Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-10-10
In Quarantine at vigo.

In tbs lazaretto precincts round che
island are moored some eighteen or
twenty steamers and sailing vessels of
all nations, all flying the yellow flag,
whose crews are permitted to land and
take such diversion as they can find
on the island. Our whole party were
proceeding somewhat gaily to our
prison house. a Observation-Disclosures
like building, nearly IN the center of
the island when, as we passed a very
obvious English seafaring person who
seemed to regard us with a compass
sionate glance, we asked him what
sort Of accommodations there MIGHT
be. He was The Scotch mate of a shin
whose crew were spending the day on
the island. His answer was impress
sively delivered in a sepulchural voice,
''Sir, it IS simply awful" The Scotch
gentleman was right. We We're usher
ed into the house and were straight
way saiuted by such IN odor, as even
l, who have faced many a bad one.
have never yet encountered the like vi,
To the meanest intelligence it was OBJ
vious that a cesspool lay close under
meath the decayed flooring of the house.
and this turned out to be the case-a
capacions c%esspool in, as g%eo.raphelrs
say of volcanoes. ''full and permanent
activity existed in the very center OF
the house. 1t was explained TO us
afterward by the medical officer of The
establishment that an escape pipe
therefrom had been stopped up for
some time, but this did not seem to 'us
to mend the matter much.
When W. had somewhat recovered
our outraged senses we looked about
us and saw that, in regard to dirt, de-
cay, neglect and dilapidation, the wills,
floors and windows of this gaol TO. the
innocent were in harmony with TIL, san
itary arrangements. After great trsublc,
for the prison-house was crowded, the
four ladies Of OUT party were provided
with four wretched beds in q room still
more wretched on the ground flor. In
a smaller and not less miserable apart
ment we two men were glad to be
thrust. The furniture of oursoom con-
sisted solely of two broken-bscked iron
bedsteads, n OF which whtn it was
touched fell in two. The bed clothes
l would rather not describe The plas-
ter on the walls had in tie course of
years fallen away, and lay some Of it.
on tho unswept floor, thick with dust
and encumbered with cigarette ends
and bits of waste OF every horrible kind.
There was neither table nor chair. nor
a chest of drawers, nor q washstand,
the ceiling was hung with dust-laden
cobwebs, the walls, stained with patches
OF black and green mould, We're grimy
beyond description. With great diff
Guilty we procured y cracked basin and
an apology for a Jug; we raised clouds
OF dust in trying TO sweep the floor our
selves; we bribed an overworked at
tendant to break off for us a few square
inches OF an already frameless and
backless looking-glass of his own.
Only one alienation of the abominable
state of this den did l perceive; there
We're two windows opposite to each
other, and both OF them had far more
broken-out panes than sound ones. 1t
was clear that some previous inmates,
maddened with the evil odors, which
we observed to be aggravated in the
night season, had rushed frantically to
the easements and improved the venti-
lation summarily. AS the walls of dun
geons are found scrubbed with The con-
plants and lamentations of imprisoned
w%retches, SO were the walls of this
quarantine dungeon written over with
the indignant protests of its former in
mates, and it is historical evidence OF
the neglect that has SO long lain over
| this island lazaretto that some OF these
inscriptions bear date between 1865 and
1870. | was told OF one dated 1857,
but | did not see it. The food arrange
ments were far better than the lodging,
and both were distinctly cheap-we
paid but rs. sd. each a day. Still there
must have been a large profit, for there
We're but two meals a day, taken in
common at eleven and six, besides the
universal cup of morning chocolate,
and the food was such as Spanish peas
ants eat-pot an tem, stewed and fried
fish, all plenti ully favored with onion
and garlic and cooked with oil.-Lon.
don Times.
So h------