The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-08-15
The Cholera Coming


From the World OF Sunday.
A cable telegram which We this morn.
ing publish announces the fact that the
Asiatic cholera has made its appearance
in Western Europe, and practically with
in fortnight Of our own shores The
strict sanitary Gordon which was estAb.
lishGd q month ago by the German al-
thorities along the Russian frontiers has
proved unable to stay the march Of the
pestilenCe. On Friday twenty.thrcc per-
sons were struck down by Asiatic chdl-
era oi'the most virulGnt type in the an
cicnt city of Konigsberg, the "oldcst and
truest OF PrusslAn cities" as the Crown
Prince recently called IT, OF tho twenty
three persons thus attacked thirteen died
before nightlNll Of tho same day, Rarely
in any Of It's previous visitNtions has this
awful scourge asserted ilS power so
promptly and upon such u scale. The
terrible Invasion of 1882 began at TOulOn,
in much mildcr form, with the
death Of q couple OF sailors who had
escaped from the United States ship John
Adams, then lying in that harhor, and
who were attacked while lying in the
open street ut the door of low dUhewe
ahera night of drunken Tevelry.
If the city Of Konigsberg were an CX-
coptiOnally poor and ill.cared.tor city, rs
are some Of the Baltic ports Of Poland,
the bad news which we receive from It
might be somewhat less alarming than 1t
must now he considered to be. But
KOnigsberg, like most Of the North Ger.
man cities, Is both prosperous and well
pOliced. II must therefore he taken as n
pretty positive indication of the violence
with which the AsiatiC disease Is making
Its present advance that It's arrival should
have been announced In this decisive and
Calamitous fashion. Once established In
Konigsberg the plague will with diff
Guilty be kept from spreading throughout
the German Baltic ports; and as these
are all Of them In constant steam Commu.
niCatiOn with the east of England, 1t Is
really no exaggeratlon Of the perils Of the
case TO say that the cholera In North Ger.
many is within n fortnight Of New York,
whether by the direct route of the new
Scandinavian steamships from Stettln,
and OF the North German lines from Bre.
men and Hamburg, or by tho less direct
route through Hull or London, and Liv-
erpOol. The English press fortnight
ago, fortunately for ourselves as well as
for England, began to arouse public nj.
tentiOn In that country to the probable i'm.
minenco Of the danger which has now
drawn so terribly near TO the British
shores As usual the alarm sounded in
the press was met with the soothing syrup
of bland official assurances" by the gov
ernment. Lord Kimberley and Mr.. W.
Il. Forster pleasantly informed the House
of Commons on one day that there was no
immediate danger, and on the very next
day received the news from Hull that
their medical inspectors were at work In.
vestigating the probable outbreak Of chol-
era on ships which were arriving IN the
Humber at the moment when they
were prophCsying smooth things"
to Parliament on the Thames Those
inspectors learned that deaths had
actually occurred from cholera on board
some Of these ships during the voyage
from Cronstadt to Hull. 1t 80 happens
that this Is tho very busiest season Of the
year in the commerce between the Baltic
ports and England, and the British Gov.
crnment was so thoroughly scared out Of
It's optimism by the reports Of its officials
that a new order in council was immedl.
ately Issued, giving those officials much
larger powers Of inspection Of ships ar.
rivlng from infected ports than had pre-.
viOusly been allowed. In spite Of this
energetic action of the government q
leading English journal remarks that II
IL q most unpleasant consideration that
the safety Of England mainly depends
upon the activity and judgment OF va
rious local sanitary authorities at her
ports who do not seem tOs0aderstand
what Is required Of them In the matter
Of preventive hygiene, and who have
never yet done their duty efficiently on
an emergency such as the present.
In 40 lar as Our saiaty in America de.
pCnds upon the fidelity Of English officials
In arresling the sCourge at thclrOwh doors,
this consideration can he more pleasant 10
us than II is to Engishmen. But If the
present Is the season Of greatest activity
In the carrying trade between the Baltic
and England, Il Ia also the season Of great.
est activityin the movement of cmigrantS
from the Baltic ports to America From
this time forward we may expect constant
arrivals Of vessels from these ports, crowd.
ed with passengers Of a class peculiarly
liable TO epidemics such as the cholera,
and travelling under conditions peculiarly
favorable TO the development Of such cpl
denies. II is well known that bad ven.
tilation and neglect Of personal cleanll.
ness, and insufficient and unwholesOme
food are active determining causes Of the
outbreak Of such CpidemiCs. All Of
these cauSes are sure TO be found In
more or less vigorous operation on
the best managed emigrnnt vessels.
A recent case in our own courts has
shown us that on some of the emiCrant
ships which ply between Germany and
America the causes are in constant and
almost uncontested operation. If We add
to these the mental and moral influences
of sort uniavorable tO health which are
necessarily active among considerable
bodies Of human beings excited by the
mingled fears and hopes attendant upon
a complete change In all their plans and
prospects In lie, uncomfoTtably massed
together in q narrow space, demOraliZed
by sea.sickness, and agitated by the vague
alarms and anxieties which assail mex.
perienced travellers upon the ocean, II
will be clear that we have more and more
reasonable grounds than we ever before
had to apprehend an early and formidable
importation Of the cholera from the great.
ly increased numbers Of the passengers
subjected TO these depressing forces who
are now continually on their way to lis
from Northern Europe. 'la..
In these circumstances II Is plainly q
public duty to insist upon the most prompt
and intelligently resolute action on the
part Of our sanitary authorities. No mere.
" commercial considerations should for q
moment be permitted to impede the adOp,