The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-13

> : VANCOUVER, B. c., June 1.-THE most
important news brought by the Empress
Of Japan is of the alarming spread Of the
= yirufept plague that first appeared in Can
= ton at the end of April. The plague
us similar to the great London plague in
the 10Th century. and is carrying off large
numbers of victims.
!. il soon spread to Hong-Kong. appearing
=: there in May. 1t is chiefly confined to
: Chinese. but couple of Portuguese have
: ,peen afflicted.
= The. plague has paralyzed business to a
large. extent as many leading steamship
lines refuse to take either passengers or
: Cargo from Hon g-Kong.
The symptoms OF the disease are as fol-
lows Without premonitory warning in the
shape of chill there is a sudden onset of
fever, rising to los degrees OF over. There
q. is much headache, accompanied by stupor.
Ia nine, twelve or twenty-four hours
a gfandular swelling occurs in the neck or
,aHmpt. increasing TO the size OF 8 fowls
egg, being hard and tender. With or with
out decline of the fever the patient sinks
into q. condition of coma and dies at the
end of. twenty-four or forty-eight hours.
:; ff sfx.dSys is reached recovery is possible.
The Canton correspondent of a Hong
Kong paper, under date of May s, says:
=. Scarcely a house has not some dead one.
The plague commenced in the Nohamme-
daU quarter and 100 cases are reported
efafty. One man stationed at the west
gate began at O'Clock in the morning to
drop a cash into box each time coffin
"pasSed him. At4P. NJ. he had counted
40 cash.
:: Children were put in baskets or were
wrapped in pieces of mating and buried.
From this district, where the dirt is
*:thickest and the houses most crowded, it
spread to the outer portions, and now
has reached the country, and people who
: fed there from the city know not which
way to fee, and idols are being worshiped
: in an extravagant and excited manner.
- The. past few months people are for
: hidden to reckon. and the new year was
-%-begun last Saturday. All night new year
: sounds were kept up, and amid so much
ghastliness an attempt at outward adorn-
:ment and gayety was apparent
It is impossible to ascertain the number
Of deaths. Officials try to suppress the
facts.
81. At the largest charitable (native) dispen.
sary notice at the doors states that ND to
date 1000 Collins have been given away.
This is far below the actual number used,
: 10000 is nearer.
a foreign doctors assistant went
through a number of streets and said he
was surprised to see within the open doors
dead body while outside there were no
white and blue lanterns. Many made no at
tempt at the usual noisy murmuring,
The dead were silently carried out with
not follower.
In one house all lay deRd-ten. On May
10 it was found that the disease had
reached Hong Kong. and energetic steps
were at once taken to cleanse the infested
localities. However hospitals were opened
fer the sick on the ship Hygra, which
mediation of patients.
The Chinese appeared at first TO be in
.clined TO cooperate with the authorities in
bringing to light known cases of the plague
but probably on account Of the heavy NOR
tality their attitude became more and
more distrustful.
The first determined stand against the
authorities was made May 10, when houses
were barrieaded aud stones thrown AT
Officers making house to house visItations.
The schools have been closed and panic
exists among the Chinese, many of whom
are fleeing to the mainland.