The Butler weekly times., 1897-01-21
ALL EUROPE ALARMED.
Powers Are Aroused By The
Spread of the Black Plague.
INDlA'S VISITATION DOUBLE. NOR.
TALITY HAS QUADRUPLED.

the Orient. Victims in Bombay Alone
Number Two Hundred Daily-Work
to Prevent its Spread.
Bombay, Jan. 17-Plsgue and
famine are stalking arm in arm
through densely populated portions
OF the empire, thousands are dead
or dying, and the outlook becomes
blacker and more terrible every day
Millions of helpless men, women aud
children are starving and the famine
stricken districts, having a popula
ton of nearly 40,O0O,0OO people, will
have to depend upon the hand of
charity for food enough to keep
body and sole together until April
or later. Other districts with a pop
ulation numbering about 50,000,0O0
are already feeling the pangs of bit
ter privaticn from food, and this
must be endured we'll on into spring
before permanent relief will be af
forded by nature Funds for the
relief of the suffers are bein e raised
on all.side; but very large amount
OF money will be needed to provide
food even for those unfortunate peo-
pie who live on almost nothing lin
comparison with Europeans and
others) from one end of the year to
the other.
This calamity. awful as it is in its
intensity, is possibly not much great
er than the ravages of the dreadful
plague here threatening to spread,
through the fright of the natives of
this city, into other parts of India,
and If it reaches the greatly weaken
ed famine sufferers, the mortality
may be enormous. The natives have
beer reduced by lack of food to lit
,le less than living skeletons in the
most heavily stricken districts, and
as such they can not but fall victims
by the thousand to the black plague
which threatens to invade Europe
through the Mecca pilgrims and
other sources for the spread of con
tagion which are too numerous Il
mention, principal of which, how
ever, are the export of rags, liner
and other merchandise likely to con
tain the poison germs.
The mortality here has quadruplet
without counting the deaths whicl
have occurred among the hundred
of thousands of people who hav
fed in terror from Bombay, in man
cases abandoning their all in thei
) hurried flight from the pestilence
Up to recently Bombay. with it
t population of about S50,000, emf joy
ed the reputation of being one c
the healthiest cities in India, its sar
itary works being equal to those G
the European capitals. But all thi
. has changed. More than ha
> of the population has disappear
, ed, and those who remain are eithe
l helpless and can not get away, c
r are aowding out Of the city by ra
water and road, or else contemplst
SO doing unless there is a chang
for the better shortly. The govern
ment officials are seriously alarmed
as the native physicians have nearl
t all left the city. Business is par'
/ lived, the mills are closed or clo
ing, the streets are partly deserte
and on ali sides are empty houses
: boarded up or wide open The pa
sage of funeral parties through th
h streets goes on day and nigh
= aud line after line Of bodie
are awaiting consignment to th
II flames or to mother earth
The num Der OF deaths from Ii
), plague in this city is now estimated
J. unoffciaily, to be over 5000, an
there are about ITO additional vi
Tins daily. with this number inerea
" ing as time wears on. The Eur
II peant. however, have been singular
g free from coEtagion up to the pre-
lie ent time, only three deaths emol
a them being recorded to date.
: The newspapers, however, or: