New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-15
PLAGUE STRICKEN BOMBAY.
NEARLY HALF THE POPULATION FLEE
TO ESCAPE DEATH

| STREETS AND BAZAARs DEsERrED-cRIME ON
THE pEcREAsE-cHorERA THREATENS THE
REFuGEEs-vIvID PICTURES OF THE Eff
feet OF THE pEsT-THE NOR
TALLY REACHES 2.35e.
Bombay Jan. 14-Every day the plague stu
| alton here becomes worse. and 1t Is estimated
] that nearly half the population Of the city have
| fled to escape death The situation is greatly
/ aggravated by the prevalence Of the famine.
| thousands of the natives who leave the city
having absolutely nothing on which to support
themselves In the country. and thus fall victims
| to the slower death from starvation.
The streets and bazaars that few weeks ago
were teeming with life virtually de-
serted. and many shops and Offices closed.
One result Of the plague has been great diminu-
ton In all kinds Of crime except burglaries and
petty thefts. and these in many instances are
due to poverty-strcken wretches taking ad-
vantage Of the fact that large quantities Of prop
erty have been left without protection by refu-
gees from the plague infested city. SO great has
been the falling off in criminal and other cases
that the High Court OF Justice does not now
find business enough to occupy more than half
its time. while the courts in which small causes
are tried have abandoned their sittngs alto
gether and the officials have taken holiday.
Eight thousand rugtives are camping out at
Andheri. where every condition is favorable to
outbreak of cholera. There is a scarcity OF
water In and about the town. and the sanitary
arrangements of the crudest character. The
refugees, however. are more afraid of the bubonic
plague than OF cholera. and they will undoubted-
ly remain where they are rather than return
to Bombay. The Government Is doing every
thing possible to assist the people, but its efforts
thus far have been productive of little real re-
suit In the direction Of cleanliness.
In Poona and Bandra the plague is raging with
great virulence The efforts Of physicians to
stay the progress of the disease in the slightest
degree have been fruitess. and the death rate IL
extremely high. Hundreds of persons attacked
by the disease have died in two or three hours
after suffering dreadful agony.
The customs OF the natives add the hideous-
ness Of the plague. The Mahometan cemeteries
are overcrowded. and 1t is impossible to find men
enough to dig graves and bury the dead The
sound OF dirges is incessant in and around the
places where the Hindoos burn their dead, in
accordance with their timc-honored custom. and
the funeral music has most depressing infu-
ence on all who hear IT, natives and foreigners
alike.
1t Is said that numbers of dead bodies of Par
sees. the religious sect who expose their dead
DOdleS 10 be eaten by the VutureS, are slowly
decomposing in the open air in the places in
which they are left. They have not been eaten
by the vutures the birds having been
gorged by the great abundance Of corpses fur
nshed to them.
Everywhere the greatest difficulty Is found
In obtaining men to carry the dead to the
cemeteries. burning places. and the Dokhamas.
o towers of silence of the Parsees Even
relatives shun this last service to their dead.
fearing that they will contract the disease by
touching or approaching the bodies In many
cases bodies have been found abandoned in
the streets, their bearers having been overcome
by fear while taking them to their last resting
place.
Up to to-day the number Of cases Of the
plague is placed officially at 1894. and the
deaths at 2.3J6.
The Eurasians. those Of half native and half
foreign parentage. enjoy comparative i'm
munity from the disease Very few Europeans
have contracted the disease. they apparently
not being subject to Its attack
feature Of the disease that was noted in
Hong Kong and Southern China while 1t
prevalent there Is also noticed here. Swine.
poultry and rodents appear TO be very suscepti-
BILE to the plague and great numbers Of them
have died.