The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-24

Cable advices from India state that
within the past few weeks the
population of Bombay has been
cut in two by the ravages
of the bubonic plague. If this
be correct over 100000 lives have been
sacrificed, as the population of Bonn
bay, at the 1891 census. was $50, 900, and
it undoubtedly increased since those
statistics were gathered, probably to
SOC, 900. The weekly mortality, aVerag-
ing 200 to the thousand, shows that the
deaths during the first seven days of
the height of the plague amounted TO
the stupendous figures of about 10000,
or one-fifth of the total population.
Yet Bombay has all along been ap-
plauded by the AnglO-Indian press as
the first city of India, owing to its san
itary advantages. Experienced East
Indians like Rudyard Kipling have
held Bombay uD as an example of
cleanliness to her rival sister city, Cal
cutta. In Kipling's story of Calcutta,
called the CITY of Dreadful Night
he makes a prominent feature of what
he bluntIy terms the Big Calcutta
Stink" Yet the plague wipes out 20
per cent weekly of BON bays popula-
ton, and the natural conjecture is
what would be the mortality in Cal
cutta should it gain foothold in that
city,
Bombay is usually considered the
most European of the oriental cities,
principally because of its numerous
manufactures The city is situated on
an island of the same name, the island
having an area of 90 square kilometers.
Originally it belonged to the Portu-
guese, they having occupied it in 1882.
When the Infanta Catharina married
Charles II it passed into the possession
of Great Britain it being part OF the
dover of the royal bride
PRACTICALLY GIVEN AWAY.
AT this time the island was regarded
as worthless. and in consequence was
transferred to the East India company
for an annual payment of so sterling
or $50 But approaching its marine ad-
vantages, the East India company
withdrew their head offices from Surat
and made Bombay its principal seat.
From that time the fortunes of the
place have grown prOdigiOuSly The
Introduction of steam navigation and
the opening of the Suez canal marked
epochs in its development, and today,
in many respects, it outranks Calcutta
in Importance, and up TO the begin
ming of the plague, was almost the
equal OIL the OlQeI CITY III pOpuleilAOll.
Bombay doomed tremendously as
result of our civil war. Shut out from
the cotton markets of the southern
states, the English manufacturers
turned to Bombay for their supplies
This caused the city to grow and
flourish in an unprecedented way and,
of course, there were much speculation
and overtradng Then, when our war
ended and the cotton states of the
south resumed their normal relations
with England, the commerce of Bonn
bay suffered a reaction and panic, but
it speedily recovered from these dis
aSterS.
ITS COTTON INDUSTRY.
In turn the southern cotton growers
will probably benefit by the plague in
Bombay, Just as the western grain
growers are benefiting by the famine
in Bengal The cotton growing coun-
try around Bombay has probably been
decimated by the plague in the
same proportion as the population of
the city. Then the mills of Bombay,
of which there are 20, must have been
forced to close their doors by the gen
eraI sickness. The first of these mills
was established in 1854 and was a
paying venture from the outset. Now
there are thousands of looms and
of spindles giving employment
to s., 900 workmen. From this it can
be seen that Bombays Importance as