THE SCENES IN A WOOL-SHED.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 727, 28 January 1910, Page 10

THE SCENES IN A WOOL-SHED.

A GRAPHIC STORY • r : '."You will find • tea arid cake, (or '"brownie") in -tho men's .-dining room at .; the/morning;';: wo/ start ;jishearing'at lialf, past." It was (says our ... .'travelling correspondent) on a' station to tei;ffwhich: ;lwhad}coihe /in}my/ : wanderings ... ••! inot very-far ..from tho sound.of the sea. 'TJio head shepherd ■ ;md , I occupied ..the - • isame ' room, and..'next .; niorning I was . 'awake, at half past four,, and found. my • . ;' ;mato ' just looking;.liis / watch: ;As I :/.;} ihad no /clothes' suitable for -the wool- ;. ished; .my host. fixed me up, sleep/'was • : . : |soon rubbed 'out of - oiir'.eyes; and then we .-.•'} (made doini tho hill' to tho galley. Here }/-,r/j:fourid;pretty:wdl all .the station hands y;J/?i/iarid/the}shearers/already}hard,.;at. work, of .excellent,tea —with milk mark you—and munching : : i«;;S/«ither^bread/ l and; ; bulter/;0r.5 the;; cook's. . 'imost beautiful "brownie." Tor tho bene- • .'fit of those who/'don't: know, I .may/say '5®.-- th'it/this/ '"brownie" : is>the/sariie}as the, [ordinary:'ourrant/lqaves -which ;we';buy;: at •'..- tthe baker's - : shops. .■'?/ }-}; : ; ;'-. //:•/' •' *As Fast as Horse Racing. * 1 We passed on. up to tho wool-shed—an ..--. :/ animated sceno with tho ~ shearers ■ peel-. (15../'] ing.: off.,thbir.';coats;:and /vests, arid':h7ing ; .'tho shears-rrand.uight;pens full, all.ready. Mfe7?tfor.;'tKe:^ft-'at"fiW r tHii^iK."An?ab<mid'; : Us .the/word no^,/and/at once'-it is as 'if /. ''/ ]Bomeo'ne had rubbed the magic lamp. of }:'//?/: as /it'\were,'/jumps )S:-:i/jinto beirig. l arid'i'life. '/Each'.of shear-, 'V-: Vjcrs vgrabbed:'a' : ; sheep;the '"swing .'/doors s}}/;;'! closed-with a"clap; andaway: they/went—' ■ Vknack," ."Jrnack,'': ."knack,",, ■'knack," '"knack,", you:...couldhear..,' tho.. blades. ;}/}:.'' /'/:' ■ • •: Very soon each fleece - was - opened, up; ■ ion ; tho' brisket .and up the neck; ' then V .it/begins. to fall vover, round the., ribs, iKffi down the back, turn .over, shear, tho; :.;/}- •/ other/side}.! hold up,, tho; sheep by fa ./leg,' iCiSi shear , round the rump,- sheep/jumps ;ori J4:/V: to its feet, .is shoved through . the port. /.//; hole: into/the counting-out pen,and tho fjg}} first} fleece lays >on .the board.};.') It }is '.as '/• jfast as horse-racirig.; ... .•• . ; "Wool away!" is the call now, and •• ..'./''fleecy'.', rushes down, picks-up tlie fieeco • < [by tho' skirts, ' turiLS round and ' deftly throws - it }on }tUe'}- wool-table.<•.flesh' 7 sido:l ;.;}/' down. Thero is a good deal 'of knack '00 in picking up a fleeoe. One mail wo saiv simply; grabbed the fleece in: /i----vlvi; buniihv and:-'tfirew.-' ! it • on; the/;' table,' sand- /;' 4. : !}' of, course it landed "anyhow."' Some-' r '.;. : [times thQ fleeco was -eo 'that .^the,. cock was whore tho . rumji . sliould be, }/?}/ at, others upside' down ,and ; :across.. .Good ''fl^ies , ?f}are:/'apptarently} : iiot jmade /in '""Wool! V/00l Away I" And now. the fleece has to be' skirted. . - . 'il never saw such' heavy skirting before. .'//..•Tho nocks were taken, off, all. dir.sr. or. Si}®: '-Etaiced wool, and '/my pieces.: or" I locks t.: adhering to the fleeco had to/be . picked ./;}:}out, : and tlien.tlie lleeco had to bo r.eatly jits..' proper bin. , " r "Wool!" "Wool -away'" b:gan Y/'/ 'to -'souiid' oIi: along/ the board- as;/ l ,.the' //-/ [Bhearers ' shoro their : sheep./' 'was :kept' busy 'picking tup/and,; sweeiiirig • - '. . itho board,clean, all bits of.. wool;iuist ibo kept clear of tho fleeces. ■■ As 'the icotnes -off/is tho. bellies.' /■ Tlicso are : at : :itiilvibiice:picked/'up;: aridfput jinto/their proper !^^tb -be.'-;picked;;,ovef. at/a' inorW ''/ ,; 'convenient o'clock.:/-. "Clear' ;j : . : ,ithe board!.'"and. the first run is over.' } i;v./;pfe: ; : BreakfastSiSj'tlio jiext^:/tliiiig, : }aiid :.for' .ffflise?'. evffrybqdy ;ts readyi""'lt SS;S.isi> as 0r.6: sees,/, tho • usual !-. .. . 'station ' £ar.e—chops ■ and. potatoes,'; but what/chops they-;werei/'hiUf-bred/muttdn;' -"such a kind,that one - doesn't/often :see. §K&'inY iiS/Wcountry.- ". His misfortune''. in. this/rase/was' ' ;' />ery-' much tho gain of those }.•:•. fho. catered; for.all tho men said he whs /2S/;ythe;; best/statim}cobk Swhich-.:tiiey;:::had: • . 'come across;;and how;.ho : kept:paco .with (his hungry'constituents is more than. ; l know.'; Two; of^-,- tho;'shearers-^;h4S/jn"st : crit south, where S;}:glttey.:h^}a/;y6^/dii!erent}^eTOnce.;>::/ (The Second Sct-10., Towards: enght o'clock, tlio-tide'of ;hust- ...; ling.. iiumSns , on?o' more 'began 'to;' ebb' aria (low;,}'a' stream'of ; men'again riioved ;./ :/ 6n the. Vool shed,- 'Tleecy" had. to '-see e.; ;.:: tbat :tho was quite-.clean ■ }.!};;}iqr ith'e/stert/'all .bits of'-wool'. swept; up, the.S.ool-tabW: cleared^//The shearers } /.put:a : bit?riiorp edge on tho blades, and feg-.itheh;:justi as eight'. o'clotS: ."struck,/came j K/?} "tte; thine ;begiris:;againy: but' with" f3}}.;|tlio/additioii,.;thac vnow,/the/ pressers: get • ;;/ jto 'worfc.' .So soon- as sufiioient fleeces/aro •;. •/ M any-bf the bins; to fill ti" bale, they are §45. Ono }man; ~ gets Pinto! the , press, •;';;; lariotheiv.hands •: him the • fieeces—one, two,' /./ . 'three,- four,;:five;;these- .;are; then -,well : :v/; 6tamped'down,;.and live more in a layer, sometimes-itenj sometimes movtv -But in' When; the' ■/ }. bQttom;- is; filled, the ,sanie /is. uorib' .with . };; .'/'tho. t°p,:and .then tho whole.'concorii: is, /.'/ . swung on" to lower. part 'of : the press. The . ////loops :at the' end of the ratchet bars aro .- .- hooked .on the top, dogs .flung into posi- . •.;.//' tion, and then each n/an works his lever. ' iwy^ry-soon }the/whole/of/the: wool 'isin ///• the bottom: of the press',.the l top is sv/ung : }olf, tho ;bale_ is seamed, 'and,, as soon us : //'/' the: sewing, is done, - the 'in '-the AvUe.yers."- are ..-relaase-'l,off '-,c6mes the lid, •'. /vS 11 ! i balo ;-l? mcdiat(! ]y swells up and : l : /' :: tit€DS.': ; door ,-is : opened, • and : n!i e - "■' )a Hv I s pulled.; out onto ithe floor/ ' :^ov^M:c°i^erf;a r e'sewod'.u comes :^^:|th9i.^randmg,numberof-: the..bale, Athe ' , pieces, or whafcan4rv .the ; stattori: ' samo at the other end, and the !'Never ■ vis i ;rolled/:dver/ in/ to the wool: //: / ';(: r /' v;i . „ : "Smoko Oh!" And tho Men. ' //C: is going/ori,merrily./ Soon i/p/W Sheep,oh mcn-ns that : 'catching : :/;- \ ) pens,. fincl/that nioro are "reciuired to fill . up. Assaulting tho: attention' comes ru s h .ing .and a sculflirig, as tho sheen : 'K-r ■ ', Wool r away!":/ Tho ■ -deiuring, and "fleecy" ■ ; i ia . s 111 and yet to work; :'^;^ 4,); f hat h t f I'ocome of tho.cook?" and, :;r;. - as;tho} clock we. ;hear tlio' : ./y:/' 'J 1 . 0 shed slide back, and in he of .'tea: and a bag of 'ciHTj' '' •• car y* o ' ) ° art ' and tho • second run'is oyer. Sms>e' ohf A panni- ' ,y..v,t0n.,.0f5 tea;and,: "something substantial". * r: :-:..aro/Soon\disposed;:.of; , pipes'are filled; and . y. e settle; .down to. see who can tell the ... ~ biggest. -T-. They were a capital'lot of. a-'good-tempered lot,' arid :? 00 . ti to. please. The "boss" said that he ft so, satisfactoiy a teani.:-' and "all aboard!"/ By thi« time things wero nmning very smoothly" : ' • '^o^ 1 c ,°"»ng ,V'icklj-.. It took two of us • \ it the-.tablo all we knew/to keep up with ; ;:' them;; : andi steadily, inccsstintly, insistently -tho; calls, came. :. r, Shecp oh!" more filling : v v peiis; "wool away I" 'fleecy" running' •'•^V-;ab(rat'JiKe.-'a'lamplighter,-'.binS"filliiig N fast,-' •fv V-aiid everybody:in a'go6d;humout,-Twelve p'clock.';"Clpar,tlip board'~dinner-tirae. , . "Clear the Board , UfiTHe ; pressers have to. put in a bit of - extra' w'ork during meal times • and spells, 1 ;.:Otherwise,'-_they/' .rushed' aiitl not. be;.able .to with ; the .wool c'obiing in. vf; gor' thc y next:run,' some - of-Ztho shearers • blades: require'fa-- bit of "V:■^'"grinding,though.. isheep were; very 'v^ : :freo from-sand/ and all;-'touch.-up" ion . •>;-.,tlio}:'oil-st6ne/ ; V ;'As, the. largest, interval ; iakes plaeo. in.: the dinnor hour, quit 3. a -We' takes: placed on <•'' tho^ 1 shearing -:.:}• Aboard,^ali'Vsittingr^jwith^backs^up'against; catching pens;,; Yarns are. freely, rpun, ./frl'and the of ; tho irien ; in other v;i N--!places/rcliitcd, ; 'and, though; they, wero all -.'etrarigers-;; oxcept L -. invo, .lit: was . really' • )v 7 '}/wonderftil;>what a -lot of nien seemed to ; loiow'flv to : tho spealcers 4 One o'clock; .^*;* f AU T; ab6ar'dl"7-the:.afternoon 'is ; begin-' •••; t}.-; 1 but'i there - is, no : n(»d togo into . ; 'samo routine, goes. on till jivetliirtyj when; the first day's shearing coracs to ari eiid;" Tho ."boss" is satisfied, i:V ;.}Xtho sheep / have: cut well, the' men : are ;Vv :: ; Batisfiedj • as r tlioy nro vonsy .shoarinu nnd . :V' they - haye / made good " tallies.. . . Pressors, t'v '.- rouseaboitts, . . '.'fleecy," and >. everybody S^ L iS}SatisCed when the. mrm in charge of., the ./shed 'calls - out- .for -the last time: f'Clear the t 1