, 1869-02-05
CALIFORNIA.

1EIFlWt0 HArAkGH Oh AH1 6kNSA ~EVA~
Tns own Of san Juau Deo,mssed.
The New York san's San Francisco (Cal.)
correspondent writes on the l24h ult
Early in Decsmbt the sns1l.p .pox broke
out IN this city. At first but little attention
vaccination. Rut the disease crew virulent
and many deaths occurred. Through some
fearful mistake number OF persons we're
vacclnated With Impure matter, and tbs oedi-
nnry medIca} trtatment eeeued to kaye
scarcely any effect upon tie disease 50
fatal weye its EaTages that pablo attention
was Immediately drawn TO it.
The people became eIcltedr and 1ure
meeting w1z held to devisc means 10 step
the spread Of the routagion. The proceca-
hgs Of this meetisg were published In the
San Francisco Journale, bns they ware toned
down to moderate degree, through'the fear
Of affecting tho usual winter and spring tide
cuye- up the fearful 1avages Of the disease
and TO conceal It's deadly character. The
streets zre filled Withfmerals, and tte GTaye-
digger has bis hands md graves full, In
stme cate II burials arc made By night.
Despl:e every precautlon the conlag1on re-
mains as deadly as cfeE. add though 1t can
scarcely oc said to be Increasing, Its decline
Il hardly perceptfbte. All the pest houses
a1e full. Fathers audi children, mothers,
brothers and sisters expire daily, and nearly
every person In the city has lost come nc
quaintance or relative. The Chinese hare
suffered terribly. Their rkt1ye doctors have
neither experience nor common sense in the
treatment Of the snall por, ,.ard, IS natural
consequence, three out Of eyeTY dye Of their
patients run into eternity.
But the raya2es o1 the eplacua1c are not
confined 70 San francisco. Nearly the whole
dec1mated BY the pessilence. Thus. hr Sac
ramento, Ma1sriAe, aud Stockton have es-
enped the malignant type of the disorder,
but It has run through the lower couuttes Of
the State like 4 murTaln- In Giltoy and Los
Angeles the aisexse has been iatat eeyond pre%
sonably healthy when its desth-rate Is com
pared with those Of the former towns.
Some Of these affected appear to
rot By 1uehes, j, In splta Of every
available prescription. The physlcians
stand aRhast. In some case vaccination
men, women ard children, With vaccine scars
on ihclr arms ~ largo as tWenty-sailllnz
pieces, hayc fallen victims to The peattlence.
Hoepis,ls have teen hastily furnished, a1d
every Hort has been made In the, c towns 10
stay tie pro!ress Of the disease, ba; thus tar
died. In one instance, father and four
children died within tTcuty-four horzs. aud
buried within week.
But thdplaRue.spot Of the State thns far has
been the town of San Juan. Ia Monterey
Franelseo. The tosu contains about l,oVo
penons. The aia1ming aeconnls ol the NOR.
talIty Ia stu Francisco and Gitroy excited
some apprct easfons, aud an effort was made
| to prevent the appearance Of the epidemic IN
San Juan Amaa cane dow9 from the g7are'
IS. nd registered his name IN ID,
| hotel. When questioned concerning
he tmnn.,o1 ii The north, 81
acknowledged Its fatal virulenee, and sale
that. fearing he might catch It, be had lakez
the pEecauilou to be vacctnated betore 1eav
swe1led to!he size Of his body. and MAS caE
cred with gangrenous sores. An examination
by the physicians resulted 10 the discover!
| Il the fact that The man had actually bee
inocnlated wiah the most malignant type 9
the small po1- -.-....
| He aled, s1ckenipE mass Of pu..refaction
within ( .rsg eight hours, and ~as autte d
midnight. steps were taken on the Instant L
pr yent The spread Of the disease. The dsa
mans blankets, Hndesct9thts. and ou.cr g1t
nents vera burned ; but unfortunately som
school children discovered the halt-haroe
rngs and caught The infection. Ii one wee
plumbers OF them ditd, and the tptdeuatc OF
sasned firm foothnld in San 1uun. ou: Of
: population Of enc thousand. fur huudre
were tax. down with smallpox. mud
these four hundred PERSONS one hundred an
, sixty died. ,,
This Is a fearful rate Of morality. aud
doubt whether the auna1s OF This | aIhsotI
!, discase can surpass It. 1n some COUNT
towns, away ffon the reach OF skilful du
tors, and where the proper medicines 81
, scasce. t1o-tnird. Of The cases prove tata
: throughout the State the mortality has bee
unprecedented -.
Ibarc thought II my duty to give got
readers this Information. because OF the IL
position throughout California +, keep tt
: whole thing As quiet as possible II u prop
should be made acquainted With the FAC
and / send them to you, earnestly hopit
that Jou will place them beiorc yonr READER
, | The nth has been tool olE concealed