Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-08-11

TINS ButS0s AYREs PfsrILENcz-A pamphlet
compiled by the Rev I. A Ash, chaplain Of the
British legation in Bueuos AyTes, gives full
history of the rayages Of the yellow fever. from
March 20. 1870, to June 5, ISL The author
remained in the city during al that time. 10
view q his experience he says =" Verify there
is nothinc more appalling than p-siilerce, moth
ing that shows more f1rcibly the ffail tenure Of
humru life, AMI nothing which brings cut iu
such bold relief the nCblest feelings Of the le,-
ter class Of men and the i-hesrted se ishness
Of others " some ilea Of the terrible fatality
Of the epidemic may be gathered in this extract;
80 At the committeeman Of the present year
our population VAS little over 10000 souls
Of these shout two-third- fed during the epi-
jemic, more than 20 600 Others persisted, sni At
one period, while there hardly remained 1000
people in the town, the number of sick exceeded
700. sni the mortality ranged from 400 to 600
per iay-more thaa one per cent Of the iuhati-
tauts. Mr.. Ash devotes a chapter 60 the ori-
gin and causes Of the plague Its peruss IN
cliues Ole to wonder not ouly S. the long deay
in the terrible vi it4tion, but that the mortality
did not reach the Emit Of complete ex;ermina-
tion. The city, il sppeare, was reeking wirh
ilth the stencil waeu the wind blew from she
south occssiousd vomiting and the ttiiuvia
from the '' vSsurs," or stuff from the scaven-
gers cart causing the whole city to steam like a
dunghIil whenever not sun came after AL OF
rain. While the city was thus fermeuting ani
stesmiug " the water Of the River Plate wSs 50
poisoned by the liquid from the R.achuc,o th4t
the dead fsh covered the roslstsal and river ss
high as Palermo yet this same water was VIA;
the citizens Of Buenos Ayres hal to drink
Add 10 this the fac. thAt there was an utter ask
Of drainage facilities, that the water after lick
H.L
into stagnaut wells which honeyc5mbei the
whole city, sud it will be seen thSt state OF
stiiirs more conducive to pestilence could hardly
he devised. The plague first appeared in the
lowest quarter Of the city, and for some time
was confined 20 the dregs Of the population in
The San Telmo. But early in Msrch 1t appeared
in the more respectable localities, and with in
creasing fatality and by the middle Of themonth
it became general The last week in March the
mortality reached three hundred and fifty per
day. The grave jiggers were unable to meet the
demand for graves. snd collins were quite out Of
the question. Narrowing details Of the progress
of the disease are given how people diet for
lack Of medical attendance /; how panic-stricken
and superstitious were the poorer and ignorant
classes hos in the haste OF burial care was not
taken 20 ascertain beyond doubt whether death
had really supervened-aud much more t. the
same purpOrt, revealing the N0rsf as well as tne
best there is IN human nature, since instances
are cited showing the most heroic self sacrifice
on the part Of female nurses, sisters Of charity,
priests and clergymen, along with others where
fathers and mothers are found abandoning their
children. aud rice rersu, without = thought ex-
cept for their own safety. On Easter Sunday,
April TO- the disease reached its climax, the
number Of interments on that day being $40
Al through Easter week the mortality continued
at an appalling figure. The South cemetery
was filled. new one opened, and the oil strewed
with layer of lime More than - 600 graves
hal been hled in the south cemetery during the
three months prior TO the closing Of It's gates.
The condition Of affairs at this crisis is thus des-
cribed q" The sspect of the city by night was
even more swe-inspirpg than by day. The 81
lcnce WAS rarely broken but by the hollow sound
Of vehicles taking off the dead or Of the tiukliug
OF A little bell. as the blessed Sacrament was
conveyed to the dying. Fires might be seen here
aud thelc-;he furniture, &c, Of infected h0usts
that the police burned in the streets sud court
yards Watering carts msie the rounds. scat
teriug disnfectsnts, such IS c0sl-tar bat the
plsgue seemed TO mock such remedies, ;for desih
was busy in every house where any Inhabitants
yet remained " On the lGih Of April the
plague b2gsn yisibly to decline. and latest re-
ports represent it az nearly extinct But it will
take years to repair the rsvsges Of the epidemic
and give to Bueuos Ayres her former wealth
and prominence