Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-06-27
The PIngue in Rueno. Arrer.

AyreS are now PROBABLY at an END. Inc advent
of cool weather, for Buenos Ayres is in the
southern hemisphere, in latitude correspond.
ing to that of North Carolina, and
it is now mid-winter there, has checked
the spread of the disease and de-
strOyed the fatal germs, of which the atmos-
phere was full. There has hardly been an in
stance in the civilized world for many years of
visitation so terribly fatal The accounts read
like Defoe's fearful narrative of the plague in
Eondon or the stories that have come down to
us of European cities in the middle ages, devas-
tated by some fatal contagion. Modern sanitary
science has made repetition of such horrors
impossible where its teachings are needed; but
in the South American city, which has Just had
so impressive lesson, neglect of all sanitary
precautions, had the same results as in the cities
of Europe hundreds of years ago. Such neglect
was universal and eXcusable then, when the
laws of health were unknown, and the pesti
lence was regarded as a visitation of God, to be
averted, if at all, only by prayer and expiatory
ceremonial; but it is stupidity criminal now,
when the origin of such diseases and the means
of averting them are well known.
The Buenos Ayres Standard of April 3Oth at
which time the pestilence had begun sensibly to
abate, gives an interesting account of its origin,
progress and fatality. The statement of the
sanitary condition of the city is positively ap
palling. After reading it, one wonders, not
that the yellow fever found so many victims
but that any of the inhabitants could survive,
where the earth, air and water were so satur-
ated with poisons. 1t is still claimed that $50
far as the natural climate, air and soil of the
country are concerned, it is unquestionably the
healthiest place in the world" Whether or not
this description is literally true, the site is no
doubt salubrious, and the inhabitants may take
what satisfaction they can in the reflection that
if they had gone deliberately to work to make
their city the home of the pestilence, they could
not have used means more fatally adapted to
accomplish that object The abomnable filth
of the city and its surroundings seems almost
incredible. 1t is situated on the river Plate,
from which it is supplied with water, by an
aqueduct and pumping apparatus. The immense
slaughterng establishments near the city dis
charge their refuse into a canal which COM
municates with the river. There is no system
of sewerage, but such drainage as there is, of
course finds its way also into the river, much of
it first passing into the stagnant waters of the
canal. The stencil from this putrid ditch during
the earlier hot weather had become so nauseous
that in various parts of the town people of
weak constitutions were seized with vomiting
whenever the wind blew from the south, and
the water of the river was so poisoned by it
that dead fish covered the surface in front and
far above the city, and this water was all the
citizens had to drink. The ground too was
thoroughly saturated with corruption, for it
was the practice to lay down, as the substratum
for payements, the refuse from the scayenger's
carts. In the expressive language of the Stand
ard, THE whole city steamed like dunghiIl,
whenever hot sun came after fall of rain.
The air was foul and sickening; the water was
corrupted; the earth was reeking with abomina-
ton"
In a semi-tropical climate such condition.
must breed pestilence and in January it Games
1t was confined at first to single quarter of the
| city, inhabited chiefly by Italians, who lived
closely packed in confined and squald dens. The
existence of the plague was darkly rumored,
but physicians and all others agreed to ignore
it, and no precautions were taken to prevent its
oPlSuus II any bOuiu tllNh hdfI afdnNus HI lildb
month there were two hundred victims. In
February the disease spread beyond the quarter
where it first appeared and the number of deaths
| increased TO fifty daily. In March the people
began to fly from the city to the villages in the
interior and to ranches on the Indian frontier.
In that month the population was reduced from
100000, at the breaking out of the pestilence to
| 10000, and the mortality for the month was not
less than II 900 During the first week in April
it was announced: "There are barely 30 900
people left in town, of whom 1000 are sick, and
the death rate is from 400 to 500 daily" During
this month the death rate increased and some
times reached 900 per day But after the mid
die of April there was sensible improvement.
A private letter dated May 10th says:
"The city has been quite deserted for nearly
two months, and it is only this week that the
| people are returning. AS near as any one can
| tell, the deaths from Feb. LIST TO date have been
$4,000, and more than one-half of these deaths
occurred after the population was reduced 70
10000"
Some incidents Of the plague months were as
horribly grotesque as those related of similar
visltations in the old world A common sigh
in the streets was cart piled with empty cofins
which hawker was selling as he might fruit o,
vegetables. Ii was not uncommon to see one o.
these fellows, after selling a coffin, sit down OF
a door step and begin to smoke, waiting til
some one inside should die, so that he NIGH
sell another. In the general confusion and ter
ror some were thrust into their collins befor,
life was extinct.
In one well authenticated instance a mar
broke from his coffin on the way to the cemeter,
and, staggering into drinking shop, called TO
a glass of brandy, adding, to the horror of tb
bystanders, 81 cannot pay you, for have ius
escaped from my coffin" II is said that nine
tenths Of the victims of the plague were men
; and that of the numerous grave diggers employ
ed at public expense, not one died Durin
, these fearful months nothing could exceed tn
heroism, zeal and philanthropy of clergymer
, Catholic and Protestant, physicians and other
both male and female, who cheerfully contribu