Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-07-13

Kong aud the people are dying
at the fhtc OF hundreds per day.
The big steamship lines which sail
from China TO Europe are now
refusing TO stop at Hong Kong or
to take PASSENGER from South China,
and The papers Of the countries sue
rounding this part of th. world are ilil
Of rmors and fears that The plague Will
be carried to Japan and elsewhere. So
far the trans Pacific steamers are making
their regular voyages from san Frtn-
cisco aud Vancouver 10 Hong Kong
and return, but the greatest care Is be-.
ing taken aud every preventive is used
TO keep this terrible epidemic from being
carrici 10 America. The disease b. prac-
tically an unknown one to the physcilns
Of today, but It Is said TO be the same
as that which devastated Europe during
the middle ages and which was So awful
~ rs ravagcs that u got the title Of the
black DEATH II ran over Europe again
and again from the sixth to the cigh-
teenth centuries, and it Is said To have
caused more dealt than any OF the
great epidenics which human flesh has
been heir to. II is the pest which
Daniel Dcioc describes 10 bis story Of
the great plague OF London OF 1905 aud
1906. and u has done terrible damage IN
Arabia and Persia within the past gen.
Grafton. II came few years ago itup'
China to southern Russia. and tue cElr
stationed troops about the inferred dis.
tricis and In this way Kept i from the
rest Of Europe. The plar sc that raw.
aged Europe Ia the icuuccnih century
came from China, arr IL has been known
90 have existed to- sonic years past M
one Of the Chinese provinces above the
Bumese frontier.
Inc black death broke ont in Canton
during the last week IN February. and
for q time the average OF those who
died from Il was about two hundred per
day. This average steadily increased,
until in March and April IL was five hun
dfed per day. and the mortality at the
present time is very large. II is said
that the Pearl river, which flows past
the city. and upon which hundreds OF
thousands Of people live, contains many
Heating cofpses, and that the under
taker are unable to make collins enough
to supply the demand. In Ordinary
times the Chinese spend large sums
upon their funerals. and they are more
particular as to the styles of their burial
caskets than they are MS TO those Of
their wedding beds. Conins cost all
the way FROM a few dollars up to thou
sands OF dollars. aud ii Is not an uu.
common thing for a man to buy a collin
and keep b IN his house for years, $50 as
to have a hBt.class article ou hand when
he dies. Children often make their par
cnis presents OF cOiilns, and they have
their mutual coffin supply association,
somewhat like our building and loan ass
sociations, or like Our mutual life insur.
ance societies. Every member of such
an association gets a coffin aud burial
clothes when he dies, and the not hav-
iug these Is considered a greater culam.
ity than death itself Today the dead
m Canton are carried out and disposed
Of IN all sorts Of ways, and the greatest
trouble Is found in getting rid OF them.
Often the pail bearers who are paid 10
carry the collins TO the grave are
stricken with the dread disease on the
way, and OF the four who start out with
body only one or two return.
There are not collins enough for the
grown persons, and the children are
being buried IN baskets or wrapped mp
IN pieces OF mating, In some places
the babies are not buried at all and the
baby towers are full These baby towers
you ind an over China They are little
buildings. with windows high up near
the roof. The babies are laid ON the
Windows ard are pushed inside On dr.
compose as they wilt saw, near
shanghai the bodies of babies thrown
out upon the roadside, and such COrpscs
are often LETT by the poor for the dogs
20 eat. To-day many OF the dead az
Canton have not a burial plot aud thpir
collins are len on the top Of the grounI
This ia the fuaH HI tffHn ln tnfaFfI.ug