St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1878-08-31
The Spread of the ScOurge.
rCitv Item.

[City Item.]
Almost every newspaper on the cont
| nent has had somewhat to say concern
ing the mysterious disease which broke
out weeks ago in this city and is now
spreading in various directions north.
ward. Indeed the sympathies, and il
some instances, the fears of the Ameri.
can people have been deeply stirred
upon the subject. Solong period must
still intervene bttwixt the present, and
| the probable advent of frost, that i'm
| agination has ample verge for it's most
alarming cOnjectures in the, premises
| and it but tithe OF these are verified
| the stricken communities in which the
disease now exists, and will yet run
riot, will have ample need of all the aid
which Christian liberality is likely to
bestOW.s
According to DR.. Toner, a high au-
thority on the subject of yellow fever, a
square formed by the forty-t ifth and the
une-hundredth degrees of longitude. and
tile thirty fifth north and fifth degrees
o. south latitude, is the favorite home of
it originates, it spreads in various direc-
tloD, especially along the coast lines,
and to points having but Il comparative
~ slight elevation above the sea level.
During the latter part OF the last cen
ttry aud the early portion Of the present
it frequently Went as far northward as
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York,
s5ostou, Salem, and even Quebec. New
Orleans and Mobile have, however, been
more frequently visited by it than any
other American cities. The history of
the fever has been traced up in Mobile
since 1905, aud in New Orleans since
1717. Sometimes there would be scarcely
:, trace OF it for years. and then, as if re-
yretting its leniency, it would burst out
with IL degree of virulence which set all
remedial efforts at defiance. In 1878 it
WAS peculiarly violent in Shreveport and
Memphis-p0ints remote from the coast
and elevated above the ordinary level of
tile yellow fever plane.
Alter the severe epidemic of 1947 both
New Orleans and Mobile We're compara-
lively free of fever for six years. Then
came the terrible visitation of 1853-the
most severe in the long line Of epidemics.
The following year it would have been
equally violent in this city had unaccli-
mated material been on hand upon
which to expend its fury. In 1854 the
1866, 2670. There was then pause till
AScS,
and not till after the close of the war
did it again assume an epidemic form.
In 1878, when the disease was so violent
at Shreveport and Memphis, it scarcely
manifested its presence at all in New
Orleans. At Shreveport its malignity
was attributed to a disturbance of great
quantities of decaying vegetation con-
sequent on the removal of the Red river
raft. So strong were the malarial gases
floating above the river as to be plainly
cognizable by ordinary olfactories. At
Memphis the disease commenced at the
waters edge, and, according to DR..
it required q month to travel
up the hill a quarter of mile. Accord
ng to one Memphis statement persons
living outside of the city, and who
visited and returned from their places
If business only during the day time,
we're not attacked. The curious fact is
also mentioned that the Jail, with a high |
wall around it, was not invaded by the |
epidemic. This comedies with the his |
joTy OF our Parish Prison, which, du-
ing a century, was only visited by |
iellow fever once,