The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-06-19
A DREAD EPIDEMIC.
SUDDEN SICKNESS AT ADAMS, MASS.
About one.Fourth of the Population
Frustrated at One Time-The
PhysIeians Worn out.

NoRTH ADAMS, MASS, June 1S.-A
most unprecedented state OF things now
exists in Adams, northern part Of Berk'
shire county. Out of a population Of about
900 fully one.third are prostrated with
severe attack OF disease which closely
resembles cholera morbus. About ten
o'clock last night persons began to be at,
tackled with violent purging and vomiting,
Whole families were prostrated, and
scarcely a family escaped without one or
more OF its members being taken down.
Three Of the doctors in the place were
soon running bither and thither, trying
to answer the hundreds Of calls, and the
other doctor lay groaning In bed with the
nreyalent disease. The whole town was
aroused.
The alarm spread from house to house
with the advance OF the epidemic, and the
doctors we're nearly as frantic as the
people. As a general thing the patient
would feel at first sort OF dizziness, last
ing for several minutes, which would be
followed by deathly sickness and rapid
vomiting. Terrible gripping pains sue
ceeded the vomiting, fairly doubling the
patient up with the agony. Then would
come violent purging, which, as rule,
lasted for several hours. Some cases were
exceedingly severe. A number Of men
becoming crazy with the pain, did and
said all sorts OF foolish things. One OF the
worst cases was the local express agent,
who, after the first violent contortions and
writings were over, insisted on going to
his office to express his legs to Pittsheld.
The disease attacked principally women
aud children, though strong men were
frequently prostrated. Among the men
attacked were James Renfrew, the manu-
iacturer, and T. A. Mole, treasurer OF the
L. L. Brown Paper Company. Toward
morning the epidemic began to lose Its
violence, and the sufferers were generally
relieved. The cases which broke out this
morning and afternoon are less severe
than those OF last night, though they are
all painful.
No deaths occurred, bat scores are left
in weak and helpless condition. To-day
the factories have been running with
weakened force, and the stores are with
out their usual number ot clerks. The
most OF those who were attacked last
night were out this afternoon, but feeling
very weak and nervous. NJ fatal results
are anticipated, though the doctors are ut
terly at sea us to the cause OF the disease.
They say they never saw anything like 1t
before. At tiBt it was feared that the
town'ssupply Of water had been poisoned
and there are those who still adhere to
that theory, but this does not seem prob
able. The doctors agree that the trouble
must have been caused by some Rtmos-
pheric influence Of which they are igno-
rant. About $50 Wednesday evening
there was heavy rain, and afterward the
air grew suddenly and intensely cold.
DR.. Burton says he noticed about 10
O'Clock, peculiar, damp earthly feeling IN
the air, like that which hangs about eel
lar long unopened, aud detected the same
condition OF atmosphere on several streets
during the night as he buried from place
TO place. Intelligence comes from Savoy
ana other mountain towns about eight or
ten miles distant, that the people are sim
ilarly affected. This shows conclusiyely
that 1t is not the water. Indeed, over 20
OF the sufferers were not in the habit OF
using the reservoir water.
The doctors ceased their calls only at
eight o'clock last night, being thoroughly
tired out. They say all danger.is passed,
unless there should be n recurrence OF the
atmospheric conditions which brought 1t
on, aud the town is getting over its fear
aud is laughing at the qreer experience.
II Is strange that North Adams, six miles
away, and In the same valley with Adams,
was not effected in the slightest. Adams
has been, in the past, remarkably
healthy town, and free from epidenics OF
all sorts. It is located at the foot OF Grey,
lock Mountain, the highest point OF land
In the State, and was never thought before
TO be situated iavorably for receiving the
bad effects OF sudden changes in the wealth
err. They are a lugubrious.lookine people
who inhabited the town now-weak, pale
faced, hollow-eyed, but they have got over
their terror.