The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-10-25
THE SCOURGE OF SAN FRAN
CISCO.
Her Chinese Quarter the Plague
Spot of the Pacific Coast.
smALLPOx:ON ITS NATIVE HEATH.
A Graphic Description of the Filth and
Horror of the Place.
Lsan Francisco letter to Chicago Tribune.l


lSan Francisco letter to Chicago Tribune.l
Ash write this letter the pungent smell of
chloride of lime pervades Chinatown, whilst
carbolic acid contends with opium, and the
air reeks with burnt paper and vinegar-the
explanation being that the health officer has
carried his point, and that All Sin is being
fumigated willy-nilly. 1t having been
half expected that a rumpus would
grow out of this domiciliary excursion, a
posse of policemen accompanies the fumiga-
tors; but so far no trouble has occurred, and
it is to be doubted whether John does not
look upon these sanitary zealOtS as the chief
participants in some high old religious festi-
val. What has led to this wholesale and
wholesome disinfection here follows:
Antagonism-for it is infinitely stronger
than difference antagonism of habits and
opinions comes into strong play here. We
abhor smallpox with religious fervOr and do
all we know how to keep it off. The
Chinese invite the pest, and call it ''the
disease of Heaven" 1t would be an
insult to the general civilization of to-
day to imagine for moment that there
are half dozen people in America who hold
incubation a better treatment than yacci-
nation. There are certainly perverse few
who would have body take his chances to
catch and combat with the disease; but the
believers in DR.. Jenner-who, by the by, has
not yet been acknowledgement the brains
of the people. Prevention is salvation"
say 10000 whites in San Francisco; "Pus-
tules and paradise, cry the 10000 Chinese,
and so go on inhaling the breath of the
stricken sick man, keeping their patient un-
der the sidewalks, until the first intimation
that the health officer receives of the case is
whenever variola conhuens gets the best of
it, and they want their dear brother ''sent to
the Mission" Only let it be granted that
the smallpox is a pestilence, and the
sin and evil of these Chinese in the
matter is as easily proved as the conse-
quent danger to the city's health is apparent
Not only do they keep their disfgured pa
tients with them. but they in no way prac-
tice isolation. What would any Chicagoan.
even If vaccinated, say to receiving his wash
from laundry where, on passing it Just
now, he had seen being all scab sitting on
a pile of clean shirts? BURN and wash, and
wash and burn the Chinaman too" most
probably. And yet such things be. The
danger of infection is constant, for, although
All Soaps patronage has somewhat fallen off
during the late visitation, so long as there is
Chinese wash house in the city, so long
will a man have doubt as to whether his
flannel shirt has not as horrible danger
lurking in it as had as that of Nessus
And, even supposing the wash is sent to a
French or American laundry, the
boy goes home to Chinatown during the day,
and then cooks, having possibly just come
is no John, and Bridget rules the roOst, then
there is the danger every time you pass
through Chinatown. and the way to some of
the best parts of the city lies through it
And, even supposing you do not traverse
Chinatown once in year, the danger is still
present; it Turks in the air. and John is met
everywhere. There is nothing oyer-colored
about this, but only plain facts, and such
differences as must become apparent to every
one who considers these plain facts for one
minute. Always suppOsing smallpox is q
scourge and that repression is better than
invitation.
But extreme filth is productive Of other
dangers than those attending smallpox In
fact, once open the question of the evils con-
sequent on intense vitiation of the air, and
this letter will not be closed to-day
Whether DIR. Meares was wrong in calling
Chinatown "a laboratory of Infection" q
second and less pleasant visit to that quarter
will prove.
First, it should be known that Chinatown
though inclosed in the twelve blocks men
toned in my last communication, occupies
in all from seven to eight entire blocks. In
this small space-and the blocks small
live over 5000 human beings. We shall
have to leave the streets il we wish 10
see how the Chinese live, and take to the
alleys and courts, of which there are nearly q
dozen. The instant one of these slums is
entered, strong, acrid, disagreeable odor
odends the nose It is the smell of packed