The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-03
DEATH DECINATES INDIA
Plague and Famine Destroying People
sy Thousands.
OUTLOOK GROWS DARKER DAILY,

Millions Of Helpless fen. Namen and
Children PerishinG of Hunger IN Some
s.:,.,.A of Pestilence in Others
Oysicrowded Cemeteries strewn With
Bodies for Which There Are No Graves.
BOMBAY, India. (By Cable. )-No sqcn
calamity has befaIlen British India since the
mut;ny OF 1857 as the scourge OF plague and
famine that now RACES over so many vast
areas OF that populous land. There has beenS
plague BEFORE and there has been famine
before, but never have the two conformity
ragged with such virulence as now. Ept-3
denies like this shake the British grip on
India. A whole Nation OF many millions OF !,
men is moving uneasily In agitation and {
alarm like the muttering of the sea before
the storm.
Thousands are dying or dead AMI the OUT
look becomes more frightful every day.
Millions Of helpless men, women and chill
dren are starving. The famine districts.
with an aggregate population OF nearly 48.-t
000, 900 people, must depend on charity until
April at least. Other districts. with popular
tion of about 50,000,0 900, are beginning to
feel the pangs Of hunger.
Relief funds are being raised on all sldesi
but a very large sum of money will be need
ed to provide necessary food even for the
vast multitude of unfortunates who haDitu-
ally live on almost nothing
Awful as is this calamity, 1t is, perhaps, not
much worse than the bubonic plague, wnicn
threatens to spread. The natives In the \
famine districts have been reduced to living
skeletons, and II the plague reaches them
. they must die by the thousands. 3.
The mortality here has quadrupled, i WITH
out counting the deaths among 50o, ,00V who Z
have left the city In terror. =
The native physicians have nearly alt len
business Is paraIyzed, funerals pass through
the streets day and night, the wathng OF
mourners fills the air, the cremating grounds
or chats, light the skies, and line after line
of bodies there or at the Parsee burial Spots Z
await the flames or the grave. Il
Heartrending scenes are witnessed along
the roads leading out OF the city, where long
laden with the household chattels they arc
able to save, toll onward, away into:fhe qn.5
known, anywhere to get away from the c1fy
OF death and disease. "a. ss
The number Of deaths from the plaguein
this city is estimated unofaclally to De up
ward Of 5000, and there are about one nun
dred and seventy victims daily. Ss
AT har6CQl, fOOQd duu Douuiny WLVlSt tAaAoSf
numbers sought refuge. the plaque has tap-l
peared In threatening form. At Bandra ~
deaths are recorded out of 1S0 cases. 9s
It Is proposed to withdraw the European
troops from this city and send them Into
camp on the other side of tine harbor. On
the other hand, there are people who oppose
this step being taken, on the ground that the
presence Of the British regulars has g satpri !
tary effect upon the populace, which nignf
otherwise start rioting and loottng. z
Some people think the only way TO eradf-
cate the plague Is to drive the remaining ma
lives from the quarter they inhablt and burn
every building Ia 1t. Disinfecting Is not
enough, they say, for the rats and even the
ants are infected, and will spread the pesttl-
ence unless tue fire cure Is adopted. Thea
native quarter could be rebuilt In SIX weeks
under proper sanitary conditions and, there
fore the publication by fire might be god
send to the natives In more ways than one. e
The Government officials and the EURO
pean doctors are doing everything possible
working. night and day to stamp out the
pestilence. Almost silence prevails IN the
famous bazaars, and the main thoroughiares
have that death-swepr appearance peculiar
to plague-stricken districts. gi ~ !