New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-02-12
ANoTnER nEcAroMR OF HORSES

To ne Editor Of The Bo'foa Journal
SIR: ] thought ! had exhausted the subject Of
slaughterng horses ut aca when closed 10y account
Of the disaster which occurred during the voyage Of
tho transport Kiugfsher; but / lind that my report
Of that afair but the prelude to stll more dis
grceable duty OF the same nature. Ii the tragic re-
,ult which followed the shipment Of the horses by
that vessel fails to convince the people of the shame
ful mismanageu which thur far characterized the
trans poraton Of horses for Gen. Buffers expedition
what will they say Of policy which cousigns "a car
20 OF the finest class Of horses 10 tie hold OF sailing
ship bound on voyage Of 1000 miles in the dead of
Winter, along a coast exposed to the full force of the
winds OF the Atlantic Ocean, and padded 30 Insecure
" that IN gale which the ship encounters on the
third day out from Boston az out of l53 horses with
which the ship leit port, killed and thrown over
board
Tie ship Black Prince, Capt. Howes, which sailed
from Boston the I'D ut for this port - ith car 20
OF stores and l0rtcs ior the expedition arrived here
on wednesday morning. the 10th lust. She brought
out Lieut.. Is. fickman and ten men Of Capt. Reed r
company of Mounted hiie Rangers. intended TO serve
as body-guafd to Gen. Butler, all Of whom arrived
ia safety. The horses 1913 In number, put on board
IN Boston, were superior class OF animals having
been selected iron large lot for the especial OF
the Mounted Rangers, and were valued "a, not less
ing Of the horses on board the ship appears 10 have
attempted slight improve ment over tie plan which
was adopted IN slowing those slipped by the King
fisher and George Green 81 slngs were placed under
their bodies and fastened 10 the deck beams above
Aside from this, tho arrangements betGee decks
were The same, or even worse, than on the other
ships There WAS the same slight scantngs secured
TO the deck aud beams by common board nails the
came great bays either side-in il whole droyts
of horses Twelve IN IA BAY were placed-separated
from the others by plank dangling between; and,
like the other horses, these poor boaets had lot
whercwithal to bmoe themselves upon tho slippery
deck. That QuaTtermnster George was aware Of
the insuiicieuoy U tie arrangements for transport
ing tie horses by former vessels is evident from the
fact that Capt. Fairbanks OF the George Green wrote
him from Fortress monroe, stating that nj ht 8
experience AT had convinced him that the horses
Were Improperly packed.
This may have induced the Quartermastor to add
the sings which from their improper shape, as the
sequel shows, proved AL injury rather than benefit
to the horees. Beside being only half wide enough
to cover the body Of the horse, they were 30 al
ranged that when the horse8 attempted 90 lie down,
IA they naturally would, they assumed sitting pos
tre, with their fore lgs in the air the next .truS
gle, II they succeeded IN breaking Their halters
bringing them under the feet OF the horses next
them. Then they had TO be dragged ont bodily by
main strength; the front OF the stall sawed out, and
the horses got back again To 20 through tho same
performance as soon they recovered their senses
Had all the Ingenuity IN Massachusetts been en-
ployed, fatal way OF slowing the horses could
not have been devised.
on the day after IeaTing Boston, aid while TIE