The herald., 1897-01-17
AWFUL NEWS
Thousands Dead or Dying and Millions
arc Starving


BOMBAY, India, Jan. 16.--Plague and
famine are stalking arm in arm through
densely populated portions of the Brit
!, isf empire; thousands are dead or dying
and the outlook becomes blacker and
more terrible every day
Millions of halpless men, women and
children are starving and the famine
stricken districts. having n population
Of nearly 40, 00O, 900 people, depend upon
the hand of charity for food enough to
keep body and soul together until Aprll
or later. Other districts, with popu-
lation numbering about bO,o0o,V0o are
already feeling the pangs of bitter pri-
walton from food and this must be en-
dured we'll on into spring before per-
mauent relief will be afforded by ma
ture. Funds for the relief of the suffer-
ers are being raised on all sides, but a
very large amount of money will be
needed to 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 The calamity, awful as it is
in its intensity, is possibly not much
greater than the ravages of the dreadful
pleague here, eatening to spread,
through the fright of the natives of this
city, into other parts of India and If 1t
reaches the greatly weakened famine
sufferers, the mortality may be enor-
nous The natives have been reduced
by lack of food to little more than living
skeletons, in the most heavily stricken
districts and as such they cannot but
fall victims by the thousands to the
black plague.
The mortality has quadrupled With
out counting the deaths which have oc-
Cured among the hundreds of thou
sands of people who have fled in terror
from Bombay, in many cases abandon
ing their all in the hurried flight from
the pestilence. Up to recently Bombay
with its population of about 1000, en-
ioyed the reputation of being one of the
healthiest cities in India, It's sanitary
works being eual to those of the Euro
pean capitals. But all this has changed
More than half OF the population has
dfsappe ared 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 government officials
are seriously alarmed, the native ply
sicians have nearly all left the city,
business is paralyzed the mills closed or
closing, the streets are partly deserted,
and on all sides are empty houses, board
ed up or wide open The pa ssage of fun
eral parties through the streets goes on
day and night, burning grounds, or
CHATS, light the skies with their reflec-
tions and line after line of bodies there,
or at the parsee burial spots, are await
ing consignment to the flames or to
mother earth
The number OF deaths from the plague
in this city is now estimated, unof!icially,
to be 5000, and thefe are about ITO addi-
tioral victims daily, with this number
increasing as time wears on. The Euro
peans however, have been, singularly
free from conTagion up to the present
time, only three deaths among them
being recorded to date
At Karachi, Poona and Bandra, where
large numbers of refugees have sought
safety. the plague has broken out in a
most threatening form At Bandra, for
instance. 129 deaths are recorded out of
180 casesof the .ylague, causing consterna-
tion, even among the physicians. In this
city there are thousands of houses with
out native servants. nearly all the lat
ter having joined the fleeing multitudes.
Employers are helpless beause of the
desertion of their clerks and porter., and
stores are closed on account of the al
most utter stagnation of business.
The mortality during the past week
here has been unprecedented, while the
return of deaths from remittent fever is
extraordinarily high above the plague
rate, which is naturally interpreted as
meaning that numbers of people who
have fallen victims of the plague have
been officially recorded as having died
of 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 withdray the European troops
and send them into the best place avail
able on the other side of Bombay har-
Dor. On the other hand, there are peo-
pie who oppose this step being taken,
on the ground that the presence of Brit
iSh regiments has salutary effect upon
the population which might otherwise
start rioting and looting. 1t is also sug-
gested that the whole city should be
isolated, that escape by the land should
be prevented by a strong Gordon of
troops, and that escape by water should
be prevented by the patrolling of armed
steamers. There are people who go so
far as strongly to advocate that the only
radical cure is to drive the remaining
natives from the quarter of the city in
habited by them, apply the torch to their
habitations and burn every place to the
ground. They point to the fact, in sup
port of this policy. that no amount OF
dsinfection work will wipe out the hor-
rible scourage, as the rats and even the
ants, it is claimed, are infected and
will carry pestilence far and wide unless
the fire cure is adopted. II this is done
and it does now seem likely, the whole
of the remaining population will be
driven out by the troops to an immense
camp which will have been previously
prepared for them. There the natives
will be compelled to remain, surrounded
by Gordon of troops, until the plague
is stamped out OF works itSworSt among
the unfortunates. The government Of
ficials are showing fine example to the
natives. Although many of them have
as precaution, SEN { their families away
they are doing everything possible, work
ing night and day, in their efforts tc
stamp out the loathsome pes'tiience, re-
storing the courage of the faint hearted
and urge business as much as possible
The camp at Andheri is in particularly
unhealthy condition and an outbreak oi
cholera there seems certain. in addition
to a visitation OF the plague. Water is
scarce and what there is of it 1t is filthy
Many OF the refugees, alarmed by the
deaths which have already occurred
there, have fed to other points,
CAUTION AT NEW YORK.
NEW YORK. Jan. 16.-The Brook
lyn health department, fearing that the
bubOnic plague, now raging in India,
may be carried to this country by
steamships, have made preparations to
have all vessels arriving from India
subjected to thorough disinfection and
quarantine.
HISTORIAN IIEADLEY DEAD.