Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-01
SPREADING LIKE CHOLERA.
The plymouth Epidemic Carries Death
to MANY other Towns.

WuKEsBARRE, PA, April 2S.-The ter
rible disease in Plymouth shows no signs
of abating, and the alarm among the in
habitauts is increasing. This afternoon
fourteen funerals of the victims of the
disease were held, and business throughout
the borough was suspended. Along the
route to the cemetery the stores shut up
and the people gathered i'm knots ana
gl0omily watched the m0urntul process
sions as they wound through the town.
At the cemetery the interments were aI
made within an hour or two, ana many
hundreds of people fingered. Inc NUM-
cipal authorities have set to work TO re-
move the cause OF the epidemic. Al day-
light this morning, ~ wagons Win men
to each wagon. stated OuI, anu unuel
the direction Of the members OF Inc BOT
Ourh Council began the work of clean
inc Tbe town was divided into districts,
the houses and yards of the residents
were invaded, the cellars explored ana
every particle OF rubbish. garbage, ohal
and ashes taken away and the premises
thoroughly disnfected. This work will
90 on night and day and il is hoped Will
be completed within As hours. To-day
eight deaths were reported.
A singular fact concerning this epi-
demc is tie large proportion of young
men and women between the ages of Is
and 80 who have fallen victims. Fully
three-fourths Of the victims are between
these ages. The alarm has been greatly
increased by the fact that the epidemic is
spreading and has appeared in several
neighbOring villages. Cases are reported
in Parksyille, Kingston, Avondale and
other places in Plymouth Township. The
utmost activity prevails throughout the
district in cleaning up all garbage, ashes,
etc, and in disinfecting houses, yards
and OuthOuses. There are many portions
OF this city that are in a deploraole con-
ditiOn SO far as accommodations OF rubbish
are concerned, and grave fears exist that
the epidemic may make its appearance
here.
In some households in Plymouth the
distress is very great. In the family OF
James McAlarney one son, p years old.
died on Friday last, and the father and
four other children are now Frustrated by
the disease leaving the mother and one
child the only healthy members of the
family. They are very poor and unable,
now that the earnings of the father are
stopped, to provide even the necessities OF
life, and have to rely on the assistance of
neighbOrs and friends. The funeral Of the
young man took place to-day, and the
grief Of the heartbroken mother as the re-
mains Of her eldest son were carried from
the house was heartrending. 1t is feared
that two more OF the children will die be-
fore morning. Nathan Wolf, married
man with six children, died on Saturday,
two of the children were sick
with the disease at the time,
and being in absolute poverty
the whole family were taken to the poor
house, few friends supplying the money
necessary to give the remains Of Mr..
Williams burial. Such instances are COM
mon, and were it not for the generous as
sIstance which is given by the more
wealthy residents the distress and misery
would be very great
DR.. Murphy prominent physician of
this city. said to-day that he was attend
ing large number Of the cases. He pro-
nounced the case notwithstanding
tits. Nearly every case developed brain
complications. The sickness usually be-
gins with vomiting, pain IN the spleen
and liver and a very bitter taste in the
mouth. Some few have had at the end OF
the second week hemOrrha2e from the
bowels. This is the best developed
typhoid symptom in the case. The doctor
considers the disease at Plymouth as bad
as cholera, because it fingers SO long.
The cholera patient either dies or gets
well pretty soon. He saws the disease is
not communicated by contact or it would
have spread much more raDidlV.