The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-08-02
THE CATTLE PLAGUE.
SCORES OF sovINes DIE At CHICAGO.
Out of a Herd of Six Hundred shipped
from Indian Territory, Over One
Fourth Succumb to Texan Fever
In Other Localities.
DISEASED CATTLE SLAIN.

CHICAGO, July 3l.-Wrlthing in horrible
agony, alternately moaning piteousy and
believing in rage, l6, cattle consigned for
sale at the Chicago Union Stock-yards have
died of the dreaded Texas fever. For,
according to both Health Commissioner De
Wolf, DR.. n. II. Paaren State Veterinarian.
the worst fear of the stockmen who wit
messed the ravages Of the malady last Mon
day are confirmed by the symptoms manifest.
ed by those animals discovered in the
thrOes OF death and by the appearance Of
the internal organs when subjected to crit
ical scrutiny. Still there are doubters. it
Is certain that all OF the symptoms Of Texas
fever, including one commonly considered
of greatest Importance, are not present in
the animals infected. Four hundred
and seventy of the cattle were here
Monday. One hundred and twenty died
either on the way hither or at the
stOck-yards after their reception. One
hundred and ninety came yesterday. Six
ty-two died or were killed by health officers
yesterday, because of the disease The
total number of the cattle in the two herds
infected is $50. The rate of mortality Is
nearly twenty-five per cent Both herds
were from Fort Reno in the Indian Terri
tory, and were the property Of Frazier &
Oberty, of Kansas City.
Mr.. Harry Chlds, Superintendent of the
Kansas City Stock Yards, said the disease
was undoubtedly Spanish fever. Northern
cattle contracted it by feeding across
the trail of ''native" cattle by eat
ing kind of tick that dropped
from the bodies of the latter variety. This
tick closely resembled dog tick, and was
Matched in the stomach the parasites that
issued from it eating through into the intes-
tines. The afflicted animal died in agony
after having displayed symptoms Identical
with those noted in the cattle dying at the
yards. Native Texans were not affected by
feeding across the trails of their kind unless
they had been wntered in the North, in
which case they were equally susceptible
with the Northern cattle.
BURLINGTON, n. j., July 3l.-The ap.
pearance of the cattle disease among the
herds in Mercer and burlington Counties
has caused considerable ALARM and it is
feared that the disease is spreading rapidly.
A number Of the veterinary surgeons at
tached to the State Board Of Health are to
hold consultation for the purpose of de.
termining the nature Of the disease. Sew
pneumonia, although the symptoms are in
some respects identical.
A post-mortem examination of large
steer that had fallen a victim was made
yesterday and showed that the lungs were
enlarged beyond their natural size. The
cells were filled with solid matter and the
weight of each lung increased tenfOld. An
examination of other infected cattle showed
one lung entirely closed by the disease,
while the other was apparently healthy.
All the infected cattle around Hightstown
have been quarantined by order of the
State Board of Health.
OMAHA, Neb, July 3l.-General Freight
Agents Shelby and Smith, of the Union
Pacific and Burlington & Missouri River
lines, have forbidden agents to receive cat
tie infected with Texas fever. At Ogalalla
several cattle have died, it is supposed from
this disease At Maxwell, in this State.
the committee of cattle men appointed
to examine into the Texas fever at west
ern points went to Maxwell, accompanied
by j. III. Hopins, the veterinarian of
Wyoming Territory. They have come to
the conclusion that there exists no occa-
sion for an alarm, as the disease is self
limited and dies with the animal which has
been inoculated by grazing on tainted
ground. A herd can Craze after cattle so
diseased and yet be free from infection, the
poisonous principle eXhausting itself in the
body of the animal attacked. 1t will be
confined to the few herds in the vicinity of
Bradys Island and Maxwell already at
tackled. A correspondent interview num-
Dor of stockmen, all of whom expressed
themselves as satisfied that there is no dan
ger whatsoever to their herds.
LINCOLN, Neb., July 3l.-The commits
sion sent to Maxwell on Monday by Gov
ernor Dawes returned last night. The
members found one hundred cattle in the
vicinity of Maxwell and Brady Station dead
and as many Wore sick The infection is
confined to cattle which grazed on small
strip of land Over which two thousand
Texas cattle were driven. The disease is
not contagious. This was ascertained by
series of experiments. The railroads have
promised not to bring in any more Texas
cattle until after frost, and stOckmen in this
vicinity representing five million dollars
worth of cattle have combined to prevent
any more Texans being landed if brought
in.
WASHINGTON, July 81. The Department
OF Agriculture has undertaken to investigate
the epidemic in cattle. Speaking of the
subject, DR.. Salmon, the Veterinarian Of
the Department, said:
We have a few kilograms from Kansas, Ne
braska and Colorado notifying US of the out
break of disease in cattle, and asking assist
ance. We can, however, give them nothing
but advice. The law provides that the Com
of Agriculture may expend the APP
preparation iSsco operation with State autbori-
ties only when necessary TO prevent disease
from spreading to other States. There 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 animals have been pastured. South
ern animals do not stcken but they alone
the disease. The disease Is
Texas fever. | have no doubt of it, 1t does
not come from Texas alone, however, but
from many portions south. think that the
appearance OF the disease at Chicago is an in
di alton that the malady spreads from state
to State as a contagion. The cattle which are
affected in Chicago probably took it from
pens where Southern cattle had been FED.
Affected tile viii ole, and the
disease will end with them. II is surprisin1
thai people do not learn the nature of this
thing. We have this outbreak year after year,
yet measures to prevent il are not taken.
The epidemic should be studied. Southern
cattle should only be moved n winter. They
may be novel tt1n and without danger OF
the disease. They do not suf-
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