Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-06-22

chant, aged 2S years.
Miss Fanny A. Wood, of Boston, Mass.
Mrs. Eliza b. Dominick, of New York
city.
Benjamin Foster, of New York.
d. II. Prescott, of Philadelphia, hide mer-
chant.
Mr.. Roberts, of New York.
Mrs. Ayre, native of Massachusetts,.
Miss Dora Ayre, same State, daughter of
the above named lady.
Stephen ID. Berrian, of New York pilot
aged 81 years.
Henry Harris, aged e years, State I'M
known steward by occupation.
6. Sheriff, pilot, aged thirty; State un
known.
G. King, pilot; age and native State I'M
known.
| The lady, Miss Wood, referred to above,
was probably between twenty-five and thirty
| years of age, and came here from the United
States about eighteen months since, to take
charge of some schools in the province of San
Juan. Her arrangement with the provincial
authorities fell through, however, and shortly
afterward she was employed by the general
governmen: as directress of national schools.
| Miss Wood and Mr. Spring offered their lives
in the sacred duty of attending the sick, and
fell victims to their own humane and heroic
impulses. Both were at one time in perfect
whatever with the dread disease; but they
chose to work for the salvation of others, as
visiting nurses from house to house, and at
last died themselves.
Consul Clapp was twice, attacked ly the
disease, but survived both assaults, and in the
intervals of his illness was a diligent attend
ant upon his c0untrymen. The Rev. Henry
j. Jacksons, pastor of the American church.
was severe sufferer also, but recovered, and
proved to be an angel of mercy to scores OF
the sick, the dying and the starving. Capt.
William J. Nash of New York, was assaulted
twice but recovered finally. This gentleman
was volunteer nurse, and was the means of
saving many lives. Both he and Consul
Clapp expended considerable from their pri-
vate resources, in the purchase of medicine
for the sick and dying. DIR. James Ayres, of
Fryburg, Maine, was also successful and
diligent minister to the afflicted, both before
and after his own attack.
The most extraordinary tales are now being
narrated by eyewitnesses of the scenes rcla-
ted, and continually finding their way into the
public prints, and may one day form ghast-
ly ''literature Of the plague" Among those
current are the following half dozen incidents
which have gone the rounds of the press
most of them being vouched for, but forming
only specimen cases from among the th0us-
ands that have occurred:
In March last a contectioner broke open
his coffin while being carried to the South
Cemetery, and, feeling faint, weak and horri-
fed rushed into a neighboring PUlperia for
glass of brandy. After drinking it he said to
the gulpero, Il cannot pay you, as have no
money; | have ust broke out of my coffin"
Every occupant of the house fled though
fury was pursuing them. A street messenger,
carrying empty coffin on his head, enters
a grogshop, and putting the coffin on the
counter, drinks till he falls to the floor, and
is carried away with the coffin. An engine
driver on the Northern Railway line was lying
| in agony in his bed. Suddenly he starts up
and PUSHES from the house a maniac. He
| meets a fellow workman and tells him II am
going TO catch my train His comrade took
him back to his home, but he died two hours
| after reaching it. In the concentillos, a class
of poor alleyway tenement houses, the mortal
| ity was dreadful, and as many as seventy dead
bodies are reported TO have been taken from
one of these fever dens, and the scavenger |
carts employed in the removal of the corpses, |
sometimes actually breaking down from the |
weight. At one time collins were publicly |
hawked or pedded about the streets, and la |
ter the Popular Commission distributed them |
gratuitously to the poor. One day man |
came up and asked for a coffin from the Com |
mission to bury dead relative. The burial |
case was furnished and two days later he APP |
peared and asked for coffin for the same |
person, as the first one was asked for. 1t |
finally turned out that he had with some ac- |
qualntances been indulging in drunken |
spree, leaving the relative unburied. At last |
one of the acquaintance died of the fever, |
and his body was promptly put in the coffin
'And now" said he, 1--WE are going to bury |
both together"
In the haste of flight from the city many |
houses were abandoned with all their contents,
and at once the thieves set up a profitable |
business by watching their opportunities and |
carting away all the furniture and other eff
fects. This has occurred in scores of instan-
ces, and the police now hold large numbers
of keys of abandoned dwellings. During |
Holy Week-which terminated April 9th-the
plague reached its extreme violence, and it
was at that time that collins, or rather simple |
boxes were peddled in the streets. At this
time, also, the new cemetery at the Chacar-
rita was opened and the workmen who were |
employed as grave-diggers actually pursued
their CHASTITY calling by the light of lanterns
far into the night, being unable to inter the
bodies as fast as they arrived during the day.
1t may interest many persons also, to learn
that among these grave-diggers and mortuary
laborers there was smaller ratio of deaths
than among any other class of people
Relief of substantial description is still |
being sent in freely by our neighboring South
American cities, and there is still large need |
of aid Montevideo has forwarded fully $50
900 in cash alone.
The Riverside Echo makes the following