The New York herald., 1872-10-24
ths Street Railroads, Stage Companies, Pri-
vate Livery Stables, Express Companies
and Manufactures Deprived Of Half
Their Equine Working Force.
I l&Fassls 0vr the Bodies Of the Hofses Be-
tween Homeopathy and Allopathy.
Diphtheria Among the Fire De-
partment Teams.

Hot Rum and Butter, Aconite, Belladonna
and Perspiration Suggested
as Remedies.
Local Traffic Must Cease If the Distem-
per Continues to Spread.
The pestilence among the horses is rapidly grow
Ing in the strength of it's destruction there are
now not less than fifteen thousand cases requiring
medical treatment. 1t Is impossible to form any
laea Of the duration Of the disease which, although
H u of q troublesome nature, has not yet proved
e fatal nature in single instance. This may,
probably, be accounted for by the necessary pre-
cautions that have generally been taken and the
tire absence Of any attempt at the heroic treatment
Throughout the city everybody was discussing
the horse disease, the mode OF treatment and the
unfortunate condition of their neighbors' stables.
In general the human race have rather Q weak
ness for rec0unting their mishaps but the sub
bect Of horsenesh the tables appear to be turned.
II you want to know how Mr.. Smiths horses
are You have to go to Mr.. Jones, across
the way, and vice Ueysd. The disease appeared
yesterday in its most hdeous form, the streets
were crowded with infected horses. The public,
they say, must be accommodated, and therefore
poor sick brutes that eyesore in the Streets
are harnessed up and driven their daily jour
ncy. The Commissioners of Charities and
Correction, however, ought to set o good
example and not allow one OF their
wagons to be paraded through the streets, drawn
by an animal in the most advanced state OF the
disease. with revolving discharge OF a greenish
mud from the nostrils. II Mr.. Bergh had been
around the streets yesterday he could have
done some genuine good to the brute creation.
Numbers Of stage horses, car horses, dray horses,
and even private carriage horses exhibited symp-
toms OF an advanced nature. The hack horses on
the stands coughed with painful exertion as they
stood patiently awaiting the orders OF the driver,
who would never let them rest as long there was
. chance Of earning dollar.
Az yet no definite and concise opinion ofthe exact
nature OF the disease has been arrived at by the
veterinary surgeons, and although they all agree
that 1t Ia species Of catarrhal anecton, there are
the most diverse opinions to whether 1t resulted
from something peculiar in the air, or whether it
was contagious and was brought to the city by
eome horse from other infected towns. Beadonna
h stil largely used In connection with tar ana the
general treatment in the car and stage stables is
cOnhned to some simple food OF q laxative ma
ture mixed with their feed and water. The
wellknown veterinary surgeons, such as Professor
COpelan Leotard and Lockhart are In immense de-
mand, and have more orders than they can posi-
bly, attend to. They appear to agree that there is
very little danger in the disease II the aected ami
NAL Is given rest and proper treatment, but that
they cannot say how long it will last. Some aver
that 1t Is only mild catarrhal fever that win last
about ten days.
Travel in the city has not thus far been impeded
20 any great extent, as the car companies and
stage proprietOrs appear determined to run their
Qf NIL Nuuo or
horses that were working yesterday on the public
fhoroughfares indeed fully one half, should have
been In the stable undergoing treatment Some
cars have been taken OF in the different lines
about one hundred and hfty in all-giving little
longer time to wait between trips, but as yet it
has not interfered with the comfort of the travel
ling public. Some few stages-about forty all
told-are also at rest Tor the present, and their
absence was noticeable yesterday by an unusual
CrOwding OF those In use.
Alarming stories are going the rounds OF the city,
70 the effect that the infectious nature of the dis
ease is not confined to the horse alone, but is also
transmitted to the human being However strange
this story may appear. there are, 1t is said num-
her OF instances in this city where the master has
taken the disease from the horse. II such Is really
the case there must be something of glanders or
aiiphtheria connected with it, This matter should
at once be investigated by some eminent physi-
Cians In order TO set the question at rest or else
the poor horse will not receive the proper amount
or attention.
The disease appears to be very generally dis
tributed throughout the city, as news comes in
from oil quarters Of fresh cases. Brooklyn and
Jersey City have been visited by this plague,
and their car horses are in bad way
Numbers OF private stables have been con-
verted into hospitals in the past twenty
four hours, and it appears an invarable rule
that when one horse has been taken with the dis
ease all the others have also suffered. Mr.. Bon
ner's stable has as yet escaped although there
was report yesterday morning that Poca-
hOntas was affected. Mr.. Platt's and adj.
tOning stables in the same street were
also free from disease yesterday. Mr.. George
|OsgOOds entire stable now under the hands OF
, veterinary surgeon, and Clarence, trottng
horse, belonging to Mr.. Page, OF Brooklyn has also
gone into hospital Many gentlemen have taken
'time by the fcrelock,- and by proper use of disn
ectants and laxative diet have kept their stables
1ree from disease.
To-day will probably bring out some fresh fea-
tures In the disease that may throw some light
upOn its and enable the veterinary surgeons
10 form an idea Of the most eflcacious way to
attack and thoroughly root out the poison in the
system.
In q Bleccker street Car.
The HERALD Horse Plague Commissioner having
been ordered to make close and searching investi-
CATION into the extent Of the distemper raging
Utmost universally among the horses OF this city,
began operations by stepping into Bleecker
treet car at the corner OF Ann street
md Broadway yesterday morning. The car
sd gloomy aspect-there is always
ioomy aspect about q Bleecker street car, the
ioomtness arising from the outrageous combina-
Ion Of c0lors-Irish green and English red-that
isnRure the cars. All the conductors on the
Blcecker street cars are philosophers, and