The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-14
THE PLAQUES REVELATION.
WEIRD OLD CUSTOMEs OF AN IN
TERESTING PEOPLE.
The Stricken City-Snd Consequences
of the Preiudices of Caste-The
New serum Is Reported 10 BE
Working wonders.
From the New York sun

FROM tle Nov 1ol n gun
Bombay. Jan 10-The traveller who
>omes TO Bombay Just now is at first
s-.a,1y surprised. The plague here! Fifty
deaths a day, The people panic stricken!
Where is all that?
The streets Of Bombay from the ports
are full of life. The coolies in white, with
their red turbaus. the women IN red or
rose-coIored saris and with silver and
colored glass bracelets on their arms and
ankles and rings on their fingers and
toes. move about carrying different OBJ
iects in sparkling copper pots. They pre-
sent an air of gayety with their bright
costumes in the warm sunlight. Jugglers
installed undor the tail barridas which
line the avenues beat their drums and
play their bag-ppes. All that noise and
all those gay coors give a poor idea of a
city stricken with a plague.
But that is only the first impression
Further on in the Hindoo town, the ba-
Ear and the business streets are almost
deserted, that is for this city where the
population is usually so dense; but to a
European even accustomed to crowded
cities, the streets here seem to be fun of
people In the little shops where they
burn sandal-wood and incense, the strong
odor of phenol predomlnates, and in front
of the houses from which dead bodies
have just been taken the sidewalks are
marked with large daubs of a reddish
mixture of which chlorine forms the
basis
In the native quarter along the seaside.
and in the docks the plague appears to
hold itself circumScribed, and the houses
giving out a strong odor of chloride and
phenol are becoming more and more nu-
merous. Colaba, half-English quarter
is almost deserted, and the troops that
were garrisoned at Marine Lines, are now
camped by the seaside in the neighbor-
hood of Back Bay.
factories, and during the last month about
$4,000 inhabitants have fed from the city
livery eEenlns, az the railway Statloh
there IS fearful crowding OF people who
missed all the trains of the day. The
throng of coolies gathered around the en-
trance for third-class passengers hold out
their money and impore the ticket men TO
take their fares. The poor people, shout
ing and rushing, cndeavor to pass their
money over the heads of those in front
of them. Although repeatedly driven back,
they never fail to return to the charge,
Groups of women and children, carrying
red and white packages and copper pots
so highly polished that they look like
gold, wait at the office in expectation OF
the lucky ticket that will enable them
to fly from the city Then, when the
last train is gone, they camp in crowds
around the station stretched upon the
ground. In picturesque disorder, with
their baggage lying in heaps they wait
for the next mornings train.
The bubonic plague, it is called is
stu mystery. Its origin is not known.
A first II was attributed to dates that
came from Syria and to corn that came
from the interior. The dates were de-
stroyed and the corn was thrown into
the sea; but the plague still persisted and
increased every day. one morning a
large number of rats We're found dead
lhen the pigeons and chickens were at
tackled. After that man took the dis
ease. Then others caught it, and they all
died suddenly A high fever with a little
swelling he
IS all there is to II, but the man dies in
forty-eight hours The victims are be
coming more and more numerous.
1t should be remembered that in the
hospitals, thanks to the NEGOTIATIONS by
the new serum, more than two-thrds Of
Inc patients are cured. But the idea of
the mixture of castles and of contact with
people VINO are considered inferior keeps
me Hlndoos from the hospitals They
prefer to remain at home and be attend
ed oy quackS or sorcerers, and they die
rather than renounce their ideas of caste
-siiDilssoEer, poth be1ore and after death the
fellsiOn OF the Parsees, who form a con-
siderable portion of the population of
Bqmhay, orders, queer sorts of practices
which is would be impossible to permit In
the hospitals, and that is why the Parsees
refuse to be taken to them
~ the house of Parsee, who was taken
SICK yesterday, l saw his wife washing a
white garment. Only member of Tho
family can do that washing The wife
VINO knew that her husband was attacked
Dy the plague and consequently doomed,
was preparing his death robe in silent
ana fearless resignation that made me
The sick man lay upon low bed. He
seemed greatly oppressed, and was per-
spring freely. T3andages were ON his
Hsch' with difficulty he murmured
Pane, sahib!' c'Water. siryO Then he
closed his eyes and seemed to be asleep.
Ihey all sleep that way until the end.
IN the narrow streets funerals pass
along. Hindoos. carried on filters and
with their faces painted, grimace a livid
smile under the red with garlands of jas
-
the bier man carries a vase which holds
the embers with which he will light the
funeral pile, and behind the body a num-
Der OF men march, beating crotalums and
tambourines. Then follow the friends,
Sach one carrying piece of wood, which
ne VIII place upon the funeral pile as a
last homage to the dead.
Here too, are the funerals of the Mus
sulmans. The body l carried on a bier
The bearers and followers all sing a sort
OF melopaeia that is almost gay. They
move along very slowly toward the Mus
sulmans cemetery on the border of the
sea, where the dead man will sleep forever
Jasmnes.
On litter covered with white drapemes
the dead man, clothed in white is carried
by eight men also clothed in white and
wearing white gloves. The Parsis Gus
tom exacts that the dead must be brought
TO the Tower of Silence by these men, who
form separate caste and cannot take
having first gone through eight days Of
publication; and they remain i'm a house
specially built for them. Now, on account
of this epidemic they arc Obliged TO wear
gloves. which they throw into the fire, lust
rs they DO their clothes after having un-
dressed the body. in order to leave il alb
Holutely naked. Naked he came into the
world. and naked he must return into
dust %
AT the Tower of Silence the vulturcs in
few hours leave nothing of the body hut
the skeleton, which the burning sun will
soon reduce TO dust. and the dust itself
will be carried away by the first monsoon.
\ long file of men in white march two
by two, bound to each other. as a sign of
union. by "A white handkerchief. Very
slowly they follow the bier, exactly at
forty PAGES distant from IT. They pass on
10 the tower, where the vultures, gorged
just now await their feast while sleeping
in the sun.
To-day. accompanied by Mr.. Snow. the
municipal commissioner Of the city Of
Bombay ] visited the hospital where the
sufferers were cared for. outside Of the
city for "A considerable time the wagon
brought us through wretched locality
and then through the grounds In the
neighborhod Of the factories. In the shade
Of the great banyans and palm trees deli
cate and pale flowers grow, rose and
mauve color. Hedges consolidated with
tender violcts and jasmines on the old