The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-08-11
MANY DEAD HORSES
Powell Bros. of Washington Lose
Over Three Hundred Head
in This City.
CAUSE IS UNKNOWN
But IL Apparently Sc0ur-Animals
Being Buried Under Direction
Of County Health Board.

"a spectacle, tho like Of whioh has
never been witnessed in Billings, and
possibly il the northwest, was that
seen at the Northern Pacific stock yards
Wednesday and yesterday, when over
800 range horses out .ofea total Of 55S,
died from either sepsf, poisoning or some
contagiou3 diss6se. The horses, with
few excoptjs6a, were young stock and
Of fine flesh and their death means a
loss Of something like $4,000 to their
owners. Powell Bros. Of North Yak.
ina, Wash, who are we'll known ship.
pers Of range horses, arrived here Tues
day evening with twenty carloads, num-
beling about 575 head, which were
consigned to them at Omaha, and were
.tQ be taken into Iowa for markell
They were loaded at Coulee City,
Wash, aud fed and watered first at
Spokane. Az they were to be shipped
to Omaha from Billings Oh the b. &
M, they were unloaded in the North.
ern Pacific stock yards the evening Of
their arrival here, and fed aud watered.
While unloading ten were found to be
dead In the oars and nearly all seemed
to be troubled with securing. The an
iinals were first fed and about two
hours afterwards watered, but instead
OF relieving their condition 1t made
them worse, for tbey commenced to die
at All alarming -Mte, They were left in
the yards all night and watched by the
employees, but by morning they were no
better. One Of the owners, Finly
Powell, who accompanied them,
thought 1t was something about the
yards that caused their death, and the
horses were accordingly turued out Oh
the surrounding fiat. But this did not
help matters. They were out there but
n short time, yet about seventy five Of
the number fell to the ground and OK.
pired. The others were driven back
into the yards, where they continued to
die off Wednesday. Wednesday night
and part Of yesterday, until nearly $50
Of the number had gone. The symp.
't6YlS seemed to be similar to Aoour.
After being turned into the yards again
many Of the horses seemed to be taken
with blind staggers and after running
around the yards would bump their
heads against the strong fence, fall
back on the ground and die. Some be.
came 80 weak that they fell to the
ground and died III terrible eonvul.
sions.
Stock Inspector John W. Collins was
at the yards when the horses arrived,
but he was unable to determine the
cause leading up to their DEATH We'd.
neSday he telegraphed for State Veteri.
MARIAN N. u. Knowles OF Helena and
expected that gentleman Or his assistant
yesterday, but neither arrived and no
word was received from them. Word
has since been received that both the
gentlemen were out Of the city, but
had been notified and would most like
ly arrive here tomorrow morning.
Arrangements were made Wednes-
day noon for saving the hides and the
horses were dragged to the lots just
EAST Of the yards, where gang of men
were put to work skinning them.
The man who was doing the work had
taken the job Of burying the animals
For the hides, but after his men had
skinned about two hundred he
stopped the work The question of
what to do with the oarcasses puzzled
The local officials Of the Northern
Pacific and In answer to telegram
Horn and Trainmaster
,. Boyle came down from Livingston
mrning, The railroad off,
'ials put large force of men and
eams at work digging two long
renohes, four feet deep. near the yards
md the huTyinR Of the caroasses Is be-
ng done under the direction of the
county board Of health, with whom the
'tticials conferred, II IL thought
he work will be completed tonight.
Plenty Of sulphate of lime is being
lsed, which II Ia thought will prevent
he arising Of terrible odoEs which
night otherwise permeate the atmos,
,here, The railroad company Ia doing
IN its power to prevent any
nconveaienoes to the city or its sani-
AIRY condition,
ME, Powell, who accompanied the
lorses to Rillings, feels AZ though his
'oeketb0ok had been stepped on BY an
Elephant. aud well he may, He has
averal hundred head of horses more ON
he range, which he contemplated ship
ling, bat he may change his mind after
aeh q calamity, He submitted to a
hort interview with The Gazette re-
'0ytey yesterday, When asked how
many dead horses there were he said