The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-01-28
PLAGUE And FAMINE
The Appalling Calamity
Hanging Over India.
TERRIBLE SCENES IN BOMBAY

~~~>~@~AAS
Omitted Action by the European Pow.
ers to Prevent the Introduction
Of the Disease.
Bombay, Jan. 10. - Plague and
famine are stalking arm arm through
densely populated portions of the Brit
ish empire; thousands are dead or dy-
ing, and the outlook grows blacker and
more terrible every day.
Millions of hapless men, women and
children are starving, and the famine
stricken districts, having population
of nearly 40,000,O00 pepole, will havs
to depend upon the aid of charity for
food enough to keep body and soul to-
gether until April or later. Other dis
tricts, with a population numbering
about $4,000, 900, are already feeling
the pangs of bitter privation from food.
and this must be endured we'll on into
spring, before permanent relief will be
afforded by nature. Funds for the re-
lief of sufferers are being raised on all
sides, but very large amount of money
will be needed to provide food even for
those unfortunate people who live on
almost nothing Tin comparison with
Europeans and others.)
The calamity, awful in its its inten-
sity, is possibly not much greater than
the ravages of the dreadful plague here.
threatening to spread through tho
crowded cities to other parts of India,
and, if it reaches the greatly weakened
famine sufferers, the mortality may BE-
terrible. The natives have been re-
duced 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 thou
sands to the plague.
The mortality here has quadrupled,
without counting the deaths which have
occurred among thousands of people
who have fled in terror from Bombay,
in many cases abandoning their all III
their hurried flight from the great peril.
Up to recently, Bombay, with its
population of about $50, 900, enjoyed
the reputation of being one of the
healthiest cities in India, it's sanitary
works being equal to those of the Eu-
ropean capitals. But all this is
changed. More than half of the popu-
lation has disappeared, and those who
remain are either helpless and cannot
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 gov
eminent officials are seriously alarmed,
the native physicians have nearly all
left the city, business is paralyzed, the
mills are closed or closing, the streets
are partly deserted, and on all sides ar,
empty houses, boarded up or wide open.
The passage of funeral parties through
the streets goes on day and night, burn
ing grounds, or CHATS, light the skie,
with their reflections, and line after
line of bodies there or at the parsee
burial spots are awaiting consignment
to the flames or to mother earth.
The number of deaths from the
plague in this city is now estimated,
unoficially, to be 5000, and there are
about ITO additional victims daily,
with this number increasing as time
wears on. The Europeans, however,
have been singularly free from con-
tagion up to the present time, only
three deaths among them being record
ed to date.
At Karachi, Poona and Bandra,
where large numbers of refugees have
sought safety, the plague has broken
out in most threatening form. At
Bandra, for instance, 1919 deaths are re-
corded out of $50 cases of plague, caus-
ing CONSERVATION, even among the ply
sicians. In this city there are thou
sands of houses without native serv-
ants, nearly all the latter having joined
the fleeing multitudes. Employers are
helpless because of the departure of
clerks and porters, and stores are closed
on account of the utter stagnation in
business. The mortality during the
past week here has been unprecedented,
while the returns of deaths from re-
mittent fevers are extraordinarily high
above the plague rate, which is natur-
ally interpreted as meaning that num-
bers of people who have fallen victims
of the plague have been officially re-
corded as having died of remittent fever.
A VENGEFuL HUNGARIAN.
He Beheaded tho Man who Had Out.
wrestled Him.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Jan. 18.-After be-
ing bested by Joseph Kalata in q
wrestling bout, John Cournott, Hun
'earian, beheaded his successful rival.
The men were rivals for the hand Of
Anna Jopkapotah, with whose father