The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-03
AN APPEAL FOR POOR IRELAND.
The American Relief Commit
tees Terrible Presentation.

and Famine Seen by II Reporter in
1SSO-A Timely Warming Which Must
he Needed,
In the appeal which the American
committee for the relief of famine in
Ireland has just issued occurs the fol-
lowing graphic statement of the present
state of things in the unfortunate
island, with review of past famines
and the statement of y reliable eye wit
ness as to what he saw in a single vii
lage in January, 1880. The warning
appeal of what will again be seen if
immediate relief is not had, comes
home to humanity:
During the month of last August, says
the appeal, there was, among the Irish
farmers and people generally. great
anxiety in regard to the potato crop.
Unfortunately the worst fears have been
realized. The potato rot, or blight, has
spread through all parts of Ireland. In
West Cork the yield is below the aver
age: in the poorer districts of the west,
in the counties of Donegal. Clare, Mayo,
Galway and Kerry, the crop is a total
failure.
The potato has been cultivated in Ire
land since it's introduction by Sir Walter
Raleigh. 1t had become the principal
food of the people us early rs the end of
the seventeenth century.
In 1879 was the custom to leave the
potatoes i'll the ground until near Christ
mas, digging from day to day only what
was immediately needed as food: but in
that year "A very early and severe frost
destroyed the undug potatoes and ter
rible famine began and one-ffth of the
population was starved to death during
the following winter From that time
to the present day Ireland has been
visited by famincS of more or less sever
ity and fatality.
In 1922 there was q serious famine in
Munster and Connaught owing to con
tinucd and excessive humidity The
potatoes rotted after they had been
gathered and slowed i'll pits or cellars.
In 1881, 1888, 1896. 1897, 1899 and
1912 there were partial failures Of the
potato crop, which caused much distress.
In the autumn of 1915 there were ru
mors that IL blight had fallen upon the
potato in various districts. and before
the close of the season there was scarcely
a county i'll which the disease had not
made some progress. "a famine" says
the eminent historian, Charles Gavan
Duffy. speaking of the horror of this
time, was an ordinary occurrence in
Ireland, and familiarity had diminished
IT'S tcrrors; but a famine on the scale of
the one at hand was scarcely known in
the annals of the human race"
correspondent of the Frecmans
Journal describes a number of cases.
precisely in the order in which he Wis
tied the houses. good, bad and indiifer-
cnt. on the way through Allbrack.
No. |. y squattcr, evicted from his
farm and living on Il patch Of conacrc:
potatoes gone since November. seed
and ALL living since by pawning: moth
ing now left to pawn; not potato in
the house for supper unless the vanni-
thee could beg some.
No. ,. tall, haggard man; had not
sown Il potato last ycar-had no money
TO buy the seed. How had he lived
sincc?-(with Il CHASTITY smilc). The
third part OF the time starving: Some
times catching fish fla ncighbor would
lend !; boat; sometimes doing an odd
days work at the Castle at one shilling
and six pence day-of which one shil-
ling was stopped for rent; had not had
breakfast and did not know whore to
get a supper.
No. ,. Nine in the family: father with
out shoe or stocking. clad in piece of
ragged sailor cloth, ashamed. like most
OF his ncighborS. to appear ut mass:
sowed two and IL half bushels OF seed DO
tatocs last year: ate the last of them.
seeds and all. before Christmas: nothing
To feed nine mouths for the last fortnight
except the relief meal; has no earthly
means OF raising Il penny or seeding his
land.
No. 1. Father. mother, and six chill
dren Tor the last three weeks depending
ON charity for meal day. and for turf
for fire: had to burn box and some of
the tiinbcrs of the roof for firiug: the re-
for the night. .'Only there are rood
ncighbcrs still, thanks to Ills holy
name
No. >. Five children: mother dying of
consumption; lying i'll her everyday
clothes on the ground close To the fire.
with her children mutely grouped
around her: potatoes for another fort
night, but not drop of milk to moisten
the dying woman's lips.
No. 6. Seven children; for nine weeks
without potatoes; father shoeless; no
turf and no money to buy it: would have
died already only for the relief, land
small loss" he gloomily said: Il quarter
of a stone of flour (about four pounds)
''with nine divides" the only susten-
ance of the family for two days; not a
scrap of breakfast that morning and had
yet to beg supper.
No. Z. Five in the chimney corner; a
poor woman, two days after her confine
ment, lying on a pallet ir the chimney
corner with quilt over her everyday
clothes; her husband had to sell quar-
ter of his seed potatoes to buy some
turf during her living in: .and indeed