Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-08-06
SuiieIinqs Of Herses al Sea.

| have the complete figures for seventy
I transports sailing between Sept. 80 and
March ~. ard carrying between them
2l.533 horses-a sufficiently broad statisti-
| cal basis TO warrant some definite con-
cIusions. The list is somewhat too long
to give in full. and | will therefore sum
Marie and anaiyZe it: Horses embarked
N,323; horses lost, 1893: percentage of loss
5.i9. These figures are seventy complet-
cd voyages: and do not include losses by
accident. The Ismore was wrecked. by
which Sl5 Were lost. and the Rapidan
broke down IN the Irish Channel through
an accident and had TO put back again,
losing lac. | eliminate the ca ses because
they involve matters of seamanship rath-
er than the conditions Of horse transport
with which they have very little to do.
After giving in tabular form some in
formation as 70 the percentage of loss
the writer speaks OF the extent to which
luck as well as merit enters into this
question. Luck, he says. is obviously in
the first place matter of the weather.
When the complete returns are examined
it is seen that they fall into three peri
DDS: % october and November. 90 De-
March. During the first or autumnal
period many very successful voyages
were made and only three distinctly bad
ones In the second or midwinter perio1
the losses We're generally heavy, and no
case less than double figures. the best
performance being that of the Saint An
drew, with rs per cent. which stands out
among the rest as most ineritorious for
y
begin 10 improve again, and better figures
are obtained in some cases. The mid
winter season acted prejudciaEy in two
distinct ways-through rough seas and
cold, which affected the horses very
severely. 70 20 to sea in bad weather is
fatal because in addition to the direct
effect on the horses, the men are down
with sickness and cannot attend to them.
Then there is another and most lmpor-
tant element of iuck-so far as the snip IS
c0nCerned-iu the condition OF the ami
fagl II "a -a.tT M 7.
they were in sorry state and in others
actually i'll. | remember seeing some col S
cmbal King at Liverpool on bitter cold
day. some Of them were clipped and only
covered with a thin piece OF sackinS, and
they had travelled through winter
night in that state. One ] noticed act
ually shaking in rigor, and sca+ceIE
able to stand as he went on board. Night
travel and open trucks were Responsible
for much. Influenza was also generally
prevalent in the winter and was intro
Guced into several ships. For instance,
the great mortality on the America
second trip was undoubtedly due to in
fictitious illness, and there were many
other cases. In at least one snip sianueFS
broke out also.
We have lost twenty-four horses. Thev
had a cold journey to the docks ana II
was terribly cold the first two nights on
board AS you know, they are scratch
lot from every sort of dealers yard, and
we took over about eighty at the Dock.
We had an awful tossing in the bay Tor
iiye days. WnlCE was u blt Oh Han"iCaP
and ali the fittings arc of the rottene-t
lpscription Great long stalls two rect
long with no gangway behind them. 50
it is Impossible % clean out the stalls
without taking the horses out. which was
out of the question tor five days, Owing
to rough weather. All the ScuDpers ana
drains got ciogged and 50 no delicate
horse had a chance. and why We did not
lose more | cannot imagine. The breast
and haunch rails were not padded, 81
hey got terribly knocked about. Every
horses tail has the hair off and in many
cases rubbed quite raw.-London Times.