Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-06-02
Stricken by a Pestilence.

OUR neighboring city of Buenos Ayres
Is suffering from a terrible pestilence. On
February the yellow fever broke out in
the northern part of the city, but did not
create any alarm at first, as during the en-
tire month the average mortality was only
about twelve a day. On March 1 there
were 30 fatal cases and the number gradu
ally increased, reaching 2 on the 18th,
and 337 on the 29th. On Saturday, one
week ago to-day, there we've sol inter
ments; on Sunday 749 bodies were count.
ed at the cemetery gates, and the daily
average mortality for the week has been
$50. The total number since the scourge
began is over 1900.
Rich and poor are alike stricken with
the malady. Families have been broken
up and scattered In some instances hus-
bands have abandoned their dying wives,
mothers have left their children to die
alone, and in many cases whole families
have been swept away. AS many as five
or six corpses have been discovered in a
single house. A new cemetery has been
opened in the campo south of the city, and
tram railroad laid to it. The bodies are
carried out on the trucks, packed like
freight. There is no time to construct
collins, and the stock on hand was long
since exhausted. In some instances the
undertakers have fled from the terrible
harvest of business that the pesLilence has
caused.
The population of the city, which ten
weeks ago numbered at least 200 QUO souls,
is now reduced to 40 000. About 10000
have fled their homes, some taking refuge
in Montevideo and the towns up the Pa
rama River, but the larger portion are in
the campo, within distance of from ten to
fifty miles of buenos Ayres. The mise "a
BILE mud huts of the peasants in the dis
tricts have been besieged with tenants
from among the wealth and aristocracy of
the republic, and in some cases are re-
ceiving from $3.50 to $500 per month rent.
Families who lived in luxury two mouths
ago are now covering among these mud
huts and sleeping on beds laid upon the
| floor of earth.
Those who remain in the city are mostly
of the poorer class, who have not the
means to leave, and the Public Commits,
sion, philanthropic association, organized
for the emergency, is now proposing TO
send away on the railroad such as are not
| yet affected by the fever. This commits.
sion consists of some 500 members, many
of great wealth and good position. Sev-
eral OF them have already been sacrificed
to their self-imposed duty, but the work is
carried on nevertht less. The commission
has supre me control over everything in
the doomed city, and has just proclaimed
fast of twenty days. This has been re-
solved upon TO prevent financial disasters
or smbarnassments among the commercial
houses, consequent upon the total stagna'
ton of business. OF course all notes
drafts, bills of exchange, and maturing
commercial paper of every description are
in abeyanc during that time, and the
proclamation of the fast, in fact, pro
hiblts business or labor OF every kind.
On the 18th, the bank of London and
the Rio de la Plata closed its doors, anC
| will not resume business until the end O
the month. A quarantine has been estab
lished ON all river towns, and for all prac
ucable purposes Buenos Ayres is shut ou
from the world. About twice a weel
local vessels leave this port to convey Il
Buenos Ayres the mails and hospital sup
plies; but no person or thing, not even
letter, is permitted to be brought back, ant
the only communica ion the people of tn
unhappy city can have with us is by tele
graph. A lew days since even tclegraphl
communication was irregular and very un
certain, as some of the operators at tn
other end of the line died, and thei
places could not be filled readily.
There is much division of opinion as I
the origin of the fever, but 1t is pretty wei
settled that it was brought in an Italia
emigrant ship which arrived from Geno
aud Barcelona in January last AS to tn
cause of the spread and ravages of the dii
ease, any one who has ever beenin BuneO
Ayres can readily see. The city is built o
the fiat shore of the river, is without an
system of drainage whatever and for neal
ly two hundred years the Inhabitants hav
buried all filth, garbage and refuse mattt
of every description beneath their house
This was done by sinking cellar shape
wells to depth OF fifteen or twenty lee
the sides being Strengthened with rue
: brick work. These were reached by sma
: openings at the surface several feet
depth, and through these apertures the fit
I was deposited in the cess-pools beloN
When the sinks became full the mouth WI
filed up, and new cesspool was dug els
where. The system prevailed everywhel
throughout the city, and to-day Buen'
Ayres is honeycombed by these filthy trap
: -MoRteVtdeo April 15) Cor. N. Y. Sun.
r Lord Seaforth, who was born deaf al
}, dumb, was to dine one day with Lord Me
C Vile Just before the time of the cor
e panys arrival, Lady Melville sent into Il
r drawing. room lady of her acquaintan
a | ,.,ho ol1,l1 tall with har fnUara M 1un