The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-09-10

N~>N'SN-
roll was tremendous From there it
spread along railroad lines in all direc-
tons. The Russians were easy prey.
The famine had left them no spirit to
resist the pestilence.
The Government now undertook the
most vigorous measures, Many towns
and cities were SO surrounded with SAM
tary pickets that it was almostsimpossible
to gain admittance to them. Others
were thoroughly cleared and fumigated.
the officials showing fine disregard of
private rights in their measures to pre-
pare the town for the pestilence. The
greatest of fears were for Nijui Nov
gorod, on the Volga, about 400 miles
above Samara, where the great fair of the
late summer was to be held. Many
thousands from all parts OF Russia. visit
this fair. The town was cleansed and
disinfected in the most thorough man
ner, but the cholera got there late IN
July. Schools of instruction in the use
of disinfectants were opened in the cities,
and schedules of obligatory sanitary
measures were sent to every factory in
the empire. The cable reports, however,
that the
Russians Are Too Demoralized
to carry out the requirements OF these
schedules. About the middle of July
riot was occasioned in Saratov by the
report that the doctors in the hospitals
were burying cholera patients alive. The
mob sacked the Government houses and
the, cholera hospitals, dragging the pa
tients away. Disorder wss suppressed
by the troops. All the way from Afghan
istan the comse of the cholera has been
accented by riots. Those at Astrahan,
occasioned by popular distrust of the
officials and there sanitary measures, re-
suited in large loss of life and destruc-
ton of property. On July 16 the Gar
presided at council, at which was dis
cussed proposition to appoint an Off
cial with dictatorial power to combat the
epidemic. At the same time the govern
ment is publicly belittling the epidemic,
and has prohibited the sale of a St. Pc
tersburg newspaper, which published
true reports of it.
The Epidemic of 1882.
Those who remember visitations OF
cholera to this country tremble at the
prospect of it's return. We never saw
the disease until 1882, when it ragged here
with frightful violence. 1t came to us
over precisely the course followed by the
present epidemic, except that there were
then no railroads to aid it. 1t reached
Quebec first by ship, and travelled down
Lake Champlain. 1t broke out in New
York, and two days later was in Albany.
Then it moved west, appearing within
few days a. Utica, Schenectady, SYRIA
cuse and Buffalo. 1t ravaged New York
without
most of the towns and villages.
In New York city it created panic.
1t centred at the Five Points, then an
overcrowded locality, far more filthy
than any section of the city today, and
spread like fire in every direction. For
a long period the death rate averaged
seventy day. The physicians Of that
day did not understand its nature, and
attributed it spread to contagion in the
air. The people left town by thousands,
and took refuge in neighboring country
villages. During that year 4, TAO persons
died of cholera throughout the country,
and the year following 1000 more. Bos-
ton. Newark, Philadelphia, and New Or
leans also suffered greatly. In Philadel.
pllia the panic was so great that the dead
were left unburied by hundreds until a
committee of citizens volunteered to
gather up the bodies and place them I'M
der ground. 1t also spread to Havana,
where 10000 of the 100000 inhabitants
died of it in a year.
In 1S4S the cholera came again. This
time it reached the country by ship from
Europe to New Orleans. 1t reached
New York, but did not amount to much
here. 1t covered the entire West. 1t
was worst at New Orleans, where 1876
IN, nd 40 in,
1850. 1t fingered in various parts of the
country. with occasional outbreaks until
1854
The Epidemic of 1866.
Then came the epidemic of 1885, This
also originated in India and reached us
from Europe by ship. In that year the
New York Board of Health was organ
lied and it was due to its efforts that the
CITY escaped repetition of the awful
scenes of 1882. An active quarantine
was established, but as there was no
hospital, incoming vessels having the
disease were compelled to lie for weeks
in the lower bay, where they became
pest ships. In the city Lieut.. James A.
Christie organized disinfecting corps,
and made regular rounds through the
tenements. cleaning and disinfecting.
This work was continued day and night
with the utmost diligence. Still the
cholera got hold here and continued
with some violence for several months
The authorities succeeded in confirming it
pretty closely to Mott, Baxter, Cherry,
Mulberry and Madison streets and few
districts on the east and west water
fronts up town. In July there were 113
deaths in this city, in August 1853 and in
September 262. 1t also ragged in Brook
Ign, where the death rate was somewhat
less than here. There were many cases
at Newtown, Morrisania and Mott
Haven which were not then inc
luded in the city Limits. This
epidemic occasioned Something like
panic in town. The summer exodus was
double the usual one, and the town did
not look like itself until cold weather
was at hand. The cholera spread all
over the country, and in cities with less
efficient Health Department than our
own it's ravages were proportionately
greater. 1t attacked New Orleans with
some violence.
DR.. WOODBURY'S ANTIDOTE
is especially recommended to patients