The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-17
SIC X TRANSIT.
The New Horse Disease
in New York.
What 1t Is and Where It Has Manifested
Itself-A Visit to the Stables Of the Eighth
Avenue and Sixth Avenue Railroad
Lines-Horss Hospitals, Puzzled Doe
tors and vexed Railroad Companies.

In these tunes, when the metropolis lives literally
IN trdnsitu, and when the great question OF the
day Is the problem OF locomotion, anything afect-
ing that most useful servant of man, the horse, Is
matter of great interest to the public OF New
YORK. We all remember the vital interest taken
py the pubic IN the still memorable season Of
epizooty'" ana at the present moment there are
symptoms OF new disease affecting the horse
strange complaint which, although entirely diff
ferent rom the epzoory, yet threatens TO serk
ously retard the business Of the great lines Of city
railroads, unless speedily checked.
This disease seems TO be rather when reduced
to It's element. a series OF diseases, maniiestina
localities, and being characterized In one place by
q certain set OF physical PHENOMENA which do not
characterize 1t at another.
Various rumors have been prevalent concerning
this disease and contradictory reports have been
put into circulation The managers OF the railroad
lines have endeavored 20 keep the matter quiet
as possible, ana have denied the existence OF any
disease at all on their own particular line though
acknowledging frankly enough that several
lines have been seriously crippled, While the gen'
eral public have been told all sorts OF things.
representative OF the HERALD has recently made
the tour OF the stables, and the following facts
relative to the matter under consideration have
been discovered
The disease originally broke out in the stage
line owned by Andrews d Co., running on Fifth
avenue and down Broadway to Fulton ferry.
FIRST, the eyes OF the horses were Affected; the
eye began to swell little and then to close, while
watery matter was exuded. Then swelhnga
broke out on the body, on the fOreshouIder and
the hip and the horse was disabled from work.
Shortly after The breaking out OF these unpleas@
ant symptoms several of the horses on the sixth
avenue line were noticed TO refuse their iced for
several days together without any apparent
reason. They did not seem to suffer any. They
evnced no restlessness, they merely hung theiI
heads down like so many strickened sheep, and
pined away as if they were in the very last
stages of hopeless attachment. They grew
that they were unable to do any work. Other
horses followed their example. refused their
and thinner, til finally from 100 to $50
horses were thus affected, though not all
a. one time on the sixth % av Sn line alone;
that up to the present moment the ''dispensatlon"
has not been seriously felt. None OF the horses
have died nor are expected to die. Inc worst that
can happen is mat for u certain time 4 certain
NUMBER OF horses viii be lncapacitated for work.
The treatment pursued on the sixth avenue line
in this distemper is very simple. The animals are
simply permitted TO rest, and are not forced to
saitpetre is given to them occasionally aud il the
eye "runs,' us is the case IN lew INSTANCES 1t Is
Datheu in Il solution.
On the nrst day of the disease making it's ap
pearance in the Sixth avenue line stables eighteen
horses were affected, on the second day the num-
her rose to forty, and before the END OF tne hrse
week scventy-nIne were down."
Concerning the disease the stable men in charge
OF the horses differ. some say thai it is disease
OF the nervous system, affecting "the SPIRITS of
the animal similar to melanchoa In the human
race. Others AGAIN, hold that it Is merely weak
ness" MISUNDERSTANDING unconnected with
! the nerves aud more immediately relating 10
| the stomach and the digestive organs. II any re.
! han &c m I'M n,
patient, 1t would seem that the nervous idea is te
! correct one, Tor a more melancholy, more de.
pressed looking object than horse laborlng under
the disease cannot conceived. He looks like
the last run OF shad." and as she did not care
! whether school kept in or no."
! The peculiarly OF the disease appears to be that
the horse Is drawn up. rs 1t were, AT the hips, as
If he was frightened az the Kidneys. These lattel
organs are Effected somewhat IN tins disease,
when is favorably affected by nitre. ana, IN fact,
as soon as the Kidneys are acted upon The disease
appears to leave.
Dry hay and saltpetre diet and rest seem to bs
the essentials OF treatment.
superintendent Bld90Od. OF the sixth avennt
line, considers that the disease IL simply phase
OF the ordinary complaint known as 'pinkeye,"
the eyes running less water than usual and the
weakness being more marked The superintendent
asserts that the disease runs It's course IN lrOm
three to five DAYS, after which the animal returns
to his feed and his work as usual.
The chief seat Of the present horse epidemic,
however, mas been at the stables OF the Eighth
Avenue Railroad Company. There, too, they pre-
tend to ignore the disease most thoroughly; but,
spite OF official reticence, the Signs of the disten.
ment. The disease has made itself not only seen
but felt, and that seriously
Ten cars, eight day and two night cars, have
been s'wlthdrawn" from the road IN consequence
OF having no horses to pull them, and several
horses have died rom the disease, whatever 1t is.
The disorder has in this locality assumed the
proportions OF an epidemic. IL has attacked al
one time or another and in different degrees OF
intensity. some $50 horses, OF which 100 have been
down with the disease at one time.
The disease has here manifested itself in more
pronounced symptoms than anywhere else. rhe
/
their appetite and very large per.
Affected snH like se brook In
June, and their lower limbs swell from the hips
and shoulders down. Their prostration is ex.
IRENE, and for all practical purposes they may be
considered as hOrs (e) dc combat.
A somewhat noticeable feature also is the fact
that bowel complaints and colo seem to accom-
pany this disorder. One OF the hosters connected
with the Eighth avenue stables assured the
cases OF bowel complaint and collie among the
horses in the last three weeks than in any other
six months to his knowledge, and he had been i'll
| MS present post Tor many years.
AS for the morse doctors they are completely at
sea concerning tie precise nature OF the disease
as revealed in these stables. some say 1t s pad
case OF "plnkeye,r others certain that II Is q
form OF stomachc disorder while q third class
! insist unon the disordered nerve hypothesis.
However much they may differ in theory
as to It's cause, they all agree In the treat,
of the disorder Rest, diet. letting the horse
alone, little saltpetre or nltre, dry hay and air
are all that required. With these the majority
OF the animals Affected will get well, while those
which die under this treatment would Idle any.
way.n
| IL is also confidently expected by the managers
OF the city railroad lines tha with the coming adj
vent OF fine weather., the disease, whatever 1t is
! will disappear altogether.
1t should here be mentloned that while the sixth
! and Eighth avenue lines are principally Affected
by the distemper, all the lines OF horse railroad IN
! the city more or less affected Cases nave
| broken out in the stables OF the Seventh avenue
! and Broadway line, ana the Third Avenue Com.
| pany has been considerably exercised in spirit
! from the same cause
GENET'S FORFEITED BONDS