The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1878-11-14
PLAGUE PECULIARITIEs.
The Fever Most Fatal in the Cleaner |
Parts Of New Orieans-An Old Residents !

Parts Of New Orieans-An Old Residents
Observations.
Springfield Republican Letter.
The disease this year is unlike that of
any other. Having passed through every
epidemic of the past thirty-eight years,
am enabled to see the great difference in
the course of the treatment. While many
families have been entirely swept away.
other families sick with the fever have all
recovered. What is strange is, the dis
ease has been the most fatal in the nice
cleaner parts of the city, while in the
most filthy portions it has prevailed in
mild form. Mr.. and Mrs. Isby and son.
for instance, all died within ten days.
They resided in what was known as the
Garden District, where every house has
a garden; the street is well paved with
square blocks. and is known as the aristo-
cratic part of the city. Near the business
part of the city, on Camp and West
Charles streets, the disease has been very
fatal, yet the st,eets are kept extra clean,
having all square block pavement: they
are watched every day, and the houses
are all we'll built two and three story
buildings. The entire length of Magazine
street Is paved with square block, the
class of houses al u the bed, the street
is spripkled every day. 70 foul, flthy gut
ters, yet the death rate on this street has
been enormous; the Block family. all Of
whom died, were on 0his street. Pn-
tania street, where the FIVE members of
the Barnes family died, is known as our
most fashionable one for family resi-
dences. Ii is kept In extra good order.
Euterpe street, between st. Charles and
Carondolet, has been another fatal loca-
ton. Here the houses are twO-stOry, oc-
cupied by families having their own ser
wants. and having during the sickness the
very best of doctors and nurses, the street
Is well paved, never Overtiows, and the
location would be selected as the most
healthy In the city. yet In every house
the most fatal form of the disease aE-
peared, the street had to be barricaded.
and death claimed its victims in every
family residing there.
Now. as contrast. We will take the
most filthy streets, the poorest of families,
suffering from want of proper food, with
any kind. and we find the disease in a
mild form, very few of the sick even hav-
ing doctors, and yet nearly all recover. In
my own drayman's family they had six
children sick ut one time. There was no
doctor and no nurse but the ignorant Irish
mother, vet all recovered; and IN the same
block where these children were sick there
were over fifty cases, and not a death. |
Il of hot
house. and it was enough to make well
man sick TO go near there. In my fire.
quent visits to the Washington street
city, have seen the same faces in the
houses of the streets opposite to this grave
yard. At every funeral the same children
would be there-not one missing. This
led me to take an investigation. This
cemetery occupies an entire square. bound
by Washington, Sixth, Prytania and
Coliseum streets, and the entrance on
Washington street. Directly opposite the
entrance is the family of Mr.. Berchmier.
consisting of himself, wife and six chill
dren. None of them have ever had the
fever, and all have thus far escaped. There
are IN the same block five other houses.
and as yet not case Of fever in any
of them. On the Sixth street side Of
the cemetery there has not been case
in the entire block of houses. On
the Prytania street side there is a
church and but three houses. All of
the families in these houses have escaped
the disease. On the Coliseum street side
of the cemetery there are large number
of cottage houses. and fever in only one OF
them. ! next interviewed the men who
were constantly employed in the burial of
the dead. These men open and close the
tombs and are very much exposed, yet
they have escaped the fever.
The death rate hats shown very large
proportion of children, fully 20 per cent.
of the mortality being of young children:
and the children who have had the very
best of care and attention die, while the
children of the poor recover In the Orphan
Asylum we find there have been eighty
three cases: the Camp Street Orphan
Asylum has had seventy-four cases and no
deaths. The Sisters OF Charity have taken
care of these children. Thefact that these
children sleep in the third and fourth
story of the buildings may have been of
advantage to them and caused them to
have mild cases There are some families
who have from four to eight children, and
who have not had ease of the prevailing
epidemic. | have yet to learn Of any citi-
zen having had the fever in previous
A remarkable specimen OF meteoric iron
iIas been received at Yuma, California.
from Mohaye Desert. 1t weighs about a
pound, contains gold. is not magnetic.
and has successfully resisted simple and
compound baths of acid. and has dehed
the best cold chisels in the blacksmith :
shop. and has not broken or Clipped I'M
der heavy blows.
epidelnics and again this year-unless
they have spent some time away from the
city. After once having had the fever,
they are ALWAYS safe. being tever-proot.