Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-09-21
Deaths in St, Petersburg
Alone Mount to Awful Total
Of 200 a Day While Horrible
SCourge Remains Unchecked
TWELVE HUNDRED NEW
CASES IN EMPIRE DAILY
Unbelievable Sanitary Condi-
tons and PitifuI Inefficiency
Of Municipal officials Rend-
erS Science Helpless.
IBy Morning journal Special Lensed wIrel


IBy Morning journal Special Leased wIrel
st. Petersburg, Sept. 2O.-St Peters
burg is in the grasp of Asiatic cholera,
which already has exceeded in severity
and numbers the visitation of 1898.
The disease is increasing daily at an
alarming rate. and unless the author
tiles show in the future a much great
er degree of ability to cope with the
situation than they have in the past,
there is every reason to fear that it
will get out of hand.
The governments threat to apply
the provisions of martial law has
driven the municipality officials to
bend all their energies to clearing the
city of the scourge. The aldermanic
council today voted $250,00O to en-
large the hospital space, to purchase
and distribute disinfectants, the supply
of which in st. Petersburg is well nigh
exhausted and to expedite the inter-
ment of bodies, which has been noto-
riously slow. The dead houses are
oyercrowded and many corpses lie un-
buried
Under his authority as the pFefect
of St Petersburg, General Dracheffsky
on Saturday prohibited tho sale or
liquor throughout the city including
the Vodka shops until September %,
and he has further ordered that here
after the sale of liquor shall be sus-
pended at 2 p. m on Saturday until
10 a. m. Monday. This action has
been taken in order to diminish alco-
hOlic excesses, which very materially
increase the liability to cholera infec-
tion and the general spread of the
disease.
Schools Turned Into Hospitals.
A beginning was made today, when
public schools were transformed into
hospital wards. A number of the
grammar schools were tclosed and
1000 students sent to their homes. The
department of war has opened stores
to supply immediate needs, and army
field kitchens have been dispatched to
the poorer quarters to dispense free
food
The situation assumes a graver as
pect from the appearance today of a
very virulent type of the disease in
two cases. of which death followed
within fifteen minutes of the first
symptoms.
As announced by the official hdlle-
tins. the cases numbered $40 and the
deaths 12S during the twenty four
hours between Friday noon and Sat
urday noon. This was a considerable
decrease from the preceding day, but
there is doubt of the accuracy of the
official statement. The record for the
same twenty-four hours ascertalned
from unofficial but reliable sources
shows the actual number to have been
far in excess of that. Whether or
not however, there was an actual de-
crease, the disease resumed its march
on Saturday. the statistics posted
showing that from Saturday noon un-
I'll Sunday noon there were 39S cases
and 191 deaths, this being the largest
number so far.
An Varieties of the Plague.
1t is feared that the cholera will last
another fortnight, being figured on
the basis of former epidemics. All
varieties of Asiatic cholera have now
developed here, there being numerous
cases of the Algid type which is ac-
companied by the greatest suffering.
The metropolitan OF ST. Petersburg
caused prayers for deliverance to be
read throughout the diocese today, in
which the pestilence Is described as a
punishment for the peoples lawless-
ness.
Premier Stolypin has sharply rep
rlmanded the municipal officials for
the appalling conditions At Obuchofg
hospital, which he visited on Satur-
day, he found that three bath rooms
we're doing service for 800 patients
The physicians were pOwerless to car
ry out the proper course of treatment
and the mortality at this hospital has
been three times that of other hos
pitals. Three of the nurses at this
institution were stricken with the dis
ease yesterday, making total Of nine
nurses now under treatment for chol-
era
Practically nothing has been done
up to the present time to put the
cIty's market places in a sanitary con-
dltlon; they are places Of indescrib-
able filth, with the atmosphere reek-
ing with foul odors One hundred
carloads of fruit have been auctioned
OFF and forwarded to Warsaw. wilma
and other towns, which the cholera
has not invaded. and the possibility Of
Infection from this source is very
great.
As city st. Petersburg is woefully