Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-11-16
The Great Plague Of Buenos Ayres'

destructive plaques of modern times. The
disease ragged from January to the 1st OF
May of this year, during which period
%, 600 bodies were buried in one cemetery.
OF the whole population of Buenos Ayres,
amounting to 1S0, 900, upward of 1Oo, 600
publication of the Standard, on the 3Oth
of April, it was estimated that but 40, 600
souls were left in Buenos Ayres. The fol
lowing are some of the particulars
Some Paraguayan prisoners of war, who
returned to Paraguay last year, on landing
at Ascuncion, were found to be suffering
from yellow fever, and many of the cases
proved fatal The foul state of that city
and exhallsetl condition of the Paraguay
ans after the sufferings of the war were
peculiarly favorable for any epidemic, and
speedily fever broke out, which the ply
sicians declared to be bilious itcheroid:
Hundreds of people perished, thousands
fled to the country districts, but the disease
did not prove of the malignant character
it afterward assumed in other places.
The infection next spread to Corrientes,
and here it made fearful ravages, most OF
the physicians and apothecaries being
among the victims, besides one-fourth OF
the inhabitants. The hot season had al
ready set in, and, although the epidemic
was within forty-eight hours of our city,
no efforts had been made to guard against
it. A nominal quarantine was ordered,
similar to that of 1870 A passenger in
confinement at the LazZaretta of Ensenada
borrowed horse, rode into town, took to
his bed, recovered, but his family died,
and then the people next door, and so it
spread, till involving the whole parish OF
San Telmo, the dirtiest and most populous
in the city.
Tn xl,of f,,ct Of tho rlaUup
entered the city by the Barrio de San
Telmo" -; but at first its existence was only
felt by few Italians, who were utterly
ignorant of the real character of their
guest. Half a dozen poems, or washer
women, were taken away daily from their
cares their faces were not missed others
followed the same journey to the ceme-
terry, and at last rumor spread that the
fever was making ravages in San Telmo.
In medical circles it was cautiously whis-
pered, We have yellow fever among
u.s. but not until the close of the month,
when nearly two hundred victims had fal
len, did any one dare publicly give the
alarm. DR.. Golfarina and others FASTENED
comfort the public mind :: g 1t is only the
fall of the leaf-the unhealthy season
when we must not be surprised to see the
mortality above the average"
Physicians of every caliber discussed
the nature of the epidemic, some declar
ing it yellow fever, others typhoid other:
ictherOid typhus, ETC. Meantime the pool
Italians of San Telmo continued to die
now a dozen daily, and the plague wa:
scattering its seed without fear of inter
ruption, in all the perlieus of the district
All this time the smell of the Riachuelt
made every one in town sick. About SaI
Telmo and the south end it was pestilen
tial; but the saladeros continued working
and the river at BARRACKS LITERALLY raj
blood. The arrival of italian Immigrant
abated nothing, averaging one hundred
daily and these poor people were packed
into the over-crowded tenement house
and dens where lodging is given for on
paper dollar (sd) per night.
In the beginning of February the regis
tered deaths from the epidemic did not ex
ceed twenty daily, but the weather con
tinued very hot, the smell of the Riachue
10 grew worse, and speedily the mortality
was doubled. Nevertheless, the prepara
tions for the Carnival, in the north end o
the town, engrossed public attention, ant
people tried to ignore the pestilence, as i
thereby to avoid its effects. Flags, gar
lands, illuminations, and all the frippery
OF masks were a strange contrast to tn,
piles of coffins at the South Cemetery
The Carnival was not brilliant, there beins
number of families who had ALREADY
fled to the suburbs. The theaters were
however, crowded. On the first day of tn,
Carnival the venerable Irish pastor, Fa
ther Fahey, died, having taken the con
tagion at the bedside of an Italian woman
in San Telmo., About the same time W.
experienced another serious loss in the ole
and respected Dr. Bosch; Don Bernab,
Molina, rich native capitalist, and some
few others also died about this period
On the 22d of February the first case O
yellow fever outside the parish of San
Telmo occurred. 1t took place in th
Gale Paraguay, and near to the Gale Flori
z da. This caused renewed alarm. Th
following days other cases took place i
streets in the northern portion of th
town, and it was observed by the Medica
Board that when the fever began to sprea
from San Telmo it first located itself il
streets through which the tereeros, o
street floods, ran.
The plague spread with such virulenc
and fury that it was now manifest ther
were worse times in store for US. The pa
,pers tried to mitigate the bad news b
publishing less than the real returns thus
on one day we knew of 108 interments, bu
only forty-three. In the middle of Marc
the plague may be said to have become ger
eral The mortality rate for the first wee
of March averaged sixty died daily, an
on the 9Th of March it rose to one hundre
and fifteen. Physicians recommended e,
cry one who could to leave the city. Thos
whose business required their presence
town were advised to sleep in the suburb.
The trains were crowded--all the town
and villages along the railways wer
thronged, and at nighttime the city wa
deserted. 1t was estimated in the middl
OF March that over one hundred thou.
and persons had left Buenos Ayres, vet sti
the mortality increased to most giganti
degree.
The panic had unhappily commune;
ted itself to all classes, and it was sal
half the physicians had fled. Those VIII
remained were overburdened with work
dozen of these brave men were destine
to succumb to their spirit of devotion
The few English doctors stood the
ground manfully, and were at one time G
other stricken down on the bed of sicl
ness, but fortunately recovered. An
here we must also pass high eulogiu1
on the Irish nuns, French Sisters of Cha
1ty, and the clergy of the English, Irisl
Scotch and American congregation.
ANo1HiusS5 COuIu exceed Inolf lerOISm, Zos
and philanthropy. Our narrow limit
would not suffice to recite even a porto
OF their labors, or enumerate the wondel
full tales. sadder and stranger than any re
nance of fiction, that are in the mouth
OF all !; suffice it to say that they fulflle
their duty in manner worthy of their s,
cred Office
1t was now remarked that still the en-
demic followed the track of the Tercert
namely, those streets which had bee
Hooded in March of last year, when SON
people were drowned The houses
these parts had been mostly left in filtl
condition, the inhabitants returning
them after the floods had subsidized, viii
piles of cotton, clothing, etc., remained i
Testing the locality for some time afte
No wonder the seeds of disease linger,
here. And now the month of March aga
brought heavy rains; the Tercero rose, al
1t is said that some of the people sick,
the fever were drowned in their bee
The Rev. Mr. Lett attended some po
English people who had eighteen inch
of water under their beds. Those who
condition permitted were taken ont of II