fire department problems and run on fire department runs for lo, these eight years; and the result is a horse of unusual mental talents and physical makeup and powers of breaking the speed limits.

"Silver," although he wears no medals for world's records like Pietertje Maid Ormsby, the prize Minneapolis Holstein cow of family and parts, and although his name is modest and retiring compared with distinguished bovines, felines and canines, has an enviable record. After a short, but progressive colthood, "Silver" did not start his career at the bottom or head of the ladder, but at the age of 2 years became a leader on a steamer, or fire engine team at No. 1 station. His sagacity and speed soon won him promotion to highest honors on the chief's buggy. After former Chief James Canterbury took to using an automobile, "Silver" took a tonneau seat, so to speak, compared with the machine, but still was the peer of any department horse, being held as the reserve horse for the chief. He now whisks the buggy of Fire Marshal Arthur Price around the city on routine rounds and answers all 2-11 alarms. Nor does he whisk automatically, but as one having gray matter under his ears.

Under the tutelage of Marshal Price, "Silver" has made great strides, mentally as well as physically. Once the chief contents of his cerebral cavity were the knowledge of making curves as a leader of a four horse team, and a few animal intuitions such as an idea of who were his friends and when it was meal time. Now, according to Marshall Price, the horse knows so much that Price wouldn't be surprised to hear "Silver" talk, instead of using sign language with his ears and hoofs.

Can Distiguish Alarms.

Among other things "Silver" knows what a good many humans don't know, and that is the difference between a "box" and a 1-11 fire alarm. He knows the footsteps of Marshall Price, and says "how-de-do" by pawing and extending his hoof when his master appears. If he is ignored he neighs, and if still ignored, he sulks. He knows how to untie knots which have the ordinary horse hitched to a standstill. He knows what's what in the eating line, although, of course, his likes are strictly vegetarian. He can tell when two-legged friends have a lump of sugar in their pockets and when they are merely pretending.

"Silver" can't stand on his hind legs like the circus horses, but he can stand still on his four legs at times when the ordinary fire horses would fidget around and make themselves general nuisances if they has his specialized duties to perform. This is because he uses his brain, while most horses merely use their muscles with as little mental effort as possible.

For instance, Marshal Price has to go only to fires calling for a 1-11 alarm or better. If an ordinary box alarm is rung in engine house No. 1, where he is stationed, "Silver" looks interested, but doesn't fidget. He gets excited only when the single ring, the pause and eleven rings following announce a 1-11. The average fire horse becomes nervous the moment he hears the gong.

In proof that the horse counts the rings discriminately, Marshall Price cites the fact that an ordinary box alarm, say 912, where the total number of taps would be twelve, or the same as the 1-11 preliminary, does not fool "Silver." This shows that the horse notices the pause following the first tap and the eleven rings thereafter.

This knowledge sometimes stands the marshal in good stead when he is driving about on his daily round of inspection. The acuteness of sight and hearing of horses is proverbial, and "Silver" has proverbial as well as unusual traits. On several occasions when Marshal Price has been approaching an engine house a 1-11 or 2-11 alarm has started to ring. At these times the horse has recognized the ring before it was audible to the marshal, and has started on a run to reach the house in time to lead the apparatus to the fire.

Is an Epicure.

"Silver" is something of an epicure, which augurs more than ordinary horse sense. Bananas, apples, pears, vegetables of practically all kinds, except potatoes and onions, are his delight. He knows enough to eat peaches without swallowing the stones, but this is a bit more trouble than he cares to take about his eating. On one occasion when there was a fire in a grocery, the fact that he was left to stand near some strawberries reduced the salvage about half a crate. In the process he displayed his equine taste by consuming two of the boxes, as well as the berries. His ordinary diet, however, is oats, and he insists on his three square meals a day.

When "Silver" is at a fire it is not necessary to tie him. He seems to know he's on emergency duty. But when he is on his routine rounds Marshal Price has found it advisable to be careful about the hitching. This lesson was learned when the horse untied slip knots with his teeth several times when the meal hour was nigh, and without further ado made tracks for his engine house. The marshal then found the only effective system was to throw a weight around a post.

Marshal Price says it is almost impossible to rule "Silver" by brute force, so it is a blessing he will listen to reason. When the horse is bolting to a fire and becomes excited, as even "Silver" is prone to do, pulling at the reins or whipping do more harm than good. But talk to him persuasively and show him where he's in the wrong, and his hotheadedness quickly gives way to reason.

"Silver" merely has to learn a lesson once. One day when the marshal had driven to Washington avenue and Twelfth street and left the horse standing for a moment, "Silver" learned a lesson. Some workmen had a barrel full of oily water on the curbing. The horse was thirsty, and, despite the admonition of Marshal Price, sampled the contents of the barrel while his master was away. That night the horse went a bit off his feed. The next day the marshal drove up to the same spot, but the horse shied when fifty feet away from the barrel and insisted on stopping at a safe distance.

The horse is about 19 hands high and weighs about 1,400 pounds. His lines are full, but his legs are clean cut, his neck long and his head an unusually fine one. His color, silver roan, is far from common, and is claimed to denote great hardiness.

New fire horses are inclined to snort at "Silver's" high-brow airs, but the horse which draws the little red buggy of a fire marshal doesn't have to notice such things.