Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-28
The Horse Di.ca,c IN Ros,ou.


The Horse Disease IN Boston.
The Journal of Saturday evening gives sew
eral columns of its space 10 the horse disease
and incidents resulting from its ravages. The
following extracts will give a fair idea of the
condition of that city:
The city presents a remarkable appearance
to-day, owing 10 the almost total withdrawal of
every kind of vehicle from the streets. The
prevalence of a nOrheHsterly storm renders
the exposure of invalid horses extremely haz.
ardous, and none but those employed in bust
ness of extreme urgency are allowed 10 leave
their stalls. Early pedestrians traversed the en-
tire length and breadth of the city, meeting only
few milkmen and an occasional hackney
coach.
There was a total suspension of street car
travel on three of the principal lines to-day, the
result OF which was that thousands of mechan-
les residing in the suburbs, dependent on this
mode of conveyance, were compelled to walk
into town, while artisans, clerks and shop girls,
living at the eXtremities of the city, came pour.
ing down town in tn dripping rain, filling the
sidewalks with an unwonted current of hu.
mainly.
No cars have been run to-day on the Lenox
street and fremont house line. All the cars
and they are few and far between-lrom Brook.
line and Jamaica Plain on the Norfolk and War.
rem street lines, and all other cars of the Metro
politan railroad, are run with four horses at
tached. This corporation aud the Highland
railway company are the only ones operating
their roads to-day. The MiddleScX railroad
have not had car out of their houses this morn.
ing, and will not expose any of their horses as
long as the storm continues. Should the
weather clear up, the public may possibly be
served with few cars on each of the several
lines to Charlestown, Medlord, Maiden and
Someryille. Mr.. Powers, president of this road,
has just returned from New York, where he has
visited the stables of the principal horse rail-
roads, in one of which he found 500 disabled
horses, presenting a melancholy appearance.
They were all afflicted with the cough, which
was aggravated by the opening of doors and
windows and exposure TO a draft of air. Mr..
Butler of the Sixth avenue line, the king of
horse railroads, has endeavored TO obtain dunn
my engines to draw his cars, but received the
reply to his inquiries that all their machines had
been abandoned. The great objection urged
against the dummy engines was that they
frightened the horses; but as there are now so
few horses in the streets TO be alarmed, it is to
be regretted that fair trial could not be given
to the dummies. An application has been made
to Mr.. Draper of the Metropolitan road, for
permission to make a trial trip with a newly
invented engine, and leave has been granted.
The Metropolitan drivers have received orders
not to drive any horse after he shows symptoms
of the disease Every second arrival in the
company's stables is now coughing and dis
charging from the nose.
All the cars of the South Boston railroad are
housed and the horses carefully protected from
the storm, the continuance of which will de-
termine the accommodations which the public
Will receive on this line. This company has
lost, thus far, but two horses Mr.. johnson has
doubled the force of stablemcn and bought $50
blankets, so that every horse wears one when
he stands still for few minutes. All the of
6cers of the road, and the drivers as well, seem
to feel the utmost sympathy for the horses, and
treat them with all kindness and consideration.
Mr.. johnson states that his treatment is very
simple consisting of fumigation of the stables
with tar and sulphur, bathing the throat with
liniment, and giving small quantities of cayenne
and liquorce.
A great deal of alarm has been felt by many
property holders, and with reason, too regard
ing the efficiency of the fire department; but
their fears may be somewhat allayed when it is
known that Chief Damrell has kept thoroughly
alive to the eXigency. The report made to him
this forenoon gave the list of department horses
sick, as follows; The chiefs horse "Bily;" en-
CINE u, three sick; hook and ladder 1, one; hose
l, one; engine 8, two; hose 4, one; engine g.
two; engine 4, two; engine 6, three; hose 3,
three; engine 5, two; engine I, two; hose g. one ;
engine Is, two; engine II, two; hook and ladder
,, two; hose II one; hose 5, one; engine 10,
two; engine 10, two; Extingusher /, one; hose
,, one; hook and ladder 6, three; engine II,
two; engine l, two.
L.
rell has fully laid out plan for work in case
of fire. Already he has perfected a rearrange-
ment of alarms, cutting off a large number of
boxes in each circuit, and SO issued his orders to
assistants and men that perfect understand
ing is had in regard to the use of the boxes.
The hand cart and wheelbarrow brigade were
out in force to-day, aud were the objects of
amused attention and some cheerful remarks
Old wheelbarrOWs and hand carts, which had
been dormant in junk shops and storehouses,
back yards and safe places for a long time, made
their debut to-day, and more of these vehicles
were seen on the streets at ten O'Clock this fore
noon than horses. Several coal dealers are
supplying their customers with cauldrons placed
upon hand carts drawn by several men pulling
steadily and patiently by a rope attached to the
vehicle. All over the city boys are harnessed to
wheelbarroWs troting along like colts on en-
rands to all parts of the city. The epidemic has
its humOrs as well as discomforts, and like the
Inconvenience of great snow storm, every
body philosophers and bears it cheerfullv.
The necessity of walking in the rain instead of
riding in covered vehicles makes the sidewalks
a moving mass Of umbrellas and moistened pe-
destrians Boston sidewalks on a crowded dav
are bad enough, but when filled with umbrellas,
and everybody in hurry because they cannot
ride, irritable and profane men swear and pa
thence is put to test,
No one in the city who has at all stirred round
can have failed to mark the wonderful change
obscene at the Club" Where the first of the
week there were jams and blocks OF teams of
every description, hardly pair of horses can
be found Now comes the question, how do
the people get along with the immense business
interests OF The city? They are getting along
with as little as possible. Ielegrams are com
stautly being rushed from stores or warehouses
to parties out of the city where heavy lreights
are ordered asking for time, and where such
can be delayed without conflicting with private
interests too much, a demand to extend the
limits I'LL the last OF next week. with the provso
that the same shall be forwarded as 81 on as
means of city locomotion shall improve. The
novel modes of conveyance have been spoken of
IN this article, and it is perhaps not out Of place
TO enumerate the truck found on Washington
street by journal reporter coming from the
| south end to the journal Office between half
| past ten O'Clock and eleven After leaving
Washington market he counted four grocery
three milk and seven express wagons, two horse
cars and two private hacks drawn by horses.
while dozens OF wheelbarrows, dry goods boxes
on trucks, hand carts and light express wagons
were drawn by men and boys. One Clancy
team" was a tandem, where men were hitched
10 small well loaded wagon by straps and
ropes. All the nondescriDt tuTnouts excited
the laughter of the pedestrians and cat-calls of
the street urchins.
Owing to the accumulation of merchandise in
the great depots in New York, the officers Of the
Boston and Albany and Old Colony railroads
decline to receive freight except for way stations
All the freight houses in this city are cloqped
with goods, which it is found impossible to re-
move. Only small proportion of the express
matter finds an outlet from the city offices, and
very few orders to call for packages are complied
with
The suspension of the trucking business falls
heavily upon a class of men who are poorly pre.
pared to Withstand the loss accruing from the
Withdrawal of their teams. The horses of hun
dreds of men of moderate means are literally eat.
ing their heads off. The losses in income TO
teamsters are estimated at from $4,000 to S15,-
900 day.
Several deaths have occurred among the horses
OF teamsters. One belonging to J. S. billiard
trucKman for the Revere sugar refinery, died on
Thursday, and on Friday j. ~ Goodnow, who
haus sugar for the Standard refinery, lost a val.
liable animal.
TIE New HAVEN CHILD MURDER.-The fol-
lowing are the facts in relation to the mysteri
Gus child murder in New Haven, Thursday
night, as given by the Palladium of Friday
morning:
| child Of MIR. lDZpl1p EoOtp IF tho firm ar A