Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1902-08-01

nese whose home was In kwangtung
province died OF the plague at Hong
kong. One OF the customs officials at
Canton was examining the freight OF
the steamer Powan, from llongkong'
and had occasion TO open barrel
(which. according TO its invoice, was
alleged to contain ninety cattle OF
sharks fins, n Chinese delicacy. When
the lid of the barrel was removed, two
human feet protrudcd, and an exam
ination disclosed that the barrel con-
talned the body of Chinaman who
had died of plague In lIongkong."
The bubonic plague at Canton ana
at Shameen. which is divided from
Canton only by narrow, filth laden
| creek, is OF a much more malignant
type than that which appeared In for
mer years The bubo, or swelling, IN
stead of remaining In the armpit or
groin, appears on any part OF the
body and, suddenly disappearing, re-
appears in another part. Victims are
found dying 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,
at is one of the dirtiest cities In south
China. and the filth of its streets Is
proverbal."
The trials of n missionary in China
are not all because of the Boxers. Rev.
C. A. Nelson, who is stationed at Can.
Consul McWade:
"A 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 dead babe came floating along
and Joined the pig and rat, and to-
gether they foated into the Pearl
river"
5 Another missionary, Rev. Jacob
, Speicher at Kltyang, exempliiies 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
I almost a 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
e demic at Taileung. in the ShuntaE
district, and that hundreds have died
In the district city of Tsangshing.
so great has been the mortality
reports Consul McWadc, that cotiini
S have to be ordered from the Villages
N the neighborhood. The demand TO
collins has become so great In SOM
. places and the price so high that tn
h coolies who carry the collins to tn
hills have an organized plan for steal
ing collins As is known. 1t often hap
!" pens that the coffin reaches the gray
too late In the day to be put into tn
+ grave and covered. Sometimes 1t oc
ours that n coffin will remain beside
grave for days before It is covered
The coolies have taken advantage o
II this custom and during the night tax
the body and bury II without the co
N fin. and the coffin is taken away an
sold This has become very commo
about Taileung,"
n H Is impossible to obtain even n
approximate estimate of the mortalit
from plague or cholera or both. I'll
Chinese authorities make no distln
6 ton between the diseases, classin
y them both as "pestilence," and no mo
tally statistics are gathered. Und'
such conditions with plague sprea
u ing, together with the fact that cholei
is epidemic at Macao, 1t Is not surpri
ing that Hongkong reports increases
both cholera and plague in spite
n the rigid quarantine inspection. III
spread of both fatal maladies to val
Gus parts or the Philippines is ma
re ural consequence. Unless condition
- can be improved In southern China
-. is likely that Manila will be perm
nently under the shadow Of the "bla'