Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-17
PLAGUE AND FAMINE
Appalling Calamity Hangs Over the
Wretched Inhabitants Of India.
ORIENT SUFFERS FROM TWO SC0URGtS
Authorities look Forward to Terrible
Mortality in Near Future.
URGENT APPEAL FOR PRIVATE CHARITY
Lord Mayor of London Calls On America
for Contributions,
ALL EUROPE TAXING PRECAUTIONS
Drastic Measures to BE Employed Il
Prevent the Plague from OBJ
tnining u Hold on the
Continent.

copyright, 1917, by the Associated lTessJ
BOMBAY, Jan. 16.-Plague and famine are
stalking arm-ln-arm through densely popu-
lated portions of the British empire, thou
sands are dead or dying, and the outlook
becomes blacker and more terrible every
day.
Millions of hapless men, women and chill
dren are starving and the famine-stricken
districts, having a population of nearly
40, 600, 900, will have to depend upon the hand
of charity for food enough to keep body and
soul together until April, or later. Other
districts, with population numbering about
so, 000, 900, are already feeling the pangs of
bitter privations from food, and this must
be endured well into spring, before peIma-
nent relief will be afforded by nature. Funds
for the relief of the sufferers are being
raised on all sides, but a very large amount
OF money will be needed to provide food
even for those unfortunate people who live
on almost nothing, from one end OF the year
to the other.
This calamity awful as it is in it's in
tensity. Is probably no greater than the
ravageS Of the dread plague here, threaten
ing to spread, through the fright 90 the ma
tives of this city, into other parts of India,
and il it reaches the greatly weakened
famine sufferers, the mortality may be enor-
nous. The natives have been reduced by
lack of food to little less than living ekele-
tons in the most heavily stricken districts,
and as such they cannot but fall victims by
the thousands to the black plague.
The mortality here has quadrupled with
out accounting the deaths which have oc-
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 peetilence. Up to
recently, Bombay, with its population Of
about $4,000, enjoyed the reputation of be-
ing one of the healthiest cities in india it's
sanitary works being equal to those of the
European capitals. But all this has changed.
More than half OF the population has dis
appeared, and those who remain are either
helpless or cannot get away, or are crowdng
out of the city by rail, water and road, or
else contemplate so doing, unless there
is a change for the better shortly.
The government officials are seriously
alarmed, the native physicians have nearly
all left the city, business Is paralyzed mills
closed, or closing, the streets are partly de-
serted, 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 burning grounds, OF CHATS,
light the skies with their reflections, and
line after line of bodies there or at the
Parsee burial spots are awaiting consign-
ment to the flames or to Mother Earth
HEAVY DEATH RATE.
The number of deaths from plague in this
city is now estimated, unoficially to be
over 5000, and there are about 40 addi-
tional victims daily, with this number in
creasing as time wears on. The Europeans,
however, have been singularly free from
contagion up to the present time, only three
deaths among them being recorded 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 CONSERVATION even
among the physicians. In this city there
are thousands of houses without native
servants, nearly all the latter having Joined
the fleeing multitude Employers are help
less because of the desertion of their clerks
and porters and stores are closed on account
of the almost utter stagnation of business
The mortality during the past week here has
been unprecedented while the returns of
deaths from remittent fever are extraordi-
narily high above the plague rate, which is
naturally interpreted as meaning that num-
bers of people who have fallen victims TO
the plague have been officially recorded as
having died of remittent fever.
The government officials are dreading the
spread of the plague to the British troops
in garrison here and are proposing 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 on the ground that the pres
ence of the British regiments has a salutary
effect upon the populace, which might other
wise start riotng and looting. 1t is also
suggested that the whole city should be iso-
lated. that escape by the land side be pre-
vented by a strong Gordon of troops and
that escape by water should be prevented
by the patrolling of armed steamers.
HEROIC TREATMENT.
There are people who go SO far as to
strongly advocate that the only radical
cure is 20 drive the remaining natives from
the quarter of the city inhabited by them,
apply the torch to their habitations and
burn every place to the ground. They point
to the fact that no amount of disinfectant
will wipe out the horrible scourge, as the
rats ana even the ants are infected and will
carry the pestience far and wide unless the
fire cure Ia adopted. II this Is done, and
It now seems likely, the whole of the
remaining native population will be driven
out by the troops TO an immense camp,
which will have been previously prepared
for them. There the natives will be COM
PEELED to remain, surrounded by a Gordon
os troops. until the plague is stamped out
or works its worst among the unfortunates.
The European doctors are showing a fine
example to the natives. Although many Of
them have as preoaution sent away their
families. they are doing everything possible.
working night and day In their efforts to
stamp out the loathsome pestilonee. restore
the courage of the faint-hearted and en-
courage business, The calnp at Andheri is