Durango semi-weekly herald. (Durango, Colo.) 1899-1907, 1903-11-05

"i.' nan pceh one VI US Tor the past
thirty years
DANGER TO COUNTRY
OF ANIMAL DISEASE.
Immense Losses From Foot and
Mouth Outbreak in New ENGLAND
Last Ne measures Taken to
Stamp 1t Out.
Secretary Of Agriculture Wilson's or
der regoking the quarantine In force
against cattle, hogs and sheep In Mas
sachnseds and New Hampshire, which
mad been made necessary on account
Of the outbreak OF the foot and mouth
disease IN those states a year ago, re-
calls the excitement which prevailed
everywhere at that time. The secre-
tary acted with coInmendabIe prompt.
ness in stamping out this dangerous
diseaae. although the department
came In for a great deal of vigorous
condemnation for its action In GER
tain cases.
ir. d. u. Salmon chief of the bur
eau of animal industry. had the mat
ter of wiping out the disease in charge.
and at the meeting of the National
Farmers congress told an Interesting
story OF his operations He said;
we had for years maintained a rig
Id quarantine OF all susceptible ami
mails coming from countries where
the disease existed; we had taken
special precautions to insure so far
as osRible the dslnfection Of hides
from infected countries; we had held
up, inspected and in some cases quar-.
antlned menagerie animals; we had
been particularly careful to prohibit
or disintect haiters. feedbags. hay and
bedding that came with animals from
infected countries,
THE entrance of the contagion was
therefore mystery and one which
has not vet been satisfactorily cleared
up. What we know is that the dis
ease was Arst seen near the docks and
spread from there toward the interior.
There are of course many ways in
which the contagion might be brought
and escape our inspectors, but it does
not often come through such chan
uels. as is roved by the fact that this
Is the first outbreak of the disease
that we have had in twenty years. and
the only one that We have ever had
that could not be traced 10 the i'm
portation OF diseased cattle.
when | arrived at Boston, Dec.
/, more than 100 herds OF diseased cat
tie had already been discovered in
Massachusetts. Rhode Island and Yer
mont.
The local quarantine was largely
disregarded, and people going from
one stable to another carried the con-
tagion and extended the infected
area. Cattle dealers were gathering
up animals in the infected sections
and shipping them to market; in some
cases they sent them to other states,
Cars We're thus infected, with i'm
minent danger of their carrying the
disease to the interior of the country.
Newly diseased herds were reported
daily, In this emergency it was nee
essary to stop the expectation of cat
tie and sheep from Boston; 1t was also
necessary to quarantine the states In
which the disease existed, and to pre-
vent cattle. sheep. swine and undis-
infected railroad cars from going to
other states.
After duly considering the practi-
cal impossibility Of maintaining an
efficient quarantine of the diseased
herds, and the failure of other coun-
tries which had endeavored to con
troll such outbreaks by quarantine. 1t
was decided to kill at once all sus.
cetible animals upon the premises
where the disease was found.
This plan was carried out, and the
only exceptions made were in the case
of herds which had gone through the
disease and entirely recovered before
they could be reached Before the
work had progressed very far 1t was
found that the disease also existed in
New Hampshire. and had been quite
extensively disseminated in that
state.
"The same regulations were applied
there as In the other infected states
AS soon as possible after the herds
were killed. the barns, stables and
ldTuS were ulSlultCleu ny tIdlueu uiell
and at government expense. In some
eases the hay straw and other fodder
were purchased and burned.
las Il result of this thorough work
the disease was stamped out, and nc
new territory was infected after the
government force was organized and
upt into the field.
The measures adopted to suppress
this outbreak were looked upon by
some citizens as extremely arbitrary
and harsh. and the department OF ag
rlculture has even been censured fol
securing the prosecution and convic
| ton of men who deliberately violated
the quarantine and drove cattle out
OF the Infected states for the purpose
OF shipping them TO the general mar
kets OF the country.
But. suppose the disease had been
spread In this manner. and new out
breaks had appeared In other states
would not The department have been
even more severely censurd for failing
to control the contagion?
There appears to be a tendency tc
| look upon laws and regulations as
things which are made TO be violat
ed. and II this tendency were encour
IL IA ,t