The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-15

" We have over n thousand nurses. but only n
few are really competent. so n good many pa
ticnis die that might be saved" physician:
am tired out-lave been on the 20 since
ever saw on a Gaiilencid" lie dcscribs st The
death or n young man who passed through the
ordeal OF the fever. got ont ~ bed to nurse his
mother and died in relapse. That s COM
mon thing. Persons rarely die Of 'hc fever. but
from ensuing exhaustion. They feel rs though
they had recovered and often insist ON getting
up; but II Is almost certain death to stir for at
least Il week alter the fever departs. Expert
enccd nurses try to enforce perfect quiet on
their patients
In letter to the Louisville Courier journal. a
Memphis merchant confcsscs utter inability TO
give an adequate idca Of the distress but what
impresscs him particularly is the sense ~ ter
TOR that walk through the streets at night gives
him. The signal fires, the dend wagons, and
the shrieks of delicious sufferers appall him.
writer from one OF the suburban camps says;
! saw u woman returning from the inilrmary
with phial Of medicine. 1t was sprnkling n
litlc. She went into her tent. lit n candle. and
lay down. In "A few moments heard an alarm.
Women and children were running wild about
that portion OF the camp. ! hastened there.
when my eyes beheld most hcnrt-rending
wns crying on lis mothers breast. and she was
dend. ] came near having stampede. Th9
child was cared for. the mother taken away. and
me tent burned win lis contents: Howard
physician says: saw n patient this morning,
= Door German man. who, IN the, del.rium OF
cash In his own neck. This afternoon came
10 u shanty inhabited by one man, whom found
he will Ice dead before morning" lie adds that
he frequently finds dead and dying patients in
the same room. and that one must be con
sidercd hardened 10 Keep from getting nervous
sometimes. though night is the time when one
need at ali tr"mhle. If he is Of the trembling
kind" Another Howard physician tells ~ see-
Ing man leaning against fcnor. rs though
intoxicated and crying " O. my Cod He was
going into dclirium with the fever. The nhysi-
clans take large daily doses OF quiuine and tine
ture Of iron. and sprinkle carbohc acid freely
Washington. said 10 n Post reporter on his re-
turn: Al night We wore thick walls. soaked IN
carhOc acid. over our faces Tor ther" IL no IAN
gunEe To describe the awful stencil N the ciN
1t il now filthy to the last degree. The bayoN
which set in from the river anil the surface
drainage with which they arc filled. the I'M
clcanscd streets and nlleys. rotten wooden pave
mcnis deep dust of the mn'adamlZcd strcris,
deaf animals and nuiriiying human bodies. ana
halt-huricd dead an combine to make tine utmo--
phere thick with poison aud something fearful
t. endure. Dr. iphSr rays thut eighty per cent.
Of the women die. and that they suffer tar moro
than men from the disease.
CAMP LIFE AMONG THE RrFuGrrs.
The ncghhorhood OF Mcmphs. for miles
| around IL dotted with tn" camps II refugees
| charity. United States army tents We're pro-
/ Nidrd as fur rs possible. Int hundreds nr' lv-
! ins in rude hui- and many hnye no shelter eX.
| cept open sheds. Camp Jo Williams four and
! a half miles south II thn city. is the lure Il 20
! these settlements. Its inhoh nj carried %"
! physicians are trying in vain To- stamp it out.
! al cases are sent Ia an inproVisrd hospital.
| and he had So exhausted himself with work
! that the disease went hard with him;
S Sp' he r iiSga r camp j. wnms " r:s
| dent. writing 70 commercial nrm IN Louis.
vile: says; Women m chilinirth. surI"und"d
| pass from their sight on To- the hospital thence
| To- the grave. soon the babe is born. yellow ns
! gold the mother lngors "A few days. and then
! she. the last If the household. il Put under
| ground. We save no women who are attacked.
| In this camp. il seems. the fever IL invariably
| fatal ~ Its Eject on women. killing them speed
iy and surely. Here is an Illustration hy the
aged IA and l6 arrived from Memphis and APP
| piled to him for quarters. lie saw IN the girls
nnmisiakaoie signs oi mo ieyrrLa plnkish
| ness Of the skin; but they said that they felt
unusually well. He gave thom q tent next his
! d"iiirious' ana before night were dead. This is
the letters postscript: just now totcd a fell
hunting him all day. IL has boon dodciug us.
! lie sWrurs nothing Il IN" matter with him. His
pulse is 1875 and temperature lO6 H. is 1t
| orally burning up. lie Will bee dead 10y noon to-
| morrow" Late news from this camp WAS II a
| removal TO get away from the Infection II pos
In tho neiehhorhood Of all the fever-strckcn
| cities arr similar can'ps-s"me thoroughly or
and others merely gatherings ~ demorali2nd.
| terrified. ignorant families. some are practi-
| cully religious camp meetings. suprrstitous
| dread having led the negroes 10 a great SHOW Of
| pirty and 10 the use Of VoodOo charms ~ a de-
fence. \ dried snakes head Is generally re-
| garded by them rs n pretty sure protection
against yellow fever although some put their
| trust in "A human finger. Either must he worn
on the breast and the practice il to enclose
Tin a little bag. \ negro prophet in New or.
| leans predicted that when in any one day the
degrees Of hcnt and the nunhef Of denths in
| thnt city corresponded the disense would inn
| modiatrly decline in violence. Tho coincid, nee
| hapnrnnd ON thrre successive DAYS last week
ANA Tho failure Of the prediction doubtless de-
stroyed that prophets reputation. The eager
| ness Of the negroes b. bee, me religion, CON
vcris makos the camp meetings excessively
| lively. Work is neglected on the plantations
| much cotton remaining unpicked. A MORO
| Methodist rXhart.r. known in the river co1in-
| lies Of Arkansas a- Shouting sam. hogan. ms soon
as the fever spread. To rrcacn tiat it was a man.
| Hesitation Of Divine wrath He went from plarp
| 10 place eNhorting his people 10 repent ant tx
| citing them To- 4. high degree He was kept in
| nil f0r a week but that amount ~ inariyf,lom
only incrcasrd his influonrr with the 6In.ks
| He called himself a high priest especially an
| uointrd 10 orr sacrifices Choosing n carnp
| near sterling Ark NJ the place for a temple.
! his followers built one in tho woods under his
direction. An altar was erected in ns close con-
! .urmity ns pos. Die win Biblical rreccie0t and
day selected for making burnt onrrine. A
| sheep and some fowls w,rn Killed hy shouting
| sam and pnrtly burned on the altar. This cor
em0nv was followed by II wild dance around the
! camu mr.,
WV ontrANs vrcKsprpo AND Fl s-yurnr