The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1902-08-06
HAS THE PLAGUE AT ITS DOORS.
Manila l. In Constant Danger Disease from China and thu
Authorities Have Vigorous Quarantine Graphic Description
of Horrors of Pest By American Consul at Canton

| steaG or remaining in the armpit or
groin, appears on any part or the
! body and, suddenly disappearing, re-
appears in another part. Victims are
| found diving in the streets, so sudden
is the attack. At Fatshan both cholera
and plague are epidemic. Consul Nc
Wade, apparently despairing of his
ability to describe conditions, says,
ut is one of the dirtiest cities in south
China, and the filth of it's streets is
| proverbial"
The trials of a missionary in China
are not all because of the Boxers. Rev.
| G. A. Nelson, who is stationed at Can
ton. reported this little incident to
Consul McWade:
~ few days ago Mrs. Nelson went
BY boat into the Lungshun canal.
which enters just west of Shameen
and divides Wongsha from the sub.
urb. Shortly after entering the canal
she saw dead rat floating and next
dead pig. A few moments after
ward a dead babe came floating along
and joined the pig and rat. and to-
river"
Another missionary, Rev. Jacob
Speicher, at Kityang. eXemplifies the
virtues of Christian forbearance under
trying conditions.
1--WE are having at present" he
writes. "a very bad epidemic of
the plague at Kityang, and it is
almost daily occurrence that dy"
ing persons and dead bodies are de-
posted directly in front Of the entrance
to our mission compound"
His excellency Tao Mu, viceroy OF
| the two Krangs. ordered this practice
stopped. Rev. Andrew Beattie reports
that both plague and cholera are cpl
demic at Taileung, in the Shuntak
district. and that hundreds have died
in the district city of Tsangshing.
$50 great has been the mortality"
reports Consul McWade. that collins
| have to be ordered from the villages
| In the neighborhood. The demand for
! coftins has become so great in some
places and the price SO high that the
coolies who carry the collins to the
! hills have an orga nized plan for steal
ing cottinS. AS is known. it often hap
pens that the coffin reaches the grave
too late in the day to be put into the
grave and covered. Sometimes it oc'
ours that a coffin will remain beside a
grave for days before it is covered
The coolies have taken advantage oil
this custom and during the night take
the body and bury it without the cof-
fin, and the coffin is taken away and
sold. This has become very common
about Taileung."
1t is impossible to obtain even an
approximate estimate of the mortality
from plague or cholera or both. The
Chinese authorities make no distinc-
ton between the diseases, CHASING
+. Them both as ''pestilence," and no NOR
tality statistics are gathered. Under
such conditions. with plague spread
ing, together with the fact that cholera
is epidemic at Macao. it is not Surpris
ing that Hongkong reports increases IL
both cholera and plague in spite OF
the rigid quarantine inspection. The
spread of both fatal maladies to vari
Gus parts of the Philippines is d nat
ural consequence. Unless conditions
can be improved In southern China II
is likely that Manila will be perma
nently under the shadow of the BLACK
plague"