The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-08
AN ARGENTINE PLAGUE.
Fearful Experiences Of an American
Lady in BuelOS AYTeS.

money-MAklnE SpecuAatlonB In COZ
-well-orounded Fears Thai
Many of the Sick Were Buried Alive
From the Philadelphia Record.
Buenos Ayres, Argentina, Aug. 5-For
eigners coming here with a view to esta b
fishing homes in this promising republic
should be made acquainted with a few
unpleasant facts upon which the land
agents and newspapers of Argentina pre-.
serve a discreet silence, and which are
not mentioned in the immigration bureau
literature that has been so freely dissent
mated in the United States and Europe.
One Of these omitted truths is the annual
recurrence of a strange and fatal fever,
which has never yet been named or
satisfactorily accounted for NotWith-
standing that the locality derived its
name from the good airs" and agree
able climate for which it is famous
the periodical scourge has been known
TO NOW down its hundreds a day. II is
not yellow fever, nor one Of the calen-
turas common to semi-tropical lOwlands,
nor yet the dreaded vomitivO, but 1t is
said to partake somewhat Of the nature
of each, and also to exhibit symptoms pc
culiar to both typhoid and typhus fevers.
Native physicians are equally sat sea-
concerning its origin and treatment, and
although a special committee composed
of medical eXperts-Argentine, German,
French and English-was appointed by
the government twenty years ago to in
vestigate the subject, report has never
been published.
MIDSUMMER DIsTEMPER.
No true Argentinian ever speaks of the
mysterious epidemic, except when it Is
actually raging. When it can no longer
be ignored it IS the fashion to attribute
1t to the filthy habits of the Italians, who
swarm that quarter of the Buenos Ayres
known as the Boca; but the fact remains
that during the worst seasons, mortality
has been greatest in the wider and cleaner
portions of the city. Neither do quaran-
tine regulations appear to do any good
except for the ships visiting the harbor
for the fever, which Is unknown In any
other city and never penetrates far in
land, is evidently indigenous to the To-
cality The strange distemper is gener-
ally at its height in January (mid-sum-
mer on this side of the equator). ana
while in most seasons the worstis over in
Few weeks and its victims so few that
its presence is hardly felt, it has been
known to linger for five or six months, and
to become a frightful pestilence that
sweeps all before it. ] have been listen
ing to an American lady's graphic account
of her own experience with the fever, and
am going TO repeat it to you in her own
words, as nearly as / can remem Der them.
She has lived in Argentina many years
and her experience represents that of
many thousands of the better class; the
horrors that the poor and lowly have had
to undergo can be but dimly imagined.
The events related transpired several
years ago, but are likely to be duplicated
any year. as the conditions remain the
same.
THE PURPLE-FLow1NG BARRACKS.
The first case that attracted attention
occurred in June, when several members
of the same family died within q week.
As plague was then raging in BARGE
Iona, Spain, from which port vessels Of
ten came to this harbor, 1t was thought
to be an imported disease, and strict
quarantine regulations were ordered on
all ships from Europe and Brazil But
for weeks previous the banks of the Rio
de Ia Plata, from which comes the water
supply Of the city, had been covered with
dead fish and the water smelled like car
rlon. The BARRACKS river was purple in
color, as it often is, from the blood Of ami
mails killed in the saladoros, or slaughter
houses, along its banks, and there was a
great deal Of sickness among the people liv-
ing in that vicinity; but as these great
slaughtering establishments had existed
more than century, and the men en-
ployed in them enjoyed excellent health,
1t was not believed that the germs of fe-
yer originated there. Indeed, it had
been the custom, from time
immemorial, to send mvalids to
BARRACKS on purpose to inhale the pecu-
liar atmosphere Of the saladoros, which
was considered as beneficial as that of
pine woods and petroleum wells: so no
measures were taken to suspend the
slaughter of cattle, or to purify the
stream before its rottenness was dis.
charged into the Rio de Ia Plata. The
people of Buenos Ayres have the habit
OF sitting, or promenading on the fiat
roofs OF their houses, Ia the cool of the
DAY, to enjoy the wide view of city, plain
and river; and my friend asserts that il
the wind happened to come from the
direction OF Barracks, the odor was so
CHASTITY that no human being could en-
dure 1t without fainting When carni-
val time came the people were dying of
an unexplainable disease at the rate of
six or eight day; but the citizens, TO
whom the pleasure of carnival are dear
as their religion, shut their ewes to the
approaching pestilence and determined
to ignore it-at least until the season of
gayety was over.
A-BooM IN COFFIN TIMBER
The sickness had made its first appear
ance in the parish of San Telmo and in or
Ger to eradicate the evil the municipality
foolishly ordered the police to turn the
people out of their houses and whitewash
the premises. The natural result of the
step was to spread infection broadcast.
soon every one of the thirteen parishes
OF the city became tainted, and so con-
WINGED were the citizens OF an impending
plague that sharpers bought up every
cargo OF timber in Buenos Ayres ana
Montevideo, and even the walters of cot
Zee houses turned coffin makers. Andno-
body's expectations in this regard were
disappointed
All the members of the municipal
council having fed TO the interior, the en-
tire control of the city devolved upon the
irish chief of police, MIR. Henry O'Gor-
man, who bravely held his ground to the
last Grave diggers demanded the most
exorbitant prices, and extra gangs of
men were employed to bury by torch
light. Several members of the police
died from overwork, in carrying sufferers
TO hospitals and the dead to the cemetery,
and many others deserted Even the
porters, or cargadoes, who usually crowd
RI No ~ Moot -