The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-02-07
pHE MOUNT HOLLY NEWS
TUESDAY. FEBRUARY Z, 1898
LoNpoN's DEADLY FOG.
highlands Death Rate Greatly
Augmented by It.
Rituminous Coal Smoke the Cause of
Much Sickness In the Great Metropo-
us-Ideal Hygicnic Com
dftions.

After q summer and autumn alb
normally healthy the death rate in
London has suddenly almost doubled.
The mortality Is now above thirty
per one thousand, the increase being
most entirely confined to diseases of
the respiratory organs. The cause Is
ascribed by nearly everyone to the low
temperature of the past three weeks
1t never seems to occur to Londoners
that lack of oxygen and the presence
of poisonous gases in the atmosphere OF
the metropolis at this season con-
stitute positive danger 10 health.
The so-called foggy days of the past
few weeks have brought perhaps
greater discomfort than ever before.
The air has been surcharged with the
fumes of sulphur, carbonic acid gas and
smoke. There has been very little real
fog on the days when it has been as
dark as midnight at monday. The hui
midity has been a. low as with clear
skies in summer People went about
with smarting eyes, coughing and
almost gasping and complaining hope
lessly of what they called the fog.
The London fog can at any time be
banished by law, just as the same sort
of fog has been suppressed in Pitts
burRh and other American cities. The
same statute which dissipates the Lon
don fog will bring another great boon
to the metropolis. It will give 1t com-
fortably heated homes In winter. The
million or two great fires of bituminous
coal make the London fog and nothing
else. Occasionally newspaper timidly
suggests that the use of anthracite coal
in stoves and furnaces would Danish
the nuisance, but an apology and adj
mission of the impracticability Of the
suggestion always goes with 1t. Elk
perts have recently reported that there
is sufficient anthracite coal in Wales to
supply all Britain for several genera
tions. The death rate in London will
have to go away above the epidemic
point before an Englishman will give
up his soft coal fires.
Influenza of mild type is again re-
ported from various parts of the coun-
try, but the Lancet, the chief medical
organ, gives the comforting as
surance that there is nothing at all APP
preaching the visitation Of past years
nor is the disease likely to become SO
severe and extensive again for genera
ton. On the other hand, smallpox has
broken out in an alarming manner in
many large towns and typhoid fever
has assumed an almost epidemic form
in. London. It's chief victims so far
have been found among the upper
classes. who, in this-netropolis. at any
rate, live amidst hygienic conditions
which may be said to be almost ideal.
But, for all that, the earl of Londes-
borough, Lord Halbridge and several
other peers have been Frustrated by the
dreaded disease and there Is reason to
believe that typhoid RACES in large
number Of west end houses unknown
to the general public. Various causes
have been assigned for this state OF
things, but the one most popular
among the masses, who cannot afford
pheasants and grouse and that sort Of
thing, is that the aristocrats catch
typhoid fever through eating putrid
game.