The New York herald., 1872-10-23
Seven Thousand Horses in This
City Stricken with Catarrhal
Fever During the Past
Twenty-FOur Hours.
NO FATAL CASES YESTERDAY.
Millions Of Dollars in Horse
flesh at Stake.
HOW THE DISEASE IS TREATED.
Conflicting Opinions Of the Veterinary
Surgeons and Horse Dealers.
HORSE DOCTORS IN DEMAND
How the Disease Will Affect
Local Traffic and Travel.

Seven thousand horses in New York city pros
trated by the new epidemic that has been raging in
the Canadas and Western New York may appear
rather sensational statement; but, after visiting
all the principal stables in the city, have not the
slightest hesitation in stating have underrated
rather than exaggerated the appalling spread OF
the contagon. 1t is not confined to any particular
class OF horses, but all stables have been visited
by the disease from the squalid shed that shelters
the costcrmonger's nag to the magnificent palace
where the millionnaire's thoroughoreds recline at
their ease surrounded by all the luxury that wealth
can purchase.
It is curious to trace the track of the pestience
from its first advent in Buffalo, Rochester and
Niagara down to Albany and Troy, where it has
been raging during the past week. Swiftly and
surely it has followed the course of the Hudson
leaving its traces in the towns and hamlets that
stud the banks Of that noble river, and finally with
fendish diligence. cast loose in the closely con-
fined limits of this city seed OF disease that has
within the past thirty-six hours brought forth
abundant fruit. There has been no time to take
any necessary precautions, as the contagious quail
ties of the disease violent that within twenty
four hours from the time the first symptoms OF
sickness were noticed IN one large stable In this
city
ONE THOUSAND
horses under the same roof were similarly affected.
The disease appears to have appeared first in
this city in magnitude on Monday afternoon,
although there were some few cases OF earlier
date. The veterinary surgeons yesterday had more
work than they could attend to. and so rapid was
the spread of the disease that in many instances,
when they arrived private stables to attend one
sick horse they found the entire stable, including
some eight nine others, ready for treatment for
thnra nrQo n
ferences of opinion as to the exact nature Of the
disease, 1t is conceded by all to be species of in
nuenza, and the majority pronounce it to be
CATARRHAL FEVER.
Wandering round the city yesterday I met at
least twenty or thirty private individuals OF my
personal acquaintance, each OF whom had some
fresh tale to tell of the manner In which the dis
ease had attacked his horses.
sMy dear fellOw,n said one well Unknown banker,
II never saw anything like 1t. Last night was in
my stable about nine O'Clock and noticed nothing
remarkable, with the exception OF slight cough
which came from brown horse use for coupe
work. I thought 1t was nothing more than the
cold which all human beings as well as horses are
apt to take at the change OF weather Early this
morning my cOachman came to me and said all the
horses were coughing, and he was right, as when
got to the stable found
EVERY HORSE
bay Hambletonian that drive on the lane for which
| paid $4,000 last Fail, coughing ft to break his
It was the same story everywhere horses that
were TO all ntents and purposes in perfect health
on Monday night were coughing badly yes
mary surgeon counted thirteen horses that had
been brought to him for advice, and /. did not re-
quire more than glance to recognize In the flow
or tears from the eyes, and the dry, husky cough,
the unmstakabe symptoms OF catarrhal fever.
Yesterday morning the disease was merely visible
in its primary FORM and, in many stables the FORE
toms OF
THE EPIDEMIC
among his charge, and insisted that the dry cough
which reechoed from stall to stall along the line of
the stables was only the ordinary affections exhi-
bted in horses at this season OF the year.
Others however, had more good sense, and in
answer to my inquiries willingly took me through
the stables, acknowledging that although as yet
they had seen no flow OF tears from the eyes nor
discharge from the nostrlls, there had been great
deal OF coughing among the horses since Monday
afternoon, and they were at loss to account for
PREMONITARY SYMPTOM
of what they called the Canadian epidemic. The
foreman OF one large horse railroad stable stated
that he had seen nothing like 1t among horses OF
late; but in 1855 or 1854 they had disease called
greenish discharge from the n0strils OF the dis
eased animal, and ne believed that this was mild
| paid visit yesterday afternoon to well
known
in Thirteenth street and elected the following in
HERALD CORREsPONDENr-Have you seen much
OF this disease among the hOrsess
VETERINARY SuRGEoN-I have had about thirty
to thirty tive cases to-day, nearly all in private
stables.
VETERINARY sURGEoN-I do not If properly at
tended to-. 1t appears TO me to be simply kind of
catarrhal fever, that requires mild form of treat
ment
HERALD CoRREsPoNDENT-what do you mean by
VETERINARY SuRGEON-I mean to strictly avoid
the heroic treatment Bleeding and nauseaus
phvsc balls are not alone unnecessary but danger
Ous II Is also foolish to give horse drench in
such case, as his head has to be thrown back in
an unnatural position, and 1t would probably cause
SALINE REMEDIES,
such as chlorate 81 potash or mariate OF ammonia
would also have soothing efect to the throat and
strong liniment well rubbed into the throat would
also be OF material benefit.
HERALD CoRREsPoNpESr-would you make any
alteration In their 1eedr
VETERINARY SURGEoN-Any horse in an advanced
stage OF the disease will not want much feed, but
In any case would carefully avoid all dry diet.
Let ali his feed be wetted and Of rather laxative
Al the conclusion OF my conversation with this
gentleman. groom put his head In the door,
asking for the address Of some drug store, adding
that he thought he should get keg OF that mustard
as all his horses had 1t now.
In the large horse railroad stables the horses are
under varied treatment. Each veterinary surgeon
has his own special form OF treating this malady, as
In many instances they disagree as to the true
source Of the disease. In some one or two stables
HOMEOPATHY
s practised, and again, In another stable they were
injecting solution OF tar, alcohol and beladOnna
into the mouth, and also applying strong lnIments
TO the throat. Tar appeared TO be q favorite rem
edy and Is administered In various forms.
Talking with the foreman at the stables OF the
Twenty third street line OF stages found that the
most popular preventative and remedy in use with
them was
TAYL0R's COMPOUND
food, manufactured By the Manhattan Feed Mil
Company. This food looks like kind OF meal, and
has salty taste. The proprie tors OF the Twenty
third street, the Broadway and Fourteenth
street and the other stage lines have used
it for their horses some time. The foreman
rxwo htrd atr 0a ted