492 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



along smoothly and rapid progress was being made in eliminating 

 the centers of infection in the quarantined counties. But on Octo- 

 ber 27, a report was received from Blissfield, Michigan, that some 

 stocker steers shipped from the Chicago stock yards to Blissfield 

 October 19, were sick. Dr. Mohler, in company with Michigan of- 

 ficials, left Niles for Blissfield immediately, arriving there early the 

 next morning, October 28. Three of the steers were found to be 

 affected with veiy acute lesions of foot and mouth disease, while 

 the others in the carload lot had not as yet developed any symptoms. 

 This was the first intimation anyone had that the Chicago stock 

 yards might be infected, and there were some grounds for believing 

 that the steers at Blissfield might have picked up the infection in 

 the cars in which tliey were transported to or from the Chicago 

 stock yards, rather than in the yards themselves. 



No disease as yet had been discovered in the Chicdgo stock yards ; 

 however, as a precautionary measure, the stocker and feeder di- 

 vision was closed and locked on the evening of October 28, by re- 

 quest of Dr. S. E. Bennett, the inspector in charge, who acted on 

 his own initiative in this matter soon after receiving a message by 

 wire from Dr. Mohler informing him of the outbreak at Blissfield, 

 and giving further instructions in regard to sanitary precautions 

 to be observed in handling animals at the yards. Dr. Bennett re- 

 ceived the support of all interested parties in closing this division 

 of the yards, and his action was approved by the department. 



In addition to closing the entire stocker and feeder division on the 

 night of October 28, 1914, steps were taken immediately to clean and 

 disinfect it under government supervision, to locate all shipments 

 of stoekers and feeders that had gone out from the Union Stock 

 Yards since October 1st, and all available veterinarians were sent 

 out to make inspections throughout the state of Illinois of such 

 shipments. Notices were also sent to bureau and state officials ad- 

 vising them of shipments that had gone into their territory, with 

 the request that these animals should immediately be located and in- 

 spected to ascertain if they had developed any symptoms of foot 

 and mouth disease since they left the yards. Arrangements were 

 made with the various railroad companies to call in immediately 

 their live stock cars for cleaning and disinfection, especially those 

 that had carried live stock from or through the infected districts of 

 Michigan and Indiana. All this work was done before any disease 

 appeared in the Union Stock Yards and when there was but a sus- 

 picion of it. The railroads responded willingly to the request of 



