Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-09-15
FOREIGN NEWS.
A DEADLY DISEASE.
The Ravages of Cholera in NapIes-2OOO
Deaths since August.
New YORK. Sent. l.

NEW YORK, Sept. Il.
Inc Suns London correspondent, tel
egraphs that the attack of cholera in Italy is
now admitted 10 be severer than supposed.
The most incredible stories are told of the
rapidlty with which it has carried off its
victims. Death in many cases has occurred
within ten minutes of the first symptom.
Many persons have died within three or four
hours. and fatal cases have rarely lasted more
than five or six hours. The gambling spirit
has received great impetus thus, one day,
52 mother rushed to school and took away 81
children and everybody played these numbers
IN the government lottery and ali won. On
another day, the numbers "a and 22 CORE
sponded to current events in the streets, and
were played extensively and all three came
out ahead. The result, was the loss of 200,
600 francs by the government, general
debauch by the lucky inebriates and the vio-
lent increase of cholera.
The Times London dispatch says in refer
ence to the cholera in Italy, there has been
an enormous revival of righteous sentiment
in the Naples street shrines which were
walled up by Garabaldi in 1860 have all been
opened and white ashed and filled with holy
pictures and crowds wild with joy, watch the
work and hail with shouts each restoration
The professions are continued in the poorer
streets chiefly by the women. The churches
are thronged and street altars are erected
The police do not dare to interfere with the
affairs. The most extravagant stories of
miracle work are received with credulitv by
the populace. The hospital and anbulances
have been overpowered by the awful increase
in deaths and for a day or two, it has been
necessary to leave the corpses waiting so
hppOma aiI
vastly to the contagion. The situation in
this respect. however, has improved, by the
Kings ordering of thekmilitary to give assist
ance. Scores of old omnibuses covered with
black, have been converted into hearses.
The heroism of King Humbert makes most
welcome royal picture, such as Europe has
looked on for years. The King is accompa-
MED always by his brother Amadeus He
has visited all the hospitals and officiated
quarters, scattering money and kind words
right and left He wishes to explore the fondaici
containing probably the most hideous human
habitation in Christlandom, with its narrow
courtyards, its houses 80 feet high, sunlight
and air excluded. and the filthiest rooms each
with dozen or fifteen inmates of both sexes i,
There is no water to wash with The place
is alive with vermin. 1t is a literal den of
pestilence and contains fully one-fourth of
the whole population of Naples. All efforts
to disuade the King from going had failed,
when despairing official cried out: You
have no right to commit suicide nor have you
a right to deliberately murder many of the
unfortunate populace who will follow you in
that hot bed of DEATH.
On this the King bowed and got into his
carriage again. All classes are becoming
demoralized as the horror grows, but there
can be no doubt that the Kings examples had
the effect of preventing what would otherwise
have been fearful panic. The King and
archbishop have fraternized from the start
and the feeling is is general that the revp-
proachment between the church and state is
nearer today than before in many years
The total number of deaths in Naples 10 now
considerably over 2000. All have occurred
since August. In Northeast Italy the disease
about holds its own. LaSpeZia has had over
POO deaths and is still the seat Of the epidemic
The explanation of the frightful ravages in
LaSpezia and Breneo is the founding of a
local custom of preserving all refuse from
houses for fertilization purposes in a great
cistern called ''pozzo." This is connected
with the street gutter by an overflow pipe
which carries Oft the surplus liquid. When
ever there is a sudden rain the water breaks
into the pezzo and then out again, spreading
tne contents OF the clStern with Its pestelen-
tial vapors throughout the city, and finally
into the drinking wells and cellars. An effort
was made at the outset to have these cisterns
cleaned out. The people armed themselves
to protect their valuable contents, and the
officers shrsnk from a fight over the matter
The pest is lowering about Rome. That city
is very clean and the weather is uow so cool
that the capital may escape. Lunatic asy-
lums prove to be the choicest breeders of the
cholera in Parma and Naples.
ROME, Sept. 10.
The daily bulletin showing the ravages of
cholera in Italy during the past "a hour, is
fresh cases 1000 deaths All. Single cases
are reported from various towns. Spezsie
is still the centre of the epidemic in the
province of Genoa. OF the 81 reported in
that province, 35 were in Spezsie
MADRID, Sept. 13.
Advices from the Pyrannes report six
deaths today from cholera.
ROME, Sept. IA.
From midnight Friday to six o'clock Sun
day afternoon there have been 1899 fresh
cases of cholera and 6S7 deaths at Naples
Since the beginning there have been 1927
deaths. Todsy's bulletin for the last "a
hours is; At Bergsmo, IL deaths; Caserta,