Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-17
the refugees. alarmed by the deaths which
have already occurred there, have fled TO
other points
PLAGUE ALARMS EUROPE.
From India by One of the
Many Routes.


London, Jan. 16-For some time past
everything has pointed to the fact that
India is face to face with the most appall-
ing calamity since the British occupation.
Tho spread of the Bubonic plague came al
most with dramatic suddenness on the
famine, and created throughout Europe
feeling of the greatest alarm. Up to the
prescnt the two Visitations have been con-
fined TO separate areas but IL is extremely
probable that the plague VIII, ere long,
reach the famine districts. owing 10 the
impussibility of preventing the migration
of the panlc-strlCken natives, and should
this turn out TO be the case, competent iu-
Ihorities look forward to terrible mortality:
as the plague germs Will lind fruitful sol
in the emaciated natives.
The Indian government appears hardly
10 have forcseen such "a gigantic under
taking as that OF relieving the necessities
uu.cgcence To- tho propositinn 10 appeal TO
private charity Indicates that II now recoE-
nizes insufficiency Of its arrangement. The
sympathy in Great Britain IS now tho.-
Oughly aroused and relief funds have been
started in al the chief towns
The mansion house fund Is approaching
10000 ($450, 900, and 1t is hoped that the
total of the fund viii reach at least GiOy,-
900 (S3. .J01,000), which was the amount sub
scribed for the relief OF the sufferers OIL
the last famine.
The newspapers. however, urge that some
more drastic measure be adopted and one
of the weekly papers suggests that parlla-
ment vote q big grant or lend India GlO,-
100000. The lord mayor, Mr.. George
Faudei Phillips, said tonight he was hope
ful that Americans would cooperate ana
he wrote the following statement whicn
he asked the Associated Press TO publish
in the United States:
The lord mayor of London will receive
with profound gratitude any donations
from the people of America for the India
famine funds. He asks the royal family to
contribute 10 the fund
From the European point of view, how
ever, the plague is a matter OF grayer con,
Germ than the famine. All continental
governments are adopting precautionary
measures at the ports, and the Importation
from India Of rags. linen and otner artlcles
capable of conveying germs is prohibited.
ence will be held at Rome to consider the
adoption of combined measures TO prevent
the plague from invading Europe.
The Russian government has sent doc
disease, and IL II appears either in Persia
Afghanistan or kash6ar, the Russian
frontier will be Immediately closed
The Indian government has dispatched
the director general of the medical serv-
ice 20 study the plague at Bombay, and
two chief officials of the Egyptian san
for measures to minimize the chances of
the spread of the plague to Mecca, which,
invasion of Egypt. The Egyptian govern
ment has decided that IL the plague should
appear in Arabia. no Egyptian pilgrim will
be allowed to return until the disease there
shall have become extinct.
Moreover, no pilgrim would in that case
be allowed to leave Egypt unless he could
prove that he had means of subsistence
for a six months stay in HedjaZ. otherwise
the land of Pilgrimage. The Mecca pill
grimage is now a source of the greatest
anxiety to European governments and it
IS urged on many sides that the pilgrim
age ought to be stopped. 1t appears that
the international sanitary consul at Con-
stantinople proposed that the pilgrimage
from India should be prohibited, but the
Turkish delegate opposed this on the
ground that he would trench on an essen
tial part of the Mohammedan faith.
The Daily News publishes a long article
advocating prohibition of the pilgrimage
and suggests that the European ministers
at Teheran and st. Petersburg induce the
shah and the czar to proclaim the closing
of the channels of pilgrimage, while the
Turkish authorities close the port of Jed
dah. Great Britain. under treaty arrange
ments, can prohibit Afghanistan pilgrims
from traversing India and can also stop
the effiuX from Beloochistan. The Aus
trian government has decided to prevent
so far as possible, the pilgrimage from
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The British
Medical Journal mentions n report that six
plague cases have reached Marseiles. but
: adds that 1t believes the disease will not
Spread. as the town isfin good sanitay con,
dition.