The Indianapolis journal., 1884-11-24
DROUGHT, FAMINE, PLAGUE.
The Triple ScOurge Affecting Western
Virginia and Eastern kentucky.
People Dying by Hundreds Because of Poi
sOnOus Water, While Forest Fires Add
Calamity to Their Sufferings.

the scenes witnessed were beyond description.
For nearly three months no rain has fallen.
The grass was burned up The crops total
failure. Nearly every creek spring and we'll
was dry. There was scarcely any water in the
north and middle forks of the Hoston river,
Maiden Spring creek is simply dry gulch, and
the Louisa fork of the Big Sandy is a succession
of brackish puddes in the hollow of its rocky
bed. In the town Of Mt Pleasant but one
well contains water. The citizens of Salt
vile carry water for nearly two miles. For
the past six weeks. A deadly plague has swept
this whole section, and at least LOCO persons, in
population not exceeding $1,000, have died.
Cattle and live stock by hundreds have died.
The disease is similar in man and beast. 1t be
gins with gripping pain in the stomach, followed
by excessive fever, bloody hux accompanied
With Vomiting, and then death The sickness
rarely lasts over a day, but depends on the
strength of the individual attacked. The country
is extremely rough, and most of the people live
in cabins up the hollows in the mountains
many are remote from neighbors and whole fam
lies die alone and are left unburied. The de-
Vastation on Moccas;n creek is particularly awful
About thirty families reside distance of eight
miles on its banks. OF the $50 persons in them.
over 100 have died. Physicians are not TO be
had, and the simple remedies of the natives prove
poweress. Mr.. Abbott relates one very sad
case The family of Abraham Smalley consisted
of five persons, the youngest child Of five
years. was found dead The little child had evi
IDENTIFY died last and in its awful hunger had
nearly torn off its mothers breast.
Food is about exhausted, and the people are
and corn meal sells for $S a barrel The mills
cannot grind, and if they could, there is no corn
Gladesville, KY, is almost depopulated, and a
graveyard is about all that,remains of Lebanon,
The immediate cause of the disease is supposed
to be the presence of great quantity of mineral
matter in the water caused by the long drought
and evaporation. In five counties there is not
one thousand bushels of corn nor one hundred
head of live stock. and the tobacco crop is abso-
Iutely nothing Potatoes do not average ten
bushels to the acre There is game in the
mountains, and communication with the outside
world is by themost tedious methods, over mount
aims and rocky PASSES.
Information from Lynchburg, Va, the
same subject is to the following effect
The counties suffering from the and fatal
disease before reported are Lee and Dickinson
and the edge of Scott IN Virginia, and Harlan,
Lee and the adjoining counties in Kentucky
Owing to the isolated position of the district par
ticuars are hard to obtain. Hundreds said
to have died. and, allowing for eXaggeration
it can be affirmed that the mortality is
large Postal Clerk Wells, who has lust ar
rived from that section, after having had the
disease gives sad account of the epidemic
He attributes it to mineral poison in :ho
drought-dried water and says strong and dis
agreeable mineral taste, like that of copperas
exists. At the time he left few springs were
flowing freely and the people were compelled to
DIR nix this impregnated water. Although the
name of the desease is unknown, the people call
it cholera, and were 1t so it could not be more
dreaded or disastrous.
The SYMPTOMS are described as similar to
those of Asatic cholera, followed by terrible
hemorrhages in the bowels, and those attacked
either die or recover in about week 1t is
frequently fatal in twenty y-four hours and some
times in a much shorter period. in most in
stances it visits an entire family, and it is con-
sidered so contagious that in some cases persons
die alone, their friends being afraid to go to
them. There are no figures representing the
actual mortality but it is estimated that over
300 have perlshed in the Virginia counties
named, and, considering the sparse population
and the number taken, the percentage is large.
At the late election the number of deaths con-i
siderably affected the 'majorites at the various
precincts and thirty graves We're counted
in small cemetery. AS result the peo-
pie are demoraized, and local business interests
suffer. A like seourge visited this section in
Z 1854 The country, which is extremely mount
ainous, is of high elevation above the level of
the sea. Cattle are also dying in the same sec
ton. General rains have fallen in this State for
two days past 1t is probable that the drought in
the infected region is now ended.
A special from Charleston w. Va. in regard
to the same matter says Information received
here from Perryvlie Mcdowell county, this State
near the Virginia border gives frightful ac-
count Of the ravages of the disease in the ex
treme Southwestern counties of Virginia, and
the adjoining territory of Kentucky The loss
of life has already been appalling, while the CON
dition of the survivors is terrible in the eX-
treme. No rain has fallen in the Cumberland
mountains in which the infected district is stu
ated, for four months, the drought entailing not
only the almost total failure Of the crops, but
the cutting off of the supply of water
over wide area. Difficulty was experienced
in obtaining water for stock as early as
he middle of August in some localities, but no
actual suffering occurred among the inhabitants
until about the end OF September. when the
dinary sources of supply having for the most
part failed the mountaineers We're compelled, in
order to sustain life, to obtain water for house
hold needs from what were known as poison
(mineral) springs in the mountains, or from tho
small amount remaining in the deep holes of the
oeds of creeks. A persistent use OF the water
soon developed a peculiar disease as deadly as
Asiatic cholera in its nature, which has since
ragged with terrible fatality over half dozen
counties i'll Virginia. West Virginia and Ken
tncky, the loss of life thus far being varousy
estimated at from 400 to 800 Among children
and adults well up III years the mortality has
been the greatest, but no class has been exempt
/ In number Of instances, especially along the
forks of McLean's creek, a tributary of the Big
Sandy river and in the valley of the Powell
river emptying into the Tennessee river whole
families have perished; while in numerous
other cases but one or two members
of household survive Few recov-
cred from the disorder, 60 to so
/ per cent of those attackd dying. this being ac-
counted for by the fact that pure water is still
unobtainahle, and that proper feed and medical
attendance cannot be had, The drying up of
the streams necessitates the stoppage of numer.
Gus small grist mills along the mountain valleys.
/ and the population for the most part appears to
be in the most abject want and misery
special from Wheeling savs Of the yenera1