The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-05
WHILE ON THEIR KNEES.
Pilgrims to Mecca Who Kneeled Smit-
ten Never to Rise Again.
Tripoli Letter in the New York World.
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Tripol Letter in the New York World
In 1880 over $4,000 died of cholera in
Mecca; in 1912 nearly as many. In
1892 cholera was carried to Russia in
Asia, then to Europe, and right to the
doors of New York This year is an es-
pecially holy one, for the day of the offer
ing of sacrifices to God fell on Friday,
June %, and thousands of pilgrims went
geo from TripoG alone From time to
time rumOrs came of hundreds of deaths
from cholera and the sufferings of those
who survived, but no one suspected the
truth, and it was only when 200 survivors
of the 900 returned that we got the truth
of the fearful death rate of this latest ep-
idemic.
One in whom have the fullest conf
dence told me this truthful story: We
entered the city June Is. The sun was
pitiless in its fearful heat, our shaven
heads bare Of any covering; the hot sand
and stones blistered our feet the day we
comprised the Kaaba. The next day we
drank from the well ZemZem. The water
from this sacred well we consider a pan
acea for all the ills of life. 1t is of a
milky color, rather sulphurous in taste,
and sometimes gives pain in the stomach
Hundreds came up in single file A. man
drew water in brass bucket. The pill
grim took a drink, the balance was
poured over his head 1t ran over his
naked body, then back into the well
again.
"A doctor examined the water and said
it was full of comman bacili, but no one
believed him. A few days after we ar
rived at Mecca the pilgrims began to die
of cholera. At first the number was
small but gradually increased, until the
ninth day, June "a, I, 100 died.
June 25, the day Of the sacrifice, we
refnt -, K,1T -
deep trench was dug to receive the offal
of the slain animals. I think there were
nearly $4,000 person who participated in
the ceremony. When he bowed our
heads to the ground the first time and
then got our feet 200 around me did not
rise. They were smitten with cholera.
At last it seemed that not one of that
vast assembly would survive, so fast
were all the men failing.
THE chief man, the leader in PRAYERS.
cried with a loud voice: The Lord does
not require US to remain any longer, so
all you that intend to visit Medina 90.
those who are to return to Mecca you 90
also"
"Then there was a rush of people.
They ran over the weak and fallen, fully
expecting to fall in their tracks with
the disease.
The next day the authorities sent
some to bury the dead, and they threw
the bodies into the ditch along with the
remains of the dead animals and covered
about one foot of soil over them. In
many places parts of bodies were I'M
covered. The odor was so bad no one
could enter the valley. The city was one
vast hospital and the dead bodies were
carried oHt onto the plain and left I'M
buried. All along the road to Medina and
Jeddah the dead were lying fostering in
the sun, torn, mangled, and eaten by wild
dogs and jackals. AS the surviving pill
grims arrived in the vicinity of the quar-
anime station they were confined for fif-
teen days. Those who could afford it had
tents, those who could not slept in the
open air. Many whom the cholera spared
died Of starvation and exposure"
1t is notorious fact that when the pill
grims enter Ara bian territory the Turk
ish government gives Itself no trouble in
the matter. They may die by the thou
sands and those who survive may carry
the disease to the whole world for all
they will do to prevent it,
An officer told me: "The quarantine
authorities do not want the cholera stop
ped for an epidemic in Mecca gives them
a chance to declare quarantine in Turkish
ports, and thus draw double pay Stop
off the double pay during quarantine and
they will do something"