New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-01
PROGRESS OF THE EPIDEMIC.

coNsULs REPORT On THE ORIGIN OF THE DIS
rAsE IN SOUTHERN FRANCE-ftLrHY CONDl-
1iON OF TOULON.
WAsruNGroN, July 81 Secretary frclihg-
hyscn has received report Of much interest from
Conau Mason nt Mnrsoilcs on the character of thr
cholera epidemic IL Southern France. Consul M"s"h
,y.. The first case appeared at GOulon on June ~
The MAYOR of ToulOn has insisted from the hrsl That the
disease was contagious Aslac cholera Imported py
supplemental Government transport. when mas Dcon
employed in the expedition 10 TonGn ana having h'u
cocru on board nj Saigon returned TO Toulon ON th"
other hand the chief medical officer ot the fcnch Gov
crnmcnt pronounced the disease merely sporadic co'i"
dine TO the nhy condition OF Toulon. This opinion WAS
sustained generally during tho first week OF the epidemic
But on June - young officer Of marines returning To
Touon after leave Of absence was attacked "th dhy
Of his resumption Of duty aud died after few hours OF
terrible agony. his presenting all the marked ana
awful features of true Asiatic cholera on tho same
dsy % student from the Iycee OF Ioulon VINO had 70
turlcd several days before 10 ms home IN haiseIes
Was seized wh Asatic cholera at the latter CITY, ana
died after an illness Of e'gh hours whlch deheu 1t"
remedies. ON the day following (2sthl Custom House
official employed at the Quai du Canal IN MarSeilcs was
br bt home at O'Clock the evening clear ana
uudisutlbe case OF Asiatic cholera Meanwhile there
were under treatment at Touion about eighty cases ol
cholera OF which all but six eight were pronounced
mid aud the deaths there from choerac causes Lao al
no time since the drst outbreak exceeded nine per dy
With these facts i'm view the Government phy siclahs
o., the Both of June presented their verdict which prob
sby stated accurately the then real truth VIZ; Ihdt 'le
real couta ous Asatic maady existed at Iou.on a."
Mar,cies and that large prop .rion OF the cases
were Of mild type and presented only the recognized
features Of sporadic cholera. Tic real danger was
present 1t had appeared in the first month OF SUMNER
day. later than the first outbreak of the terrible vlSi
t.t!ou .65 and it became question how far vgor-
On. sanitary measures could prevail against an cpdtc
which had become So thoroughly established bolh
Narseilles and Touon suffered terribly IN the cholera
epidemic Of 1s65. During tie nineteen years "IIch
have lsp,ed since them Marsecs has been, in several
important respects, almost rebuilt Her PaNcmcAJN heI
sewerage system her supply and method Of clean
nc streets removing night soil inspecting and rcguiat-
IN the markets OF food her quarantine re latons ana
hospital facilities ali probably unsurpassed III excel
leuce by those Of any European o. American city Inc
Old quarters of the city, the ancient Marsees, which
scourged sharply by the plague IN former cen
tue has been pierced With broad avenues streams OF
ple wafer dow down the CUTTERS OF the narrower streets
snd alleys ana the paVemcnS of the principal thorough
fares are washed and swept with care an frequency
which leaves nothing to be desired But with all the
Intelligent HberaMty which the city has evinccd in the
construction of her drainage system, there is an nsur-
,n,unta,le difficulty which all Mediterranean cities are
compelled to facethcr sewers How into uIeIeas sea
Tie harlor Of Marsees is almost entirely artificial Ihe
old port Is simply the estuary OF small creek dredsed
out into a large dock with narrow outlet to the sea
Tho now orts are spacious LarDofs enclosed by miles OF
piers and hreakwdter and dcepened TO naNigdme deph
b. dredging and Into these enclosed ports.
which extend along two-thirds Of the shore front of the
e the entire volume of sewage poured and as there
only the surplus pure fresh water OF the city hy dana
dilute this urbid flow, and there Is no tide 10 main
ain circulation Of seawater through the enclosed ports
thc inevitable result is that the latter gro" oal ana
restilcut
Since tie outbreak at Touon the whole city has been
literally washed with water and disiniectants not once
merely but daily and nightly. The markets are care
fllly inspected and immense quantities OF stale ana
unripe fruit and vegetables seized and destroyed kal-
way stations. Omuibuses, street cars even hacey
carriages are gated and disn!ected and the smell VI
Chlorine sdphaes and carDOlc acid Is every where
lid upon promontory in front OF the city, has been
converted into hospital where all choeralc cases si'
DC Isolated and treated An ambulance corps mas Dc'l
Oeduizod which patrols all quarters OF lDe Guy 10 po
de Immediate transportation for tne slii6hen 70 WE
associations have offered their permanent services 10 !e
sH government 10 perform, under official direction tne
osl dangerous and mental services that may De requeu
i treating the epidemic
DAYS OF GREAT HfAT.
simultaneously with the two virulent cases OF Asatlc
enoera at Marseles there begaL period OF intense
sur! neat which, with the exception Of the 3Oth when
cooling ns'ra blew the sweltering city, yet con-
unues unabated. On the evening Of the 2eth OF June
'"s suhng heat accompanied by dense swarns 0i
mosquitoes which settled upon the lower part Of the city
'nu We're only driven of by fires OF pitch and resin
cA We're lighted along the streets during the night IL
vas remembered that a similar visitation accompanied
~ similarly dead, sitting atmosphere had marked the
Sosuhlng OF the great epidemic OF 1868 and this cir
b lance added 70 the steady increase OF the disease at
and ouon and Marseilles produced ON Saturday ulght
fat sunday panic which continued until the Tuesday
.oNhg During this period many thousands OF people
rtn"'ed 10 suburban residences Tie interior OF
siishee The intense sutry heat which began on tue
.n Ol june continued throughout the following week,
p,hs ahs Of iugves from Toulon continued TO pour daily
he city without restriction or disinfection. and on
N.Y. and sunday, the 5th and ON OF July, both
iPea control aud realized that the worst which had
m feared had come. The record OF cholerac deaths
YSO days, the last whose statistics are IN ncuded In
& report, thirteen and sixteen respecti' ely at