Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-08-08
NEW ORLEANS.
A Graphic Letter ahOut the Scenes
and Condition OF that City.

NOH
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 4-What
can | say about this yellow fever
outbreak that you have not already
learned by telegraph? l know that
it is not half as bad as tits painted,
although at any time it may become
so. The scare has been caused by
the publication in the daily papers
Of all the new cases. From this it
would seem that we are having u
fearful epidemic, while the contrary
is the case. Three or four deaths
in twenty-four hours do not con-
stitute an epidemic, no more thar
one swallow makes a spring, but
panicky people do not stop to an
alyye a yellow fever report, and, as
a consequence, we have had the
greatest scare and the worst stam-
pede that was ever known here.
The sanitary condition of this
city is as bad as it can be-. 1t
would require hours Of writing to
tell of the garbage-filled streets, the
cutters up to the brim with stag
nant, Shiny water, and the suburbs
reeking with filth. The city coun-
Gil is a political machine, and of
course has no time to attend to
the condition Of the city. The
board of health is little, if any bet
ter. 1t allowed a yellow fever in
fected vessel to come up to the city
in May, and make no cutlery, but
no sooner does the disease break
out than it cries yellow Jack F"
from the house tops, and drenches
the city with the carbolic acid,
which so far has not conquered the
attack, although it has conquered a
few of the smells of the city. Not
content with this, it has ordered
all the mud in the cutters to be
spread like muck in the streets,
and there the hot sun takes hold
of it. The rest had best be i'm
agined. 1t is no wonderr that sick
ness prevails here.
Our city has been quarantined
by every little village within a
hundred miles, and all the roads
have ceased running trains except
that of the Jackson Company. 1t
is a curious sight to see the ticket
office of this company and hat Of
the Mobile road, contrasting each
other on opposite corners of Camp
street. The latter is silent and
quiet as if there meier had rushed
a man therein "to inquire the way
to Norwich" or to buy a ticket
thither. The clerks sit at the door
smoke cigarettes aud watch the rusl
going on in the Jackson tickle
; Office.
All day long there has been a
least fifty people at a time in tina
Office, yelling for tickets and scat
tering the g~reenbacks over tn
counter. Four clerks, up to thei
r chins in work, perpire and punch
, and punch and perspire. 1t re
minds me of the ticket jam tina
occurred when Barnum brough
Jenny Lind to Nashville. There j
no humor in these people, however
They crowd the ticket office, not I
get a glimpse at a famed tragedi
I enne or to hear a few notes sung b
o a cantatrice, but to escape deatl
They are eager for tickets, but moth
ing else; they see the fell destroye
in each breath Of air and they hea
his ~throbbing step at every momen
e They have no jOkes-they must l
II away, for who knows but they ma
t. be the next victims? To see sue
a sight as this is to become apprt
hensive, and to wish you could g
. too. Fear is so contagious as thi
that the sight OF one scared ma
drives hundreds of others Graz
1t with fright. 1t appears that ii
- best way to get through an epidem.
is to shut yourself up with you
friends, as did the heroes of Bocc
. Gle, and never so much as whisp,
it the words "yellow fever"
n 1t is the constant dining
questions and answers about I'll
: sickness, about this friend bein
= stricken down and that friend ha
ing been carried to the grave, th
be hurts. The bravest experien
g. qualms at the heart on such occ
m sions. A panic in an epidemi
struck town resembles a panic {
gu the field Of battle. 1t is a fearf
o, thing TO see, more fearful to ia.
e. part in. "Don't be the lastg'
L. the cry, " for the enemy is just
~ hindp l believe the scare is wol
y than either the sickness or t
e. death. At any rate, / would rath
re have yellow fever in all its stag,
il and each stage in its direst for
at than pass through another mig
Lo like the one following the day VII
first the exaggerated fever repo.
were circulated. With the VI
lr. majority Of people this scare wet
Try of within an hour or tWo-that
mo as soon az they pan stop thinking
Ia the horrors and begin reasoni
' upon disease-but some few me-
get this far, and are in one cont
he uaI tribulation until they he
NIL eeeaped TO distant lands.