, 1872-11-17
Dropsy Prevailing to a Limit
ed Extent. :. r
Possibility of 4 Continuance of
the Steam 11umnies,
Weekly Rer.ort Of the President Of the
Humane Society.

case and oyerwork would permanently suffer
from this malady even, if it did not prove fatal
The tendency Of the disease to ettack the kid
neys and induce dropsy hae, within the past few
days, been shown in an increased number Of
c1ses, chiefly among the overworked and inju-
diciously exposed horses, though there are some
cases reported where the animals have been
OF = better class, and vel, l1,-perhaps too well
eu,-cared for. It is question in many cases,
probably, whether the horse has suffered more
from the epizootic than from the empiricism OF
many etab1es. At all events our yeterinaries are
fuA of the discussion Of dropsy. aud studying,
IN 2 puzzled manner, the swelling outlines Of
some Of their horse patients.
These facts indicate, Ehie they do not solve
the problem Of, how street travel is to be done
during The inclement months to come, especially
On the street railways, for it is upon the horses
of the street railway companies that the bulk Of
1abor is thrown. It is their business to 20, even
when teams are hauled of, and there is all the
Snore necessity Of their going when private
owners shut up their horses and rely upon street
conyeyances.
TIE STEAM DUMMY
seems to be the only measure of available relief,
snd it is regarded only as a measure Of relief,
held strictly by sufferance and special concession
by the Common Council, who have no idea of
giving up the streets to steam. As an emergen-
cy measure only are the dummies to be consid-
cred. J.,
The Nortt Side Railway, with their Graceland
dummy and large sensible double end cars, have
been able to do large business and carry heavy
erains to the satisfaction Of North Side resi-
dents. They are thus in readiness to keep up
their communications throughout the heaviest
1af1v 1aIn o+ s],o1a
portion Of the next few months, and largely
relieve their horses, upon which
can thug be thrown only light
work in the intermediate portions Of the day
when there is less demand The City Railway
Company, On the South Side are less well sup
piled for steam dummy work Their available
dummies are weakly, worn-out affairs, much
given to asthma aud rheumatism, NTH tenden-
cies to sudden paralysis, and have given them
much trouble. The :" bobtail " cars that belong
to Indianapolis and GAINESVILLE rather than Chi
cago, and hare never been popular here, cannot
be made up into dummy trains. The open cars
are: admirable, but not winter ontft. The
Company are live corporation. and will meet
every demand on them. They have fought an
tion, and probably now regret their steam dummy
arrangements we're not complete to relieve their
sick horses. It may be absolutely necessary for
The public that soma restricted permission be
DDS OF the heavier work OF the day, when the
1ush Of travel is greatest, especially in severe
weather, If the present aspect OF theirs and sev-
eral other stables does not improve. They have
been disappointed in the exemption expected
and ind that the sick horses of last spring hare
suffered with the rest, leaving their stock in
rather unpromising condition, looking forward
70 the Vicissitudes Of the next four months.
Tha South Side residents have had, and
will continue to enjoy, steam railroad
*acilities that will largely relieve them
during the winter months, but the |
more central street routes OF the city railway
are needed and must be kept open. This ques- |
ton, however, comes more nearly home to an
HUNDRED THOUSAND WEST SIDE RESIDENTS
who have only the street connections with the |
city. The West Side Railway Company's stock
have suffered severely, and many Of them are !
ont Of condition for severe winter work. such as
9s the lot Of the horse-car steed. The officers OF
the Company are discussing the necessity OF !
securing. two dummies OF better construction |
than any in use here, to be employed on the |
,outer lines, with readiness to yield to the |
necessity OF bringing full dummy trains at re- |
etricted periods down to Madison street bridge, |
to receive the heavy morning. noon, and tea-tine
travel, leaving the horses to the intermediate |
lighter work unlessinclement weather forces them |
at interval to haul off the invalid quadrupeda al
together. The officers Of the West Side Compa- |
ny have correspondent extensively with the |
horse car officials in New York and Boston, and |
the story is an universal one that it will be |
work Of extreme difficulty, which may become |
an ,lmpossibi1ity, to do a1 their work with |
horses this winter and the belief is universal |
that steam must come to the relief. There is |
no quarter OF the city, as We have shown, more |
vita1ly interested in this whole subject than the |
central and most popu1ous quarter of the West |
Division, where mu1titudes of citizens will be |
vastly incommoded before spring unless some- |
thing ia done. |
VISIT TO TIE STABLES.
To ascertain, if possible, the real condition OF
the horses Of the city, TRIBUNE reporter yes-
terday made circuit Of all the principal stables
OF the city, as also call upon the Humane So |
rety. with the following results:
At Howland's livery stab1e, on Twenty
street. no dropsical cases were found, but gen.
tleman in the Office informed the reporter that |
he had heard OF two yesterday morning. He |
said they were both serious, and that one Of the |
horses had been worked and the other had not. |
At Hanchett T. Carters. Twelfth street stable, |
the horses we're in good condition, but one being |
afflicted with dropey, and this animal VAS old,
and has been more or less afflicted with the |
game d!sease for some time.
At the Omaha stables no csses OF dropsy we're |
reported
At the stables of the T., I. P. omnibus line, |
the reporter found Mr. John Walsh, the Assist |
ant Superintendent, thrusting the point Of a |
eharp knife into the legs Of numerous old !
bachelor nags, to ascertain whether or not the |
dropsy had affected them. He decided that no |
dropsical cases had occurred in his barn, and |
raid he anticipated no trouble.
From Yonng's barn comes the same report.
At the South Side Railway stables, the re-
porter expected to see numerous "swells,"
being led into such expectation by some dropsi- |
cal reports concerning these stables; but he
was agreeab1y disappointed, being informed by
q personal examination Of the barn, that but |
two horses we're On the "swell."- Neither of
these had been in harness since the epizootic |
first appeared in the city.
1t Wright's barn, On Monroe street, and
Brownies, on Madison street, no "swen" cases
we're reported.
The Van Buren, street car barn was free from !
the dropsy, but the epizooticG &C carried OF one
poor animal Friday night. They we're not 80
sure whether the dropsy would prevail to any
considerable extent or not, and the reporter Was
unable to tell them.
The North Side barn nurses gay that they have |
no patieuts affected with dropBy, and hope to
have their hospitals emptied BY next Thurs-
day.
The West Side stables are caring most tender-
" for their animals, and intend to keep them IN
the luxury OF rest for week yet. This vii not
be welcome information to West Side residents,
past week by the omnibus lines.