The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-09-21
The Pcstilsnce at Norfolk and Ports
mouth.

That dreadful disease the yellow fever-is rag
ing in the above cities with a violence which -
alInos, incredible and creating vide spread dis
tress which calls foe our most sciiye aud earnest
.vmpsthIes A gentleman whose high ideas oil
his duty 10 his trends keeps him In Portsmouth,
writes thus 10 the Salem Gazette;
a proposition was yesterday submitted 10 our
people and those Of Norfolk, BY the noble city OF
Baltimore, 10 this ELECT remove every remain
inc man. woman and child, from both cities, TO
Sone ,slubrious point within reach, say old Point
Comfort, or the Rip-RaPs, and the people OF Bal
,imore ODER To assist in conducting the removal,
ard IN clothing aud provisioning them, 80 long as
inv NAV be obliged to remain there. But the
difficulty in the way Is this tina, every individual
who remains in health u probably charged
throughout his system with the pcrniclous iniec.
,ion and that q transportation Of the Kind would
oaly bring out the disease in greater violence than
IL they should remain here. Agrin, every house
that i inhabited has yellow fever cases, and IN
very many instances the house Is a complete laz.
arctic, every individual, parents and children,
white and black, Is down sick with Il. one dying
with black WON'T, Their delirious, Others IN the
collapsed state, and Others just taken. Aud, more
over, there are not now enough well persons 10
take care OF the SICK. Sclniy and insufficient as
Is our supply Of medical attendance, the suffering
IN Consequence OF lack Of nursing and proper at.
tendance Is incomparably greater, and begsars oil
description, The Academy building, opposite my
house i filed 10 its Utmost capacity, with orphan
children, whose fathers and mothers have persisted
In this awful plague. Some VI themare not three
weeks old. II Is under contemplation tn seize
upon the public buildings, IN the present dire eS.
tIemiy and Convert ihrm into temporary hospi.
tals,-say, the Court House, the Halls Of Socic-
ties, possibly the Churches. The few citizens
who remain on their feet, 10 constitute the adj
mini.traiiye Council of the town, are at their
wits end Noble men, their number has been
sadly diminished. But God still mercifully pre-
serves some, and they are men who merit more
than the bero's anasni. You would scarcely
credit what some oCihem have done, have suffered,
have endured, and sacrificed.
In Norfolk, the state Of things Is at least, equal.
" awful, for their citizens were begued by ny.
sicians and editors into deceitful security, aud
they did not begin Zee until the disease had be-
come a irighifnl eI. ic throughout every part
oil the city. Although baltimore has tsoor three
times sent them on lots Of lilly collins ut a time,
they cannot find enough for their dead bodies
On Monday, forty corpSes were lying unburied,
aud not a coffin in the city; In this awful emer-
gency, they sent over TO the commander Of the
navyyarl. implvring him TO have some fifty
boxes nailed up ia the coarsest, hastiest manner,
for the reception OF corpses. | could narrate
things which would curdle your blood, il you
could make up your mind 10 credit them"