The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-31
THE TEXAS CATTLE FEVER.
Nine Additional CARLOADS of Diseased Cat
tIeat Chicago Action Of the Authorities.

CHICAGO July 3O.-There have been no fur
ther developments regarding the Texas fever.
The diseased cattle have been slaughtered and
condemned, and there have been no fresh ar
rivals. Those unaffected in the lot have been
sold to local butchers, subject to rigid inspection
No other cattle in the yards have been affected
in the least. The sick cattle it is asserted, do
not communicate the disease known as Texas
| fever that Inalady comes from through Texans,
which are never affected themselves. AS the
disease was brought here by imported cattle,
and not by stock direct from Texas, no further
trouble, SO far as other cattle are concerned, is
apprehended
A dispatch just received from the stockyards
announces that nine carloads more of cattle
affected with Texas fever have arrived there,
They came over the Burlington railway, from
Kansas City and belonged to the same parties
who sent in the others They were treated in
the same way. Those affected with the disease
were shot and the others isolated
Governor Hamilton arrived in Chicago from
| Springfield to-day, and State Veterinarian
Paaren called upon him to talk about the disease
! discovered at the stockyards and supposed to be
| Texas fever. The Veterinarian told the Governor
that information had been received that another
carload Of cattle suffering with fever
i
en- route last night, the men in
! charge of the stock heard Of the killing of an
/ imals yesterday by the health department. and
thereupon attempted to drop the animals at a
way station, but the citizens objected. The cat
| tie were then carried on and left at jackson
VILE where they are now. The conference be-
tween DR.. Paaren and the Governor lasted
/ an hour and the Veterinarian received instrue-
lions to proceed to Jacksonville and investigate
/ the disease. He was also ordered to conduct a
minute and technical investigation at the stock
| yards. The Governor says if the maady be Texas
/ fever, he will Immediately institutes rigid quar-
| antine. As long as the infected cattle are
| killed within twelve hours after arrival the
health commissioners think there is no danger
of the disease spreading 1t would be different
if the cattle were shipped off to fatten. The pos
sibility is that 1t would then spread. The com
missioner says it was well that the infected cat
i tie were brought to Chicago instead of being
| dropped along the way, on the prairie and in its
small villages The suspected animals can be
/ killed and used by the big rendering establish
4 ments Only Kansas City and Chicago have
such facilities for disposing of sick cattle with
/ out danger. There is no occasion whatever, the
commissioner states, for the public at large to
/ feel at all alarmed.
Opinions of the Government Veterinarian.
WASHINGTON July 30. Have you received
any reports regarding the outbreak of cattle dis
ease in the West?p asked an Associated Press
reporter of DR. Salmon, the Veterinarian Of the
Department Of Agriculture
Yes; we have few kilograms from Kansas,
Nebraska and Colorado notifying us of the
outbreak Of the disease, and asking assistance.
We can, however, give them nothing but
advice The law provides that the Com
missioner of Agriculture may expend his ap-
| preparation in cooperation with the State
authorities only when necessary to prevent
/ fron tn Ofh ap of MAR
! IS no danger, in this case, of its spreading to
! other States. The disease affects only native
cattle, and is not communicable from them.
They take it from places where Southern ami
mails have pastured. The Southern animals do
not sicken, but they alone communicate the
disease The disease is Texas fever; have not
a doubt of it. 1t does not come from Texas
j aioGi22, however, but from many points of the
/ South
is not the outbreak in Chicago evidence that
/ the disease is carried from State to Statep
II think not, as contagion. The cattle which
are affected in Chicago probably took It from
i pens where Southern cattle have been I'd The
affected cattle will die and the disease will ED
1 with them.
1T is surprising continued DR. Salmon,
that people do not learn the nature of this
thing. We have this outbreak year after year,
/ yet measures to prevent it are not taken.n
/ what steps are necessary to prevent it,
! Southern cattle should only be moved in
winter. They may be moved then, and without
danger of communicating the disease Southern
cattle, as have said, do not suffer
from the disease, as is only discoverable in
! their systems by close post-mortem examination
1 They are not injured as beef We shall try to
see if we cannot exercise some control over this
matter; but it is difficult to determine what our
| powers are under the new law. There is pro-
vision which I am inclined to think will pro-
hibit an interference with shipments direct to
market. The danger is not so great in that case
as when they are sent North to be herded for a
4 time In the one case they infect only the pens
where they are fed and the cars in which they
are transported, and in the other tho pastures