The Socorro chieftain., 1908-12-05
CHAMBERS SPREADING
The Cattle Sanitary Board Is Al
armed at Prevalence of the
Dangerous Disease.
RAGING IN ROOSEVELT COUNTY
Board Was in Session Tuesday TO
Consider Steps to Stamp Out
Malady.

Members of the New Mexico
cattle sanitary board gathered
in Albuquerque yesterday. saws
the Albuquerque Journal. to con-
slider a very serious epidemic of
CHAMBERS which has broken out
among horses in Roosevelt coun-
ty and has now spread over the
entire county, threatening to i'm
wade neighboriug counties unless
some immediate and effective
method may be found for stamp
ing out the disease.
f.. h, Manning, of Maxwell
City; Captain Austin, c. l.. Bal
lard, of Roswell: w. c. McDon-
aid, of Carrizo2o; J. ID. Cristo-
pher, of Carlsbad, members of
the board, arrived yeserday and
were in consultation during the
day. Definite action was delay
ed awaiting the arrival today of
Victor CulberSon, of Silver City,
and Cole Railston, of Socorro
county, the other members.
The first appearance of the
disease was reported several
weeks ago 1t was not conSid-
cred serious, and it was not until
quite recently that the wide
range over which the epidemic
had spread became known. The
farmers and horse owners failed
to recognize the fever, as they
term, as the first manifestation
of CHAMBERS, and consequently no
reports were made until horses
began to die in considerable num-
bers.
AS soon as the reports began
to come in from widely separate
districts, Secretary Austin COM
municated with the bureau of
animal industry at Washington
and asked to have DIR. lines, who
is superintendent of this district,
sent to investigate. DR.. lines
sent an inspecting veterinary
from Amarillo, Texas, and went
to the district himself with Cap
tain Austin.
Their investigation, which was
hurried, showed that the disease
has appeared over an area from
ten or twelve miles south of Por-
tales to a point north we'll into
Quay county; that Roosevelt
county is permeated with the
disease, and that it has appear
ed in Quay. Thus far the dis
ease is confined entirely to horS-
es. The board has no means of
knowing what the losses have
been so far, but they are heavy.
All members of the cattle
board are experienced growers
of horses and cattle, and all of
them recognize the situation as
serious. The attorney general
has given it as his opinion that
the board has power under the
act creating it to take charge,
and the bureau of animal indus
try will be asked for assistance.
A quarantine will be placed on
Roosevelt county as quickly as
possible, and the board is now
considering even more radical
steps, which may be found nec-
eSsary to check the disease.
we recognize the situation as
serious" said Captain Austin
last night. and are meeting now
to take such steps as may be
necessary to check the epidemic.
Our inspection has shown the
disease to have gained full head
way before il was recognized by
horseownerS at all. There has
been constant exchange of in
fected horses and in this way the
disease has been and has appear
ed in neighboring counties. The
investigation made by DR.. lines
has fully established the nature
of the disease and vigorous
measures will be taken to check
it.
Our most serious trouble is
likely to come from the owners
Of the infected horses. In our
recent trip we encountered
number of owners of diseased
animals who protested vigorous
ly against our investigation and
held that the disease was not
glanders. There is, however, no
chance for mistaking it, and the
board will have to depend to
large extent upon the intelligent
cooperation of owners 10 stamp
it out.