Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-27
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faithfully working out his task every year
until It has become habit. The priest
has a record of this individual service ex-
tending back to the middle of the eigh-
teenth century. but, with all this devotion
the walls have never reached the height
necessary for roof. Nor has there ever
been belfry. In I'LL bell was ordered
cast in Spain and the money to pay for II
was raised by subscription. The bell was
made and shipped across the Atlantic. Ii
arrived at San Juan Guichiccvi in l713 and
was hung from the limbs of tree In the
churchyard. where II still remains. 1t -
a sweet-toned bell and bears several in
scrlptions In Latin.
High Death Rate.
The death rate in the City of Mexico, not
withstanding the high attitude and pure
air, is twice as high as that in hot and
humid Rio de Janeiro; more than three
times that of New York: three and half
times that OF Buenos Ayres. and nearly
four times that of London. 1t is mostly
due TO the neglect and insufficient nour-
ishment of infants, bad sanitation and sur
face sewerage. The death rate among
children under five years of age Is fright
full. Although the poems are very anec-
Tomato race, and both men and women are
devoted to their children and Will make
any sacrifices for them, they neglect the
most ordinary precautions and expose them
to disease with what seems to be heart
less indifference, but It Is actually igno-
rance. This fault however, is not pc
culiar to Mexico. 1t prevails in every trop
!cal country.
An epidemic Of typhus fever has been rag
ing at the Mexican capital all winter, par
ticularly In the slums of the first and third
wards and Is due entirely to artificial con-
ditionS-hlth. surface sewerage and impure
water. From October / to April l there
were 2 1876 cases of typhus fever and 631
deaths from that disease. An attempt has
been made to conceal the facts, and all ref
erences to the epidemic have been frowned
upon in certain quarters for fear that tour
lists and other people would be kept away
To Combat Typhus Epidemic.
President Diaz, however, in his manly way,
discusses the subject frankly in the annual
message to congress, and says that the gov
eminent. "in order to combat the plague.
have taken extraordinary measures, consist
ing principally in the enforcement of the
stricter and more efficacious rules tending
to promote health and hygiene and IN the
extension Of sanitary inspection. disinfec-
ton. cleaning, sprinkling of streets with
diSinfectantS and the distribution of pure
drinking water
These measures" he says, against ty-
plus have necesstated extra disbursements
not provided for in the budget, but which
nevertheless had to be made Immediately,
for the executive considers that 1t was not
proper for him to remain passive In the
presence of a public calamity. For these
reasons with the approval of the cabinet
posal of the department of the Interior the
sum of $4,000 for the purpose of combat
ing the epidemic.
With this money the municipal authori-
ties have been working hard to clean up the
slums. where most of the trouble exists,
but 100000 or more will be required to do
the business properly, and perhaps it would
be better to spend SS,000.O00 In making a
thorough job of it. President DiaZ told US
the other day that the government had
spent $6S000,O00 in providing Il transporta-
ton route across the isthmus, but the health
of the people is much more important, and
1t can never be secured until the city is pro-
vided with underground sewers. The pres
ent system of surface sewerage that pre-
walls in all of the back streets. as 1t does in
New Orleans. is intolerable. The president
II, his message announced that 10000 feet
of lateral sewers and 1900 feet Of drains
had been laid since September l. and that
an electric motor plant had been ordered to
run the pump at the sewage outlet.
The government is conf1scat!ng old shacks
and tearing them down. 1t is proposed to
erect blocks of model tenements, so that the
poor will have healthful and comfortable
quarters, with plenty of water. light, under
ground sewerage and other sanitary condi-
tons.