By David Peel
It’s 1894. You are in a bustling city like New York. Like, you have a horse. The taxis are also horse drawn. So are all the delivery wagons, the fire department, etc.
Every day, each horse drops about 15 to 30 pounds of manure, adding up to millions of pounds that had to go somewhere. if you notice the walk-ups on television shows about New York there’s always a steep stairway coming from the road. This is why.
Literally mountains of the streets and there was just nowhere for it to go. They had long stopped needing more fertilizer and it would be piled up on empty lots.
Navigating through the streets was like maneuvering through a minefield, with “crossing sweepers” hired to clear paths for pedestrians. Wet weather turned roads into swamps, while dry spells kicked up dust that choked everyone and coated buildings.
With no air-conditioning in the building buildings, you had to make a choice between breathing and the stench or cooking in your office in your business suit.
The manure wasn’t just a stinky mess; it was a breeding ground for flies that spread diseases like typhoid.
Deadly outbreaks were common, and the water supply often got polluted.
But here’s the kicker: people back then couldn’t see a way out. They thought cities would drown in horse poop by 1944. Urban planning meetings ended in frustration because no one had a solution.
No one saw a way out.
Enter the unexpected hero: technology. Cars, buses, and electric trams started replacing horse-drawn carriages. Gasoline engines made transportation cleaner and more efficient, putting an end to the manure nightmare. Ironically gasoline was seen as the cleanest alternative anyone could imagine.
An electric cars became common as well, but they were limited by range in charging stations just as they are now.
As cars took over, accidents initially became less common. Horses were unpredictable beasts, prone to spooking and causing mayhem. People and horses were getting hurt or killed way too often.
There was no way then they would expect cars to be traveling at 60 miles an hour and killing 45,000 people per year in the US alone.
But looking back, the Horse Manure Crisis of 1894 teaches us a valuable lesson: never underestimate the power of innovation.
It’s a reminder that even the messiest problems can have surprisingly simple solutions that we cannot easily foresee.
What problems seem insurmountable now that might be solved easily?
Peel seeks justice for those injured in tractor trailer and car accidents, medical malpractice, and disability. He often addresses churches, clubs and groups without charge. Peel may be reached through PeelLawFirm.
