A Horse! A Horse!
By Barbara Schock
One often hears unhappiness
expressed about the prices charged for
automobiles, and the cost of gasoline to operate
them. Many of the same complaints were made about
horses in Carl Sandburg’s boyhood, more than a
century ago.
August Sandburg, Carl’s
father, owned a horse named Dolly for a year or
two. He had paid ten or fifteen dollars for the
aged equine. That was the equivalent of several
days’ wages.
Dolly was capable of
pulling a two seat spring wagon, but only at an
extremely slow pace. Mostly Dolly was used for
short trips out of town. Otherwise, members of the
Sandburg family walked to school or work.
Eventually August Sandburg
sold Dolly, and received about what he had paid
for her. Whether he needed the money, or found
Dolly’s upkeep too great an expense, is not known.
The purchase of a horse a
hundred years ago was no small investment. A
really good equine would fetch three hundred
dollars or more. That is the equivalent of seven
or eight thousand dollars in today’s money.
Moreover, hay and oats with which to feed the
beast were not cheap. From time to time it was
necessary to have it shod.
The harness had to be oiled
and kept in good repair, so that it would pull a
buggy or small carriage. The purchase of the
vehicle was not inconsiderable, and it also
required maintenance. Its wheels were prone to
break, as were its shafts and thills. All things
considered the ownership of a horse was an expense
most people could not afford in those days.
From time to time before
the turn of the century, drivers were charged with
“furious driving.” It was not the road rage of
these times. Instead, furious driving was simply a
matter of exceeding the speed limit in a reckless
manner.
In most municipalities
there were limits on how fast a horse and carriage
could be driven. Usually, it was six miles per
hour. In the winter months, the same limitations
applied to horse-drawn sleighs and cutters. They
seldom approached that speed, because snow tended
to slow the vehicles.
Having invested large sums
of money in their equines and equipages, men were
eager to demonstrate how fast they were. They
would challenge other proud horsemen to races. As
they sped down city streets, they would scatter
pedestrians and other carriages. A policeman on
foot could not halt them, but as a rule he would
recognize the miscreants. Later, he would take
them into custody, and into court.
Police magistrates and
justices of the peace took a dim view of furious
driving. A horse and carriage weighed several
thousand pounds, and could do considerable damage.
Moreoever, there was much doubt as to how much
control the driver was able to exercise over his
equine at high speeds. Therefore, fines of a
hundred dollars or more were not uncommon. That
might not seem to be a heavy amount. However, it
was substantial in a time when monthly wages
seldom exceeded forty dollars.
So far as is known, Dolly,
the Sandburg horse, was never involved in a case
of furious driving. With her plodding gait, she
would have been likelier to be accused of
“obstructing the road.”