The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-07-31
From the Plains.

A correspondent of the Mo. Republican wr-
ting from about 800 miles west of Fort kearney,
under date of June 10, gives a fearful description
ofthe ravages ofthc Cholera among the emil
grants. We give some extracts:
awe have witnessed most horrible havoc of
that dread disease, cholera. That disease broke
out about the same time in every train that was
in Plum Greek valley from the LIST to the 18th of
June. have endeavored to ascertain all the
particulars, but in a great many instances l saw
graves with not even name left, and in others
the name only given. Up to this time have
counted forty graves, in sixty miles travel, and
we have passed several trains where from one to
six were sick and probably two-thrds of them are
dead ere this
"The following particulars were given me b.
a gentleman who ovsrS-ok us yesterday, and
thuvr every reason to believe them true, although
he neglected to state explicitly every thing OF
interest. He states, on the 7th, about fifteen
miles west of Plum Creek, he found small train
Of three wagons, about hata mile from the main
road, and but one man able to sit up; that Sly
were already dead and buried; four were about
dying of cholera, one had the measles, and the
other we'll, but so fatgued from nursing, that he
could scarcely stand. My informant states that
this company formed at ST. Joseph; that
some were from Buchanan, some from Livings-
ton, and some from st LOUIS
| In view OF the fact ofthe cholera having made
its unwelcomc appearance in the train, the intel
ligent correspondent says:
CHOW, Messrs Editors, will you please call
on DR.. Mcdowell and others who contend that
cholera is contag ious, and who also believe the
disease is caused from lack Of electricity in the
air, and ask them to account for this disease
breaking out in some fifty or one hundred trains
about the same time, in the centre of vast prai-
rte, at least thousand miles from any city, and
immediately following severe thundcrsorms.-
And bear in mind, the trains in which the dis
ease first appeared were from healthy counties
Cedar, Ray, &c.-and only two the trains were
from St. Louis, ours, and Halls and we had left
st. Louis before single case had occurred more
than a month ago 1t strikes me that the doc
trine that cholera if contagious, is fully exploded
and that it is merely Infectious.
| "'To give you some idea Of the sickness on the
plains this year, | will only mention few cases
that have come under my own personal obscrva-
ton. visited a train on Tuesday last Ofthe
II men composing it lG were sick. Another
train passed buried I at one time, 5 or 6 more
sick, and one dying as passed. In two instan-
ces have passed trains where all tat one had
died.--1n one instance saw at an encampmcnt
one tent left standing and another "stuck," but
lying on the ground: also a barrel of crackers
several blankets, six or ight pair Of boots, hats
coats, shirts, &c, &c, and near by five graves
1t was sad spectacle
| This writer estimates the number of deaths
that have occurred between his encampmcnt ant
Plum creek at $50. He gives the names o
those who have died, none Of which are from
this region Of country, nine-tenths ofthem bcin!
| from Missouri