The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-02-19

lowing graphic sketch of the situations:
THE panic is spreading. Every day
intensities the horrors Of the situation,
and the strongest nerves are breaking
down under the terrible strain The
streets are crowded with funerals and
wherever one turns one is brought face
to face with the awful proofs Of the
death and desola,ion that are rejgnins
in this most unhappy city. The mortal
ity has Guadrupled recently. and This
Without taking into account the panic
stricken exodus from the city. The daily
average of deaths from the plague is
40. and for the last week the ratio per
1000 cases has been 4t|2 deaths. These
figures arc more eloquent than words
of things here | hear the Indian gov
eminent contemplates changing tine quar-
terS of the English regiments here. Thus
far no dea tbs have occurred among TIL"
British soldiers. but as it has been 50
lamentably shown. Europeans are by 40
means proof against the scOurge. There
are already eleven of them dead. The
without servants. All the native en-
ploycS left this morning in q body, pro-
testing that they were afraid to stay.
The burning grounds here are crowded
night and day and the pyrcS are con-
stantly laden with the bodies Of the
dead. The towers of Silence, where the
bodies of the Parsees are laid out on an
iron grating to be torn to pieces by the
vultureS. present an awful spectacle. \
huge flock of these ghouliSh birds now
hovers over the walls of the towers. The
vultures are now twice or thrice as mum
CrouS as they were a week ago, yet these
birds are gorgeu to rrpletion with their
innumerable cOrp>eS. \ tremendous num-
Der Of dead rats have been found i'll the
business houses here; They devour:ed
the bodies of the dead. and. becoming in
tested. died of the plague.
THE nights are rendered hiue"uS by
tho clashing of cymhalS and the chant.
ing of the melancholy funeral dirges of
the Hindoos. Great difficulty is expert
enccd in diSpoSing of the dead. even
friends and re rs]ativtS refusing t" carry the
grounds present shocking spectacle,
The vast increase of interments has led
to overcrowding, and recently Inferred
fr DS a rrf G The condition i "V of the
burial grounds is awful. The nearest
parallel can think of is that of Il battle
field several days after the battle.
The Times also gives a vivid summary
of the net results of the plague. 1t
says:
at would Ge idle to attempt to mini
nize the terrible visitation from which
Bombay is now suffering. The scourge
has already done incalculab1e damage to
the great growing trade of the port.
The population has already been depict
sale exodus of the panic-stricken inhah-
itarts. The forts, the Bhendy Bazaar.
and the Mandstie docks. so recently full
of stir and hustle and centers of thrill
ing business operations. arc today scenes
of mourning and desolation., Many shop
keepers OH the leading thoroughfarcS.
as we'll as those along the lesser streets
and lanes. have closed their doors. The
'marwariS.' or moncy-lcndrrS, whom the
operatives and others daily patronizcd.
have vanished, and the small causes
court which is their usual rendezvous,
is so deserted that the judges and clerks
arc taking fortnight holidays in turn:
"A similar state of things prevails in
the high court. which. owing to the nom
sits only four hours per day. Even
crimes, with the exception of burglaiies,
have largely diminished. Many of the
native doctors and graduates of colleges
sought safety in flight. and of those who
remain some utterly refuse altogether to
attend persons stricken with the plague.
Or when they do attend, will not touch
the patients. dreading contagion.
Camps containing thousands of more
Or less destitute refugees surround the
city. The picture recalls London in 1865
or Florence during the great visitation
of black DEATH No one knows where
the plague may not appear. There is
panic and CONSERVATION throughout
Southern Europe, The people who have
joined the mad exodus from Bombay and
other less seriously affected centers are
liable to carry the germs of the epidemic
toward Europe. The plague will soon
he heard of at Mecca among the pill
grms, and then. if it once reaches the
Golden Horn, Europe is doomed