Evening star., 1950-03-12
The Peril Of Pigs and Goats
By John CIoqett Proctor

py JOHN Sio9eII TIoCtoT
Washington has always had
traffic laws, even during Its hog
and billy-goa days. which may be
said to have preceded the horse
and-buggy days. There was a
time in the early days Of this
city when hogs, goats and cattle
were almost as much of menace
to travel as dobbin later became
and Notwithstanding to popu-
lation-as dangerous as is the
present automobile in the hands OF
a reckless driver.
On one occasion q fatal acci-
dent occurred when a man, COM
ing from the post Office. then in
the Blodget Hotel Building on
E street between Seventh and
Eighth streets, was run into by
a pig and injured so badly that
he died later. Accidents of this
kind, though not quite so bad,
occurred so frequently at an early
date that by act Of June 3. 1883,
it was provided:
ut shall not be lawful for hogs
to 60 at large in the City of
Washington: and if any hog or
hogs shall be found going at large
therein it shall be lawful for any
police officer or other person or
persons, and it is hereby made
the duty of every police officer in
this city to seize and take up
every hog going at large as afore-
said and convey the, same to the
Washington Asylum, and the same
shall become forfeit to the cor
poration of the city and be ap-
propriated to the use of said
asylum. Any person who shall
take up and convey to the afore-
said asylum any hog found going
at large in the city shall, pro-
ducing the receipt of the intend
ant therefore to the register of the
city, receive for any hog so de-
livered 81, to be paid out of the
general fund; and the intendant
shall report to the Mayor quar-
terly the number and description
OF the hogs so received, and from
whom, during the preceding three
months"
Goats Bonned, Too
And section % of the act of
January II. 1856, makes the fol-
lowing provisions relating to
goats:
ut shall not be lawful for any
animal of the goat kind to run
at large in this city. and the
owner OF every goat so found run
ming at large shall pay not less
than three or more than five dol
lars for every time such goat may
be found at large; and it shall be
the duty of the police contahles
to kill any such animals when
found running at large"
The coming Of the steam rail-
road to this city in 1885 added
another peril. Washington has
lost as many people in wrecks,
grade crossings and in other ways
through the operation here of the
iron horse as it has lost in all the
Nations wars in which it had a
part.
It is also quite probable that
during the period when the horse
was king there were as many lives
lost in Washington. according to
population and the number of
horses then in use, as there are
automobile fatalities today. Just
how many horses there, were in
this city back in 1879 the writer
is unable to say, but there must
have been great many, for a
few years subsequent to this time
there were 81 livery stables here
and in Georgetown. Some of
these. at least, took care of more
than 300 horses, besides. which
there were many private stables
throughout the city. The street.
car lines doing business in WASH
ington at that time included the
Columbia Railway Co., which ran
along H street and New York ave-
nue. and from Bladensburg road
NE. to Fifteenth street NE, the
car barns being near Fifteenth
street NE; the Anacostia 81 Po-
tomac River line: the Capitol,
North o Street & South WASH
ington Railway Co. - probably
what we used to call the Belt
Line: the Metropolitan Railroad
Co., which then included the F.
and Ninth street lines; the WASH
ington g. Georgetown Railroad
Co., which included the present
Pennsylvania avenue, Seventh
and Fourteenth street lines, now
known as the Capital Transit Co.,
and the Bridgtwood line.
These carlines employed many
horses as did the herdic line, the
express and ice companies and
the hacks. And there were ever
so many other uses to which the
horse was put, and If the automo-