The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-12-04
THESTORYi0FDISEASE
TERRIBLE sUfrERrLS,;o Q AND ID DEATH
In Eastern Kentucky Counties Told by I
Correspondent = The Dry Weather X
l Scourge That Ia Depopulating
,ss 1hat Ssetlon Of ) Country:

LorlsvILLr, KY, Dec. a.-Tlie COurie,
Journals EstaF correspondent, sent to IN
vestigate tho plague in Eastern Kentucky
sends the following from Mt. Pleasant To
night: f,5 ;Ii @ & z
"Tite further I travel into this plague
infested country the more horrible DO
comes the situation, und the more I won
der TINT the entire population, or Mt least
tl,at portion Of It who have bcen attacked
by the prevailing epidemic, have not been
swept into the world beyond. I am able
to write clearly only after Conversa.
tions with men from all parts OF the
country who arc here from distances rang.
Ing oil the way from five to forty miles, 10
secure supplies and have grinding done,.by
the water mills in this county, -as in anost
OF the mountain counties the mills are
useless because Of the scarcity Of water
md steam. The mill hcre is patronized
by families living fur and near. &,
From all sources Of information ! am
able to make IN estimate Which may be
relied upon rs being nearly correct us any
that could be made without a peraonal
visit to every house in the county. There
have been in Harlan county since
the latter part of last August
over two hundred deaths. OF these 1t
least onc-half have died from lux or
cholera.inlnntum supcrnduccl by the use
OF impure water.
There have been about 200 cases Of sick
ness known to lie tlux und ii large amount
Of illness from other causes, es-
pccially among children, such as
whooping cough, bronchitis, summer
coiDplnint, etc., III many cases Il complica-
ton OF these diseases existing. The county
has but 1000 inhabitants, and one
IN every twenty OF these, basing
the average on the estimate above
given, have died this spring and
summer. Up to the latter part OF August It
was unusually healthy, then sickness
began and since then ninety percent Of
the deaths lave occurred. "a
met and talked witl, DR.. Blair, OF this
place, this morning. Heis Of the opinion
that the recent rains and fros,s have had
a tendency to abate the epidemic, tho vir-
ulence OF which he thinks is governed
BY the temperature. II the weather be.
comes about uniform night and day the
disease decreases, but cool nights un,l
warm days are inclined IL give 1t new
impetus. 1pccac has been until recently
the principal ingredient Of prescriptions
given by him. = s9'-,.,1 e ~ n.
As to. the disease being contagious, L
find great diversity Of opinion, but lave
arrived at the conclusion that it Is SO only
when the discharge from the bowels
and urinary organs is allowed to stand
and Ill the room viii, its balefal od0rs,
nnd when people are Careless about clean
liness and ventilation. In this conclusion,
every physician with whom have talked
supports me. and it is doubtless correct.
I have now been at the county seats of
three counties in which tho infection has
a ioothold, Knox. Bell, and Har-
Ian countless, aud in these, which
are but z on the .i outskirts of the
district i'll which it has been most fatal, l
sum up a total OF over 400 deaths sinre
the latter part Of August froplVhux alone,
and fully the same numberfrom other ills.
mostly resulting from the use Of impure
or mineral poisoned water. If | include
the deaths reported 10 me by Rev.. Mr..
Childers in Menifec, Wolf and other coun-
ties, it would no doubt.run the list up to
1900. So
In day or two more I will he in
Letcher county and Wise county, Vir-
ginia, and after my trip through
them will no doubt be able 10
pretty closely estimate the number
Of victims in the entire territory which
the scourge covers. From reports from
Letcher received here it is evident thut
the cases Of sickness have run up into 800
or 400. and the deaths have been about
five out OF ten, NJ. - 'rss'