Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-01-28
Saint Maru's Beacon
Plague and Famine
In India.
EUROPE IS THREATENED.
THREATENED.
MECCA WILL SUFFER FIRST.

1857 as the scourge of plague and
famine that RACES over SO many
vast areas OF that populous land.
And get. until within the last few
days, the English press hardly
thought it worth while to obtain
any special information on the sub
ject.
There has been plague before and
there has been famine before, but
never have the two conformity ra-
ged with such virulence as now.
Epidemics like this shake the Brit
ish grip on India. A whsle nation
OF many millions OF men 10 moving
uneasily in agitation and alarm
like the muttering OF the sea before
the storm.
The disease crept into India from
the purlieus Of Hong Kong, where
it had ragged furiously for weeks.
Owing TO the insularity Of the place
it could not be stamped out. 1t
first appeared in Calcutta. Then
few days later q suspicious case
was reported from Bombay. The
people at once said 1t was the plague
but the authorities uttered a
shrek Of angry denunciation, say
ing it was false and q SANDER. II
proved too true, however.
Then came another case then
several then scores then hun
dreds. Now Bombay is a veritable
city of dead and dying. Never
from the start have the authorities
been capable of coping with the
spread Of the epidemic. The Off
Gals of the municipalities were
more or less incompetent. The
Europeans labored nobly, but were
-overworked. The natives refused
to permit the isolation OF invalids.
They inaugurated riots in the
streets and stormed the hospitals
and were fired on by the police.
Every new health ordinance clash
ed with some religious custom or
outraged some cherished native OBJ
servance. Everybody who could,
fled from tho town. Hundreds of
thousands stampeded. The rail-
way stations were packed, steamers
were loaded down with flying
human beings and they seiz-
ed every available vehicle. Those
who were unable to leave remained
and died.
Official statistics admit that g.
500 are dead already out OF the 3d.
700 persons who were seized with
the plague, but these figures do not
nearly represent the true state of
affairs. The death rate is now
about 200 daily. and most of the
victims are swept away in a few
hours from the time of their seiz-
ure.
Alfred Harmsworth, proprietor
of the Daily Mail, who, by the
strange irony of fate, went to Bonn
bay for his health, but found the
plague raging on his arrival there,
sent to his journal the following
graphic sketch of the situation.
"The panic is spreading. Every
day intensifies the horrors of the
situation, and the strongest nerves
are breaking down under the terri
BILE strain. The streets are crowd
ed with funerals. and wherever one
turns one is brought face to face
with the awful proof Of the death
and desolatlons that are raging in
this most unhappy city.
"The mortality has quadrupled
recently, and this without taking
into account the panic-stricken ex-
edus from rhe city.
The daily average Of deaths from
the plague is 40, and for the last
week the ratio per thousand cases
has been 400 deaths. These figures
arc moro eloquent than words in
setting forth the appalling condit-
ion of things here.
/ hear the Indian Government
contemplates changing the quarters
of the English regiments here.
Thus far no deaths have occurred
among the British soldiery, but, as
it has been so lamentably shown,
Europeans are by no means proof
against the scourge. There are
already IL of them dead. The
Royal Bombay Yacht Club is with.
out servants. All the native en-
ployes left this morning in body,
protesting that they were afraid to