The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-17

upon the hand OF charity for enough to
keep body and soul together until April
or later Other districts, with pop
ulation numbering about so, 600, 900 are
already feeling the pangs of bitter pri-
walton, and this must be endured well
on into spring before permanent relief
will be afforded by nature. Funds for
the relief of sufferers are being raised
on all sides, but very large amount
of money will be needed 10 provide food
even for those unfortunate people who
live on almost nothing lin comparison
with Europeans and others) from one
end of the year to the other.
This calamity awful as ii Is In it's
intensity, is possibly not much greater
than the ravages of the dreadful bu-
bonie plague here. threatening to
spread. through the fright Of the ma
tives of this city, into other parts of
India, and if it reaches the greatly
weakened famine sufferers, the mortal
fty may be enormous. The natives have
been reduced by lack of food to little
less than living skeletons, in the most
heavily stricken districts, and as such.
they. cannot but fall victims by the
thousand to the black plague which
threatens to invade Europe through
the Mecca pilgrims and other sources
FOR the spread Of contagion which are
too numerous to mention, principal of
which, however, are the export Of rags.
linen and other merchandise likely to
contain the poisonous germs.
The mortality here has QuadrupIed
without counting the deaths, which
have occurred among the hundreds
Of thousands of people who have fled
| IN terror from Bombay, in many cases
abandoning their all in the hurried
flight from the pestilence. Up to re-
Gently, Bombay, with it's population Of
about S5O,00O, enjoyed the reputation of
being one of the healthiest cities in
India. its sanitary works being equal
to those of the European capitals But
all this has changed. More than half
the population has disappeared, and
those who remain are helpless and can
not get away, or are crowding out OF
the city by rail, water and road, or
else contemplate so doing unless there
Is change for the better shortly.
The government, officials are seriously
alarmed. The native physicians have
nearly all left the city,, business is
paralyzed, the mills are closed or clos
ing, the streets are partly deserted and
on all sides are empty houses, boarded
up or wide open. The passage Of
funeral parties through the streets,
goes on day and night The burning
grounds or CHATS. light the skies with
their reflections and line after line Of
bodies, there or at the Parsee burial
spots, await consignment to the flames.
or to mother earth. The number Of
DEATH FROM THE PLAGUE
in this city is now estimated unofficial
ly to be over 3,000 and there are about
ITO additional victims daily with this
number increasing as time wears on.
Europeans, however, have been singu-
larly free from contagion up to the
present time only three deaths among
them being recorded.
At Karachi, Poona and BanGra, where
large numbers of refugees have sought
safety, the plague has broken out in
most threatening form. At Bandra 129
deaths are recorded out Of 1S0 cases Of
the plague.
In this city there are thousands OF
houses without native servants, nearly
all the latter having Joined the fleeing
multitude. Employers are helpless be-
cause Of the desertion Of their clerks
and pOrters, and stores are closed on
account of the almost utter Stagnation
Of business.
The mortality during the past week
here has been unprecedented, while the
return of death from rernittent fever
is extraordinarily high, above even the
plague rate, which is naturally inter
preted as meaning that numbers of
people who have fallen victims Of the
pla que have been officially recorded as
having died from remittent fever
The government officials are dreading
the spread of the plague to the British
troops in garrison here, and it is pro-
posed to withdraw the European troops
and send them into the best place
available ON the other side of Bombay
harbor There are people who oppose
this step, saying that the presence of
the British regiments has a salutary
effect upon the populace which might
otherwise start rioting and lootlng. 1t
is also suggested that the whole city
should be isolated; that escape by the
land be prevented by a strong Gordon
of troops and that escape by water
should be prevented by the patrolling OF
armed steamers.