The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-08
YELLOW FEVER'S VICTIMS.
A GRAPHIC STORY OF THE DEADLY
SOUTHERN sCOURGE.
The Appearance Of the Plague in savannah
A Thunderboit In n Ctoudics~ -ky-Tbou-
rnuda Of Unfortunate People Destitute.


Co,,spondencs OF ne Lom,r}s Cou,i.i JoVHdL
Atlanta is full Of strangers including
taree numbers Of yellow fever refugees from
Savannah and Brunswick. inc terItnleo Spl-
demic which ~ raytging those two cities has
cast Gloom over the people o. tnt 'hiiIe ola,'.
Expressing desire to get tue fullest pos.ln'e
Inform alton in regard 20 those uninrtunate
cities, Mr.. W. u Cbi Icy. general Southern
agent Of the Virginia w il2nd route a"d a
Io"asyiIle IN, merry Court. IA reduced me to
Aibert H. Lamar formerly editor ot the saNan-
nah ddrctfisfr. Coz. Lamar gave me graphic
n..scrin,tnn Of the terrible scuurge that has be-
falIen Savannah md Bruuswick. . A..
Ihe fever was discovered 60 he epidemic Aug.
20 The discovery fell IKE thunderbolt from a
cloudless SKY upon the people ~ ravannan-n
was SO wholly unlocked ior ID. -.uce .ne War
Savannah had perfected ON eNceheht lsieeu pI
drainage and built water works whlch huord
full supply of pure water aud the police, IN ad-
dition 10 their other duties. are maze sanitary
Inepectors aud there had been no yellow fever
70 sneak of since 1858 aud besides. for num-
hsr ~ wears past, the summer season has been
tho hnalthiest portion Of the year Ia savannah.
The disease was not imported, but originated
IN Sayannah The cnuses were the very extra
ortiinnry rainfall In June uf ldT inches, which
overfiowed tho rice Delds near the city ana re.
maned there under temperature OF over w
degrees for sixty days,.with on eastcrly wind
from on the Gulf stream since April. From the
very beginning the disease WIS ~ the most ma
Irnant type and dened all Efforts to control II,
aud the death rate ran M a. high as forty eight
per day. On Saturday last. the date OF the last
report, the number Of deaths was twenty-five.
The epidemic has re ched IT, climax. and from
this time forward there Will Toe fewer cases,
but the ceath rate viii he proportion
ably higher. as the disease becomes more
malignant az the season for 1t draws 10 close.
Nothing short Of hard freeze will enectually
stamp out the pestilence, ana that ts not to ho
expected earlier than the middle OF November.
Fully 900 people have died 81 the plague from
August ~ TO date. The usual population Of
savannah Is $1,000 a ccusus was taken last
Saturday which SHOWS 1000 people there at
present. Not less than eVV ~ them are down
with the fever now. one hundred and hoy
three new cases were reported saturday. and
livery man. woman, and cAild In the city Is
more or less Affected 10y tie disease. All lett
After The epidemic got under fun headway 1t
was more DANGEROUS 70 lehNS 'ie , II" MAUI as
= change Of atmosphere would almost certainly
develop the latent seeds Of the disease In the
system, and az attack OF "a sort, invariaoly
proves fatal. No language said Col. Lamar. can
describe the terrible gloom ana apprehension
that hang over savannah. The suffering and
destitution are absolutely hufriale savannah
has a negro population of about l5OOo, who are
naturally careless and improVdent. and then
she has large white lnboring class who
are dependent upon their daily LABOR for their
bread. Business Of every sort except through
cotton, Is SUSPENDED. and the lihorine classes
are wholly without mems. The disease has run
ihis class OF ill-fed, nl-cloihed. and ill-lodeed
ones and swept them away like chan before
whrlwind. aud Is now attacking the better
classes. Many prominent citizens have died,
particularly the younger business men OF the
Tue disc Sc comes on Suddenly and almost In
varaoly in the night. when the system Is ex-
hausied. The symptoms are intense pain IN HE
head, back. and limbs. aud high fever which
lasts twelve hours. AZ the end OF that time the
patient Is ready either for his cook or his colin
II the fever subsidies without the black vomlf
appearing. two or three weeks OF careful nursing
will make him well. A rcl4p'e j. always fatal.
After the black v1mit supervencs recovery Is
rare.
Many heart rendlnc incidents OF the terrible
plague are told. \ worthy and estimaole lady
Of Savannah WAS buried coflinles-, because one
could not be procured for love or money. In
many Instances the dead were laid u the graves
and the grave LEFT pea because there was no
time to all them.
A Great deal u aid hiss been given Savannah
and Brunswick. but a great deal yet remains to
be done Thousands OF people are IN absolute
need OF every hing. All Injected bedding and
clothing must OF necessity be DESTROYED. The
treatment uf the disea.e requires large quanti-
ties OF ice, costly medicines. and nOurishing
food. The lahprng classes have no work Of
any Kind, anu ore wholly destitute. A dollar
now Is worth ten next month. Money or sup
plies sent to opt. John +. Wheaton. AGENT Of
the Benevolent Association. savannah, Ca. r
L. =; Dexter, brunswick, Ga, VIII ee properly
applied,