/---/ Pick up a history book and learn something. This is just one aspect.
In late nineteenth century, New York contained somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 horses. All transport, whether of goods or people, was drawn by horses, from fancy carriages pulled by the finest breeds, to cabs and horse trolleys and countless carts, drays, and wains – all working to deliver the goods needed by the City’s rapidly growing population.
Each horse produced up to 30 pounds of manure per day and a quart of urine. All of this ended up in stables or along the streets.
That added up to millions of pounds each day and over 100,000 tons per year (not to mention around 10 million gallons of urine).
By the end of the 19th century, vacant lots around New York City housed manure piles that reached 40 or 60 feet high. It was estimated that in a few decades, every street would have manure piled up to third story levels.
Streets covered by horse manure attracted huge numbers of flies.
One estimate claimed that horse manure was the daily hatching ground for three billion disease spreading flies in the United States. In winter, manure mixed with the dirt of unpaved streets to form a detestable, smelly, gooey muck.
In summer, the dried and ground-up manure was blown everywhere and the smell was overbearing.
When it rained, mini-rivers of manure flooded the streets and sidewalks, often seeping into basements.
Horses also died. Often from overwork in the middle of the street. When they died, their carcasses were often abandoned, creating an additional health issue. In 1880, New York City removed an estimated 15,000 dead horses from its streets. But sometimes a big carcass would simply be left to rot until it had disintegrated enough for someone to pick up the pieces.
Return with me to the thrilling days of yesteryear when the automobile was viewed as the solution to transportation noise, fumes and congestion.
www.newyorkalmanack.com