The sun., 1897-06-20
80 PERSONS MET THE TRAIN,
Ana ss or Thon, wero Dead Within Three
weeks.

"ecbN-
"a generation or so ago the arrival Of a rail-
road train at rural stations was thing OF much
greater rarity than 1t is to-day" said Penn
sylvania Railroad employee. "and 1t was In
veriably greeted by the gathering at the station
OF almost tho entire population. Ono morning
in the summer of 1862 was one of q group OF
thirty-nino just such curious folk, mostly men
but there wero three or four women-who were
gathered at the railroad station at Columbia,
Pn., awaiting the coming OF the Immigrant train
from Philadelphia, which WINS due at q A.
NJ. Tho train camo In rs usual and thrce
weeks from that day every one of
that group OF thirty-nine persons was dead
and buried, except myself. The conductor Of the
train helped from 1t at Columbia woman with
two small children. Tho woman was German
immigrant, and both sho and her children had
been taken very i'll on the train. and tho con-
ductor had deemed It best 10 leave her at Column
bia for medical treatment Teegraphlc COM
munication was not yet established there with
tho outside world, and Dolly newspapers were n
rarity. Cholera had been raging at the scaboard
cities. but tho extent Of the calamity or its
possible spread through the country was not
appreciated in the rural districts The suf-
fcring woman and her children were helped by
sympathetic hands to small frame building
near by, and some one ran for doctor. 1t was
bOinc tl1ne OelOro tne DOCTOR came, anu III lne
interval every one in that crowd had como In
contact with the suffering immigrants in efforts
to help their intense suffering. The doctor
rived at last, but tho mother of the children had
become worse SO rapidly that she was in the
throcs Of death. The doctor had no sooner seen
her face than he turned where he stood. and
waving his hands frantically toward tho crowd,
exclaimed:
"Cholerai My God cholerar
Instantly we fled. l remember that found
myself hiding behind pile of lumber long way
from the station. Twas In those days clerk in
q store at Columbia. was only young chap,
but had sense enough to say to myself that II
was doomed to the cholera 1t would be just as
well for me to remain In Columbia rs to go else.
where, and I stayed. But when the awful
news spread-the two children Of the German
woman having died not long after she died--peo-
pie began leaving Columbia pellmell to escape tho
dreaded consequences Of that accidental infec.
tion. This frantic exodus lasted but q day, how
ever for the people OF the tying country placed
on the people Of Columbia what was perhaps tho
most effective quarantine that was ever placed
on any people in this or any other country. They
lumbia with instructions to shoot down any
person who attempted to pass from that infected
place a to negh6Sring ,,g towns w Before this had
and as the result proved, infected those places.
German woman and her children cholera had
possession Of the town. 1t was the custom then
| In Pennsylvania rural towns, when a person
bell q stroke for each year that the decedent
had lived. and the cholera epidemic was soon
such in Columbia that the tolling Of the church
| bells became continuous: The deaths were 80
numerous that for three weeks. day or
night there was not minute when tho church
bells were not tolling. Some one had suggested
early in this awful time that tho burning Of
! the air that the result would be the staying Of
| the spread of the pestilence. We had no anthra-
9a tss d soft so snS snS
| heavy black smoke from these fires rose and
hung over the place for weeks like q pail.
Whether it did any good or not can't say, but
| we had to witness daily
Il said that out of the thirty nine people who
| met that emigrant train on that beautiful sum
| not say that helped in the burial Of every one
| OF them, among them my brother and my father.
| Deaths were SO frequent that we all became
OF the value of life governed every ono met
one day the man was working for.
| How are you he said.
| "' All right thus far, i replied.
"One hour later helped lower his body into Q
| trench. An old darkey was the grave-diRRer OF
| tho village. and when the demands on him be-
share the task with him. he was by common
consent permitted to charge $40 for every body
inferred. He worked day and night, and when
MaoW msd the oT ed
through 1t all he might have received more
than twice that sum. but he died of cholera
In the midst OF Il all and he was buried in q
| trench he himself had dug. In one day we buried
| 100 victims OF the scourge. don't believe there
is anothc place in this country. considering its
situation in the most healthful region that can
| be imagined, that ever was the victim OF such q
pestiential visitation as that. More than SOC
persons died"