The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-08-19
THE ASIATIC SCOURGE.
Frightful Condition of Affairs in the Cholera
Stricken Sections Of Spain.
The Epidemic Spreading More and More
Business Throughout the Country Par
alyzed-Quarnatine. Precautions
Along the Mediterranean.

LONDON, August 1G.-The reports of the
cholera which reach here from Spain betray
a frightful condition of things. The cpl
demic is spreading more and more, and the
accounts of its terrible ravages which have
come to London have aroused great anexiety
among all persons who are in any way con-
cerned in Spanish affairs All the Anglo
Spanish firms who have offices in London
have made AN attempt to do something to
stem the cOntagion, and have addressed the
Spanish Ambassador on the subject. They
offered to make united appeal
to the people of England for assistance for
the cholera-striclen district. The Ambassa-
dor forwarded this offer t the Lord Mayor of
London, but the Lord Mayor replies that he
is not prepared TO invite an English national
subscription, and so the effort of the Anglo
Spanish firms remains at present without re-
suit.
Advices from the afflicted section of Spain
to commercial. houses in London describe an
utter paralysis of business everywhere
throughout the country. The stories which
come from the infected districts recall the
worst of the scenes which are associated with
famine and war. For example, in the town
of Erla, in the Province of SaragoSSa, there
is no longer Mayor or u municipal Govern
ment The Mayor and all the city officials
are dead, stricken down by the plague and
all the doctors and chemists OF the place have
fallen victims to the pestilence. The shops
are all closed and the town is deserted by the
inhabitants. The people are i'm destitute
condition, and the Mayor of the neighbor-
ing town Of Egen. which is the only
place from which the fugitives could expect
aid, has forbidden the citizens to render them
any assistance. lie has declared an absolute
blockade, and no person is allowed to enter
Egen on any pretext whatever. This is an
instance of what is commonly going on
throughout Spain-the provincial towns
shutting their gates to all intruders physi-
clans and government officers as we'll as peo-
pie fleeing from the disease. The survivors
of Erla are consequently camping out on the
hillsideS, without houses and with but
scanty means of subsistence According TO
the latest news some of them had set fire to
the town, hoping by that means 10 burn out
the plague The fear of the importation of
cholera is taking practical shape all along the
Mediterranean coast, and the most vigorous
quarantine precautions have been establish
ed at Gibraltar, the Island of Malta, and
at the ports OF Egypt against all French and
Spanish vessels. Marseilles steamers are not
allowed TO call at Malta, SueZ, or Port Said,
everywhere taken at other places to ward off
the threatening pestilence.
How true is the saving that Europe ends at
the Pyrenees is shown by the fact that the
death from the cholera of Cardinal Gonzales,
Archbishop of Seville while succoring the
suffering in a little village, has received only
line dispatch here and no comment, while
last year the action of San Felice, at Naples,
was given whole pages The deaths in Spain
make bad showing-a total of 81 ,2l9. Prob
ably the truth would make the total 1000 or
5000 more At the present rate of virulence
and spread il is not unlikely that the total
for the year will exceed 100000. These figures
recall the most hideous stories of medieval
plaques. Long ago the climax of misery and
panic and suffering seemed to have been
reached, yet the daily reports now reveal new
depths of horror. Granada villages are filled
with unburied cOrpses, mobs are stoning the
doctors, hordes of unmilked cattle are roam
ing about the fields believing. officials are
committing suicide. All the awful chaos at
last is beginning seriously in the city of
Madrid, where despairing efforts have kept
the disease at bay 50 long. Only eight prov
inces are unaffected now. The plague is
firmly fixed in the Pyrenean country. Bilbao
and Santander will be the next victims in
the north and Malaga and Seville in the
south, where thousands will be swept away
in the coming month.
The outbreak at Gibraltar has revived here
since the Bristol case failed to spread the dis
ease. The chief comfort OF England lies in
the fact that heretofore cholera has only
come through Germany, which induces the
hope that we safe from later infection.
MADRID, August 16--Returns from the
cholera infected districts of Spain show to-
tai number of new cases for Saturday, A. 70c
| and total number of deaths from the dis
ease of 1853. The plague has made its ap-
pearance at Barcelona, where 23 cases and 1s
deaths are reported.
The cholera reports show that there were
fifteen new cases and thirty deaths in the
province to-day. The slight panic which
broke out few days ago has subsidized. The
epidemic shows no further signs of an in
crease.
Some of the most crowded houses have
been burned, and their tenants temporarily
lodged few miles outside of the city. The
public buildings are disinfected daily. The
epidemic is still ravaging Granada, but is de-
creasing in the other southern provinces.
MARsEILLEs, August 16.-There were 81
deaths from cholera here Saturday.
Several deaths from cholera have occurred
in the lunatic asylum here Several deaths
are reported at M0uries and Solon, caused
by typhoid fever and smallpox, which are of
a severe type and very active.