Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-02-09
Alexandria Gazette
COMMUNICATED
Sailing The Railroad Track.

BALTIMORE Jan. 81. lSIl.-N. d. t.
.Lul,nsoa Dear Sir-The City Passenger Rail
way Co., of this city, have been saltlng that
portion of the street occupied by their track
while Snow is on the ground: The snow soon
meltS and disappeareS, leaving M lnconvenl-
ence. excepting tor Il short time, S!'lSlli con
,aition of the streets. The sailing Of the track
in opening the way through the streets has its
many advantages. enabling the cars to run &c.
On the other hand. q nunber OF persons want
the salsing prohibited on the ground OF INJURY
done ln persons and animals, producing IN the
one, cold feet. catarril pneumonia. &c, and III
IN, other, dseas. of the skin and decay Of the
hoots Pro and con have friends sustained by
medical opinion that there is injury and no i'll
Jury and want you to oblige ME with. your
nninion. carefully expressed, as | wish to lay 1t
before the council. | received your article on
lydyophobia 1t came opportunely lis our
Health Commissioner was then dssertatlng
.,u the subject have his thanks for YOU rs
il enabled him TO make in his report, some
zIllabe suggestions to the council.
Respectfully. JOS. q. JOHNSON.
7a ys. It. .Johnson. tsq, Member Of Bnhi-
oort',, City E.,nhc1:
Wa,r Su-I al. in receipt of your letter ask.
;,a nv lrofsssiopa. opinion on the subject OF
S,Iting the City Railway Track and whether
w NOT as q sanitary measure, it ought to be
prohibited BY the City Council?
S,lt is q compound Of Chlorine and Sodium
md Is known in chemistry as the Chloride OF
Sodium.
Snow is vapour solidified by cold, and when
Gnuifed is q compound Of oxygen and hydro
gen. When salt and snow or ice, arc United,
chemical action Immediately commences, which
results in the production of liquid-sat and
water-which, in chemistry, would be known
rs hydrated chloride Of sodium.
This explanation will convince yon that there
is nothing whatever noxious or Injurious In
what NAV be called the chemistry Of the prac-
tice, and that the atmosphere can in nowlse
he rendered impure by the action OF the salt
upon the s;.ow and ice The enquiry then
arises: To what extent is saltiag; the. railway
track. for the purpose OF removing. the snow
Grom it. q local or exciting cause of disease? II
she snow is removed by the salt in few days
no injury to the health of either man or beast
will be sustained The only injury which may
accrue TO man from sushy condition OF the
streets thus produced, is that which may ARISE
ut any time from wet feet, or from the feet be-
ing exposed to moisture in condition not sutf-
ciently protected by proper shoes, or by the IN
dividua neglecting to dry his feet after the ces-
Sation of the exercise during which the feet be-
came wet. The sudden melting OF the snow
increases the process of evaporation, and this
evaporation augment3 the watery portions OF
tho atmosphere. and consequently adds much
to its humidity. but fortunately, this humidity
is etfeered at the auspicious time when the s'ir-
rounding or neighboring air is IN the best pos
sible condition to receive, and neutrallZe II.
Hence, artificially humid air Is not, and cannot
,be. as injurious to the animal economy, as that
produced by naturally rapid melting OF the
nov Natural causes of disease are always
>ore uoteut than artificial for all NOR r!itc or
Il. aus agents have for the basis OF their power
hoSl> a many persons i'll at the same time with
10 max. sickness, Ii hidden and unknown
Il specllc ,,ry into effect their disease engen-
agency % 70 T." me, Immediately after snow
uerlns lnnuer ;, 20 conditions OF temperature,
Saorl o"s ams"s v. 7Le weather either becomes
'n;IJ .nomgh r. melt the suow. or mueh colaer
than before or during .the falli.%s OF lne snow,
lfthe weather is mild enough to 'totaIs ts;ar @
tbaw, no injury can occur to man by haste
the operation with the aid OF salt it too colu
TO thaw, then the atmosphere IL IN the most
pr0pitiOus state to take up, am carry on, the
humidity produced by forced evaporation.
Heat and moisture combined with septic agents
are considered as indispensaby necessary 10 the
production Of cholera but still these very causes
may BE- present in abundance, and frequently
are. and vet no cholera appears in the absence
Of that occult medium which rltahZes, as 1t
were. noyious agents and sets them to the work
Of the production OF epldemlcS =,
Apain 4 northeastern wind accompanied with
cold and damp air is most prolihc OF catarrii, III
Huenza. and pneumonia, and yet We may have
the presence of I'LL of these exciting or predls-
uosng causes of disease and still no epidemlcot OF
either disorder will atflict the people Therefore,
that power which makes Il sckly season IS
,}rcpIy hidden from the acllmcn OF man, ana
will ever remain unexplained by human lntelll-
gcncc and YOU may rest assured that the pracs
lice of melting snow With salt has no more el-
feet uuon the human organism than wet wealth
.r viii at anv time produce, and the more rap
dlv the snow is made to disappear, the greater
will be the individual immunity from the evil
effects of the natural melting of it: Io the
horse no injury whatever, can directly arise
The application of long continued moisture TO
the feet of the horse, will produce Sottemng OF
the horn and, If kept up Tor many days IN sue
ccssion, will result in temporary tenderness ni
the feet. but not in lameness, and the only evil
of this moisture is chapped heels, and grease or
scratches, which are not only easily cured. but
NAV be readily prevented by the groom, if he
will thoroughly dry the feet and legs of the
hnrsa before putting him up for the night. Al
nn,t all city horses suffer with fever III thelr
tSrt r,,sci bv the contact of their hootS with
rLe hard streets day after day, and nothing re-
Iirvrs his condition so soon as having the morse
stand in very cold water for many hours IN the he
,lav Therefore, you see, you can cause no IN
iury to the hoofs Of the horse BY slnshy slfees,
Tor the exposure or subsection of the hoots o, to
moisture thus produced, does not, and cannot,
last long enoug III to be more than an annoyane;s $;
to the animal, and salt is frequently used IN
slabe medicine as an ingredient for stopping
lnr diseased feet Of horses.
Yours most respectfully.
j. B. JOHNSON. VI. ID.
,>-nnt, Y, Eah -th 1871