The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-17
FAMINE AND PLAGUE
STALKING ARM AND ARM THROUGH
PORTIONS OF BRITISH INDIA.
Thousands of People Dead or Dying
and Millions in Danger of Per-
ishing Before Long.
RELIEF is SORELY NEEDED
BRITONS ARE CONTRIBUTING, AND
AMERICANS ARE ASKED TO AID.
Appeal from the Lord Mayor of Lon
don for funds to Provide Food for
eO,coo,OOo Starving People.
RAVAGES OF THE DREAD PEST
VICTIMS OF THE BUBONIC PLAGUE
AT BOMBAY INCREASING.
Burning Os the Native Quarter Of the
City Urgcd-All Countries Prepar-
ing to Keep Out the Disease.

(Copv'i~ht. 1897 by the Associated Press.)
BOMEAf. Jan. 16.-Plague and famine
are stalking arm in arm through densely
populated portions of the British empire
thousands are dead or dying and the out
look becomes blacker and more terrible
every day. Millions OF helpless men. wom-
en- and children are starving, and the fam
inc districts. having population of nearly
100000 people, will have to depend on the
hand of charity for food enough to keep
body and soul together until April or later.
Other districts, with population number
ing about 50,0O00o0. are already feeling the
pangs of bitter privation from food, and
this must be endured well on into spring
before permanent relief will be afforded by
nature. Funds for the relief of the suffer-
ers are being raised on all sides; but very
large amount of money will be needed TO
provide food even for these unfortunate
people, who live on almost nothing Tin COM
parison with Europeans and others) from
one end of the year to the other.
The famine calamity, awful as 1t Is in
it's intensity. is possibly not much greater
than the ravageS of the dread bubonic
plague here threatening to spread, through
the fright of the natives of this city, into
other parts of India, and if 1t reaches the
greatly weakened famine sufferers the
mortality may be enormous. The natives
have been reduced by lack of food to little
less than living skeletons, in the most heav-
lily stricken districts, and as such they can
not but fall victims by the thousands to
the black plague which threatens TO invade
Europe through the Mecca pilgrims and
other sources for the spread Of contagion
which are too numerous to mention. prin-
cipal of which. however, are the export of
rags. linen and other merchandise likely to
contain the poisonous germs.
MORTALITY INCREASING.
The mortality here has quadrup!eci, with
out counting the deaths whicn have &C.
Cured among the hundreds of thousands
of people who have fled in terror from
Bombay, in many cases abandoning their
all in the hurried flight from the pesti-
lence. Up to recently Bombay, with its
population of about $50, 900. enjoyed the rep
utation of being one of the healthiest cities
in India its sanitary works being equal to
those of the European capitals. But all
this has changed. More than half the pop
ulation has disappeared, and those who re-
main are either helpless and cannot get
away or are crowding out of the city by
rail- water and road, or else contemplate
so doing unless there is change for the
better shortly.
The government officials are seriously
alarmed, the native physicians have nearly
all left the city, business is paralyZed, the
mills are closed or closing, the streets are
partly deserted. and on all sides are empty
houses, boarded up or wide open. The
passage of funeral parties through the
streets goes on day and night, the burning
grounds or CHATS, light the skies with
their reflections, and line after line Of
bodies there or at the Parsee burial spots
are awaiting consignment to the flames or
TO mother earth.
The number of deaths from the plague in
this city is now estimated unofficially, to
be over three thousand, and there are about
10 additional victims daily, with this num-
ber increasing as time wears on. The Eu-
ropeans, however, have been singularly
free from contaglOn up to the present time,
only three deaths among them being re-
corded to date. At karachi, Poona and
Bandra, where large numbers of refugees
have sought safety the plague has broken
out in most threatening form. AT Bandra.
for instance, 129 deaths are recorded out of
$50 cases of the plague, causing cousterna-
ton, even among the physicians. In this
city there are thousands OF houses without
native servants. nearly all the latter hav-
ing joined the fleeing multitude. Employ
ers are helpless because of the desertion
of their clerks and porters, and stores are
closed on account of the almost utter stag
nation of business.
The mortality during the past week here
has been unprecedented, while the return
of deaths from remittent fever are eXtraor-
dinarily high. above the plague rate, which
is naturally Interpreted meaning that
numbers of people who have fallen vic
Tins of the plague have been officially re-
corded as having died from remittent fever
TROOPS MAY BE WITHDRAWN
The government officials are dreadng the
spread of the plague To the British troops
in the garrison here and il is proposed To
withdraw the European troops and send
them into the best place available on the
other side of Bombay harbor. On the other
hand there are people who oppose this step
being taken the ground that the pres
ence of the British regiments has a salu-
tatory effect the populace. which might
otherwise start rioting and looting.
IL is also suggested that the whole city
should be Isolated. that escape by the land
or sea be prevented by strong GORDON OF
troops. and that escape by water should be
prevented by the patroliing of armed steam
ers. There are people who go so far as to
strongly advocate that the only radical
cure is 10 drive the remaining natives from
the quarter OF the city inhabited by them
apply the torch 10 their habitations and
burn every place there TO the ground. They
point TO the fact in support of this policy
that no amount OF disinfecting work will
wipe out the horrible scourge. as the rats
and even the ants. il is claimed. are in
fected and will carry the pestilence far and
wide unless the fire cure is adopted. II this
is done. and it does not seem unlikely. the
whole OF the remaining native population