Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-11-06
For tho Waterman.
A City "H0rs de Combat


that have come 10 this city and its industrious
citizens from the mysterious disease that is Just
now attacking all the horses in all the Northern
States and Canada, and it is no more than fair
that should give you pen and ink sketch Of
my observations, though know ly good riaht il
gave you anything 1t should he the final peucil.
lngs on that California affair Of ours: hut those
will, keep until We have longer evenings and
more time, and you get back to the sweet sereni
~ and pure repose Of your ancestral hearthstone
from the bittor Discussions and dstracting din of
the Il fear me) somewhat impure and wicked
Vermont metropolis aud from your laborious and
brow knitting toll in the service of your be-
loved fathcrand at three dollars day and sta
tioncry while If we catch this (the pom and ink
sketch--not the disease) We must do it as the
base.ballist says" on the fly r."
That last word suggests n similo Of the manner
in which the disease came upon the city With
as little flourish Of trumpets to herald its ap-
proach, and almost as swiftly as bird would fly
over the city, from North TO West, then South to
East, 80 did the disease the first hours Of last
week fy from horse to horse on the street and
from stable to stable in the suburbs Through
'"t '''"i""9 VI NOuh NeipI' lh7tf vague anu SUD
Shameless rumors filled the air Of a dread power
that was Selling the horses to the north and west
Of u.s. and was rendering them unfit for service
No one unless il was some oyer-anxious truck
man, paid any special attention to them. No one
dreamed Of the near or possible approach Of any
such foe to our business, comfort, or convenience
as universal horse epidemic. This goodly city
has been firmly pillarcd upon the faith that is cx
pressed in those good Old conservative words,
" What hath been shall be- aud 10 there Is moth
ing new under the SUM- And such thing
would be peg new under the san. One OF our
stable men observed Sunday A. NJ, that the
horses on one side Of his stable began to cough,
ana that keeping II up those on the other side
Joined company with them in the afternoon. But
oil horses were on the street Monday True
there was n little extra hacking aud a-hemng
among them, but It was laid 10 little cold
Drought on 10y sudden change IN the weather
then IN progress Monday night the rumors
from the North and West were more frequent, and
took upon themselves more OF the scmblance OF a
dread reality IL was pretty generally under
stood that Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo and Roch-
ester were the scene OF horse epidemic Of an
alarming character and some OF the horse car
superintendent, managers OF large hacking es-
taolishments, and proprietors oil large stables
went 10 bed Monday night moro than mistrust-
ing that 10 the steady coughing and nasal dis
charges Of Their horses there was something more
than the shadow cast before by 50 coming events.
Tuesday morning they awoke 70 find their half
formed opinions OF the night before fully con-
frmcd in the detected. gniritlrss nuncarancp of
their beasts, their universal disiasie for food and
drink their hoarse coughing and the green mu-
eous flowing from their noses but still hoping
against hope they sent them with few exceptions
out upon The street. Bat al day Tuesday there
was a steady stream Of disabled horses back to
their stables. Wherever or whenever team
could possibly be spared from work, it was sent
70 the rear, and the tcamsier bctook himself to
dosing with aconite and rubbing and bathing
and swnthing. This was repeated on a greater
scale Wednesday and on a still greater scale
Thursday, for the weather was very favorable
clear and bandly cool, and no one not conyersant
with the business Of a great business center like
Boston, can imagine the pressure brought to bear
upon those who control the motive power lodged
in horse aesh to keep that motive power from
ceasing is action. Thursday p. NJ, there began
10 be little uncertainty in the horse car time, n
little hesitation on the part of hackmcn and
truckmen in promising to answer orders for the
morrow, while in the evening papers was here
and there an ominous paragraph, purporting 10
speak with the authority Of certain superintend-
ents Of horse railroads and managers of hacks, to
the effect that should a storm or an easterly wind
arise the cars would stop running, and moving
goods would be suspended. SO the city went
to sleep Thursday night feeling decidedly uncer-
tain as to what a night might bring forth. No
one liked to think 10 closely upon the probable
results should such an goncy arise. But how
ever, with the dawning of Friday and the arising
Of the city 70 its days work, such an exigen y
arose With Friday came the dreaded eastwind,
this time the yeritable Eolus Of Eneas from some
dark, dank ocean cave the sky was overcast
with murky clouds, prcsaging the steady coming
Of the more dreaded storm, while with all the
rest " ola probabilities conspired % make dread
certainty doubly sure by telegraphiug from that
center Of all storms, Washington, " Hoist storm
signals Friday all dag travel and traffic were
among those doubtful things that old sher-
man ~ legcfacmain renoWn uSea 70 sing OF as
mighty on-aflaih' il one s"rtcu TOT gwen
place wishing " Dc '.e'o a' gwen TIME, ~
JOSH bil'ihg- says nc mls"' uo mere 'ue"'
ana then again ne mlsnw T. WIN Tue cu"nceS
declael'y IN le''r OIL nc W'Rn.n l.
AT h'e T. W. tle storm 'ea7e1 20 'nrea'en' ana
began to come down handsomely Az sA inc
kneh OF the cry ua'n' anu ''l'''' us 'ar ~
horsepower goes was sounded IN tue "''nura"
tsaaH q NN.n HOS .HalH