Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-19
AWFUL HARVEST OF DEATH
DIR. KLOPSCH TELLS OF FAMINE
STRICKEN INDIA.
Daily Mortality Placed at 10000
Third of a Million Already
Dead.

DR.. Louis Klopsch, who has been In In
dia visiting the famine-stricken districts
and inspecting the work of relief. has re-
turned to New York.
In an interview with New York Herald
reporter yesterday he said that the reports
that have reached this country Of the dis
tress of millions of inhabitants of India
have not been exaggerated, and that while
large sums of money and quantities of grain
have been contributed there is much yet to
be done to prevent many thousands more
from starving.
DIR. klopsch made two trips into the fam
inc districts, going first 500 miles into the
interior from Bombay. and then an equal
distance north. covering more than 1000
miles Speaking of the result of his obser-
vations and inquiries. DR.. klopsch said
'-One-half of India today is great char
mel house, in which countless thousands
have already persisted of cholera, plague.
dysentery and starvation, and as many
more are doomed to a like fate. Twenty
thousand new cases OF cholera weekly,
with IS per cent mortality, representing 49,
600 deaths every seven days; plague on
every hand dysentery moving down Its
victims right and left. and starvation star
ing millions in the face, reaping a harvest
unprecedented sums up the horrible story.
ION .he day OF our arrival in Bombay the
streets were literally crowded with walk
ing skeletons. Every step of the way we
were DeSleSeu Dy men, women and children
in the last stages of restitution piteously
begging for d mite that they might eat and
live. They held out their hands with be-
Seeching look, hoping that we might drop
COIN that would purchase at least enough
food to satisfy their hunger just for an
hour.
"Gaunt men. emaciated women with bo-
SONS wasted with nursing diminutive, hol-
low-eyed. sickly babies; children with legs
and arms Like clothespins and every rib
plainly visible. all ran after US, completely
surrounding the carriage and entreatine us
every step of the way.
"Houseless and homeless. these unfortu-
mates sleep in the streets of Bombay at
night They lie down just where they hap
pen to find themselves when fatigue over
takes them. and 1t Is no exaggeration to say
that | have seen many as 800 sleep on
the sidewalk Of a single block
one experience which stands out clearly
In my mind is our visit in Ahmedabad. On
the shadeless plaza before the gate were
nearly two hundred and fifty bundles of
rags containing as many human beings In
various stages of emaciation, some stand
Ing, some In oriental fashion squatting on
the ground, others lying fiat on their backs
and still others lying with their faces to the
ground, In order to screen themselves from
the burning rays of the evening sun The
thermometer ranged at about no degrees
In the shade, not breath of air was stir
ring. and the heat and stencil contributed
to make us as Ill physically as the sad
scenes OF detitution, misery. pain and help
DR.. Klopsch described his visits to poor
houses where thousands Of emaciated
creatures were seated on the ground wait
ing TO be fed. He said that since the first
OF the year 300 900 famine victims had died.
a number equal to our losses in the civil var
and that the average daily death roll in
india Is 10000. while the famine-stricken
area lhc4udes oO,OOO,OOO Inhabitants.