The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-07-27
The Cholera in 1892.

A new and fatal disease always occasions
more alarm by the apprehensions of the peo-
pie than by its actual ravages. The symp-
toms of the cholera are now we'll understood.
and it yields 20 prompt and efficient treat
ment in majority of cases. But at its first
appearance in this country in 1882 it created
universal terror. Travel was suspended and
the common civilities of life were in manv
cases refused. MIR. Everett,in recent speech
gave leaf from his personal history, illus
trating this terror
1t was in the month of July, 1882. Con-
gress adjourned on the 10th on FRIDAY. the
2oth, arrived with my family-three adults
and four young children-at Jersey Civ
then very lnconsiderable place, and fur
nlshlng but scanty accommodations for stran-
gers. The regular communication between
New York and the east had ceased no boat
returned from Providence on Saturday. Sew
eral members of Congress with their families
~ere' like myself detained at Jersey City and
as the panic was rapidly spreading and threat
ened to cut off all travel by lard as well as
water, the state of things was of no little con-
cern and gravity.
on Saturday, the 2lst. partly to while a.
way the weary hours, partly from desire 10
see great city under visitation of fearful
epidemic, determined to cross over to New
York. The ferry boat still piled occasionally
IN the course of the day. had read the ac
count of the plague of Athens by Thucydides
-of that OF London by DE Foe Il was de-
sirous OF seeing our own great metropolis
under siinilar circumstances. Concealinp
from my ia nliv and friends the cause of nv
disappearance. | crossed the ferry and walk
ed through Cortlandt Street far up Broad.
way. There was greater life and move
ment IN the streets than expected to find
but 1t was still most mournful sight. Bus
mess seemed almost wholly at a stand more
than halt the population had gone into the
country !; many houses and shops were shut
up ready made cotfns were exposed at eve.
ry corner. 1t appeared to be the dav of the
greatest mortality; two hundred and twelve
! persons died that day. The cold gripe of
death was upon the heart of the great CITY ;
terror aggravated the ravages of disease. and
all the energy. the resource, the vitality of
the mighty metropolis quaied for a s.time
before the pestilence that walketh in dark
ness, and the destruction that wasteth At
MONDAY" 1t was a sight never to be for
/ gotten.
/ The Franklin came back from Providence
on Sunday. with orders not to return till
Tuesday. We were able through the kind.
ness of friend. {. A. Davis, Esq, in the d.
rect'on OF the company, to cause her to be
dispatched on Monday. We had beautiful
night on the Sound the exhilerating air of
the sea pat all thought of the infection at de-
fance. We were not however permitted to
land at Newport. and We learned that the
same prohibition would be enforced at Prov
ldence. Alter anxious counsel we entered
taunton river, and anchored off Somerset,
the frontier town of Massachusetts in that
quarter. Here we procured visit bv re-
spectacle physician from Fall River, who
gave US clean bill of health. Fortified with
this We obtained the permission of the select
men of Somerset to land within the limits of
that township. We sent to Providence for
carriages which reached US late in the day,
and We then landed. drove through the corn
fields at Somerset and across Seekonk plains
to Providence turnpike.
1t was now near midnight. and we had
been without retreshment since an early
breakfast. The landlord of the public house
at which we stopped refused to admit US,
because We had come from the boat" | at
tempted to get in at a window, il the hopes
OF finding a cup of milk for the little ones.
but he set mastitf upon me- We were
compelled to drive on unretreshed to Attle-
borough. There at a house kept by Mr..
Perkins, We stopped. As soon as We had a.
reused the inmates and made known our
sad plight the door was thrown vide open ::
the best the house afforded set before US;
comfortable cup of tea and good beds made
US forget the hard experience of the day. and
in the morning the bill for nv whole rarty,
!: three adults and four children was if re-
member rightly. dollar and a quarter. Mr..
Mayor, do not know whether nv humble
name will be remembered long after | am
gone, but Ii it Is, | wish the name of that
good Samaritan may be remembered with it.
| recollect the name of the other man who
had the mastitf but will not tell it. dare
say he acted up to his light His inhospi-
tality (as Lord Bacon says of taking bribes)
was rltium Tci non homiRis the fault not
of the individual but of the times. He wan
ted to protect his children perhaps from what
he thought the danger of contagion, as
wished for cup of milk for mine. We
drove on. refreshed and cheerful to Polly's,
at Wa pole, one of those admirable New
England country taverns of which only the
memory is left. and there We got an excellent
breakfast. although "the neighbors complain
r ed" of our worthy landlord "for admitting
, people " no had come from the boat"