The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-05-05

the Treasury. There are plenty of competent
men In the republican party, who sustain the
policy of the administration, and will be glad
to accept the positions thus made vacant
!
That Old Woman with tho Cholera.
1t is singular how often little common sense
will change panic into a laugh. On Thurs
day the whole city was in the greatest alarm
on account Of the discovery of the first case of
cholera and yesterday everybody was joking
about the very case that had caused all this
alarm. 1t appears that ON the corner Of Ninety
third street and Third avenue there is three
story frame house, which, up to Tuesday last,
was inhabited by five families The cellar was
| filed with stagnant water, the yard was
crowded with goats and pigs, the surroundings
were emphatically described Is filthy. Among
the residents of this house was Mrs. Jenkins,
| and about week ago she undertook to empty
the privy in order to use it's contents as fer !
tilizer for her potato patch She proceeded
with this work until Monday afternoon, when
she became very i'll, sent for physician and
died in few hours. Half dozen doctors in
yestigated the cause Of her deccase, and it was
formally decided that Mrs. Jenkins had died of
Asiatic cholera. The whole neighborhood was
excited, the terrible intelligence spread through
the city like wild fire. and the Board Of Health
felt called upon to take very vigorous measures
to prevent infection. Consequently the bed
ding and clothing Of the deceased were imme-
diately burned six barrels of chloride of lime
were strewn over the premises; the dead
body was removed to the morgue; the other re-
sidents were ordered to vacate the house; o
fire engine was employed to cleanse the build
ing, which the authorities threatened to burn if
water did not purify it sufficiently, and shelter
tents were provided for the accommodation of
the poor people thus turned out of their home.
More than this, an agent was appointed to keep
watch over the sanitary condition Ofevery per-
son who had visited the dwelling while Mrs.
Jenkins was i'll, and a learned investigation
was commenced as TO the reason why cholera
should make its first appearance upon high
bluff like that at Niaety third street. Instead Of
in some swampy locality.
No ono will deny thataall these precautions
were very proper under sbe circumstances, and
that they were admirably designed to foresall
any danger of contagion. indeed, their obvi-
GUS effect would be to scarepeople out of any
idea of having the cholera. To be afflicted
with the disease is quite bad anough; but when
We are warned beforehand thft our clothing
will be burned, our housesl and furniture
drenched by fire engines, and Jour neighbors
qusrantiDed in shelter-tents, if We happen to
| die Of The disease, no rigbt-minded person will
take the cholera If every possible care can save
him from it. But to err is human, and
doctors decisions are not exceptions to the
adsge. Instead Of having the desired effect the
very proper precautions adopted made every
body feel little qualmish, and rumors
OF Osher cholera cases in Mulberry street nnd
elsewhere began to be circulated through tie
city. The public, in fact were fast sinking
into that state Of fear which is q positive en-
cOnragement to epidemics, and not until yes
terday's HERALD appeared did ''that old woman
with the cholera" change from . terror to a
witticism. We published yesterday letter
from Mr.. Jenkins, the husband Of tho deceased
woman, in which he declares the statements in
regard 10 the death of his wife decidedly err
roneous The friends Of Mrs. jenkins are more
emphatic in conversation than in print. They
assert that she did not die Of cholera at all
but Of disease somewhat resembling cholera.
with which she has been afflicted for more than
a year past. Another correspondent puts for
ward the theory that Mrs. jenkins died of in
haling the foul gases from the privy which she
| was cmptying and he shows that cramps in
the stomach are among the symptoms induced
| by such inhalatons. II is very likely that the
4 -. ct. - A. 4.
| tors wrong. AT any rate the public accept
that conclusion. They remember the case Of
the old lady in Delaney street who was re-
| ported as having died of cholera, but who was
| afterwards ascertaincd to have been poisoned
I They remember the case of the boy on the
| west side Of the town who died Of disease Of
the brain, tut who was at once set down
as a victim of cholera. They can see moth
| ing so singular in the death OF Mrs. Jen-
kins that they must call in the cholera to ac-
count for il. If woman who had been i'll
! for year did not die after weeks work at
emptying privy then there would be some
room for astonishment. We hope, therefore,
that the Board of Health will not burn down
| the house OF Mr.. Jenkins. The investigation
as 70 the cause of the unheslthiness of high
bluffs may also cease. II is like the old scien-
tifc puzzle as to why meat decayed sooner in
y light cellar than in dark cellar, which was
finally settled by the discovery that meat did
not thus decay. Let the Board OF Health sup
press all such great nuisances as the bone boil
ing establishments and preserve the public
mind from panic, and we shall have no cholera
here even though few old ladies do happen
to depart this life for better during the sum-
mer. But once start an uncomfortable panic
and the city is doomed
COLLAPSE OF A NATIONAL BANK AT WASHING