The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-15
BUBONIC HORRORS IN BOMBAY.
HALF THE POPULATION QUITS THE
CITY IN A PANIC.

Thousands of the Fugitive Natives
Flee Only TO Die From the Famine.
Eight Thousand FuRitiVes Camp
ing Out in Andheri and Cholera
Almost Sure to Break Out Among
Them-COrpses Left For VuItures
to DevOur Untouched Because the
Birds Are OvergOrged With HUI
man Flesh.
Bombay, Jan. H.-Every day the plague
situation here becomes worse and it is
estimated that nearly half of the popula-
ton of the city have fed to escape death.
The situation is greatly aggravated by the
prevalence of the famine. thousands of
the natives, who leave the city having alb
solutely nothing on which to support
themselves in the country, and thus fall
victims to the slower death from starva-
ton.
The streets and bazars that a few weeks
ago were teeming with life are now vir-
tually deserted and many shops and Of
fees are closed. One result of the plague
has been great diminution in all kinds
of crime except burgIaries and petty thetts,
and these in many instances are due to
poverty-stricken wretches taking advan-
tage of the fact that large quantities of
property have been left without protec-
ton by refugees 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 busi-
ness to occupy more than half its time,
while the courts in which small cases are
tried, have abandonHl their sittlngs alto
gether and the officials have taken a holi-
day.
Eight thousand fugitives are camping
out in Andheri, where every condition is
favorable to an outbreak of cholera.
There is scarcity of water In and about
the town, and the sanitary arrangements
are of the crudest character. The refu-
gees, however, are more afraid of the
bubonc plague than of cholera, and they
will undoubtedly remain where they are
rather than to return to Bombay.
The government is doing everything
possible to assist the people, but it's ef-
forts thus far have been productive of
little real result in the direction of clean
illness.
In Poona and Bandra the plague is rag
ing with great virulence. The efforts of
physicians to stay the progress of the
disease is slight and their efforts have
been fruitless, and the death rate is eX-
tremely high. Hundreds of persons at
tackled by the disease have died in two
or three hours, after suffering dreadful
agony.
The customs of the natives add to the
hideousness of the plague. The Moham-
medan cemeteries are overcrowded, and
ii is impossible to find men enough TO
dig graves and bury the dead. The sound
of dirges is incessant in and about tina
places where the Hindoos burn their dead
in accordance with their time honored
custom, and the funeral music has most
depressing influence on all who hear II,
natives and foreigners alike.
1t is stated that numbers of dead bodies
of Parsees, the religious sect who expose
their dead bodies to be eaten by the vul-
lures, are slowly decomposng in the open
air, in the places in which they are lett
They have not been eaten by the vuitures,
the birds having been overgorged by the
great abundance of corpses furnished to
them.
everywhere the greatest difficulty is
found in obtaining men to carry the dead
to the cemeteries, burning places ana the
Dokhamas. Even relatives omit the last
services to their dead, fearing they will
contract the disease by touching or APP
preaching the corpses. In many cases BOD
les have been found abandoned In the
streets. their bearers having been over
come by the fear while taking them to
their last resting places.
I'D to to-day the number of cases OF
the plaugue is placed officially at 1884, and
the deaths at 1856.
The Eurasians, those of half natives ana
half foreign parents, enjoy comparative
immunity from the disease. Very few Eu-
roneans have contracted the disease.
they apparently not being subject to its
attack.
A feature of the disease that was noted
ar Hong Kong and Southern China while
II was prevalent there is also noticed here.
Swine, poultry and rodents appear to be
very susceptible to the plague ana great
numbers of them have died.