Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-08-21
Cholera in a Mountain Town.


A correspondent writes from Bir:
mingham, Ala, to the Louisville Courier
Joarnel of the recent ravages of dis
ease there, as follows
"Cholera broke out with fatal viru-
lence. AS usual, the negroes suffered
most, and, although they died by the
dozens, the wiseacres declared there
was no cholera in the place /; few were
80 consistent in their idiocy as to refuse
to change their diet, although DR.. Bell
had not then published his plea for Gu
cumbers the fool-killer. in their case,
is spared some trouble. Then strag-
Cling force of men is put to work at
some of the nastiest bitches, but it was
too late; the disease broke out every
where and would yield to no treatment.
The Board of Health attempted some
measures, but all organized movements
failed, The people were too new to
each other for concerted movements.
The poorer classes were scattered and
unknown, and they were frequently at
the point OF death before they sought
medical relief so they died by scores,
and the people fed from the place by
hundreds. The physicians were earnest,
energetic, and faithful; they were
ready at all hours to go wherever they
were called, although by far the greater
number of their cases were charity pa
tiepts. This continued for two weeks
or more, the mortality sometimes in
creasing, sometimes falling; now two
or three deaths day, now seven or
eight, with steadily decreasing popu-
lation. The most hopeful began to de-
spond. Men who had before chaffed
each other about the cholera scare, be-
gan themselves to be affected. Then,
too, the disease assumed new phase.
Instead of being preceded by a diarrhea
for day or longer, it developed almost
in an hour the worst features of genuine
cholera. People dined in apparent
health, and rested that night in coffin.
Business was suspended, and the streets
deserted. It became difficult to find
men to dig the graves or take the bodies
to them. Neatly the whole population
became affected. Of course they didn't
all have the cholera, but the malaria
seemed to enter into everybody's sys-
tenn with greater or less activity.
Whether it was that the best and truest
men remained, or whether there is that
residuum of unselhshness and true
heroism in each human heart, T don't
know; but certainly the noble work
done here in the last ten days would
dispel from any mind the belief that
the Samaritans were an extinct people.
Where month ago all was jealousy and
dissension, now is generous rivalry in
the work of aiding the sick. No one,
however poor, but has nurses and med
ical attention, and that, too, when the
physicians can scarcely stagger to their
work, 80 worn out are they from their
long and unrested labors. They are the
true knights.errant of our time. Col.
Powell stands his ground nobly. His
friends beg him to leave, and, though
wealthy and without kinsuan in the
place, he refuses to desert it. God
knows how soor we shall see the end.
Three days ago the plague seemed al
most passed away for the twenty-four
hours ending last night, July IA, there
were reported thirteen deaths in popu-
lation now numbering more than 600
souls. The chastisement is terrible,
but unless the people have lost all in
telligence it will not be repeated. The
altitude is high, and heretofore the air
invigorating and the water pure, but
there has been a large class Of adven-
turers and negroes out of work these
have never considered the welfare of the
city, and the city was too young and too
poor to enforce rigid sanitary laws.
Our awful scourge was not produced by
any atmospheric condition orlocal cause
beyond the existence of choked-up
streams and filthy open bitches, and
these can be kept clean and pure almost
without expense"