Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-18
PLAGUE At CARACAS
No Section of City Believed
Safe From Ravages.
CAPITAL NOT PREPARED
Streets Are Dirty and No. Funds to
Fight Infection.
GRAVE F0REB0DINGs HEARD
Death Of Employe Of Famous La
India Cafe Spreads Gen
eral Alarm.
CAPITAL NOT PREPARED
GRAVE F0REBoD1NGs HEARDI
Of Associated Press.

Correspondence Of Associated Press.
CARACAS June 5.-The dreaded plague
has at last come to Caracas. which. for
a few months past. has been hoping
against hope that it might be spared
from the scourge which had stricken the
neighboring port of La Guayra. The city
awakened today to the full knowledge
that the disease was here.
| That the case was that of an eznploye
Of the famous La India Cafe. one>of the
| finest in Caracas. did not tendfto de-
crease the general alarm. 1t was real
lied that the presence of bubonic3in such
quarters meant that no sectiont of the
city was safe from its ravages.
Grave Forebodings.,
The general suppositon had been that
| if the plague ever reached Caracas it
would make its first appearance in the
dirty districts and probably would be
confined there. This unexpected focus of
infection has given rise to grave forebod-
ings.
When the mayor Of the city. accom-
panied by a commission or physicians
went to La India this afternoon to in
vestigate the suspected case great
crowd of people congregation the street
awaiting the official report. About the
same time a rumor spread that there
was another case in a different section
of the city. This, however. could not bel
confirmed.
About a month ago there were three
cases of suspected bubonic plague in
Caracas. They were isolated. however.
and appear to have left no infection be-
hind
Last week an employe of La India scafe
died suddenly. 1t was announced that
the cause of death was tetanus or lock-
jaw. although 1t became known that the
body was buried Immediately and a
watch set on the House by the police 1t
was only today that the people BECAME
convinced the plague had got a real fnold
on the city.
Situation in La Guaira.
The most reliable figures oebtainable
from private sources give about one hun
dred cases in La Guaira since the cpl
demic began two months and a. half sago
This is only a little more than one case
a day. but the city has little over five
thousand inha bitants.
AS no money has been appropriated
with which to fight the disease in La
Guaira or to clean up Caracas. and as
the money subscribed by the merchants
and corporations was not sufficient for
the purpose. the joint commission. Of doc
tOES dIU Nuci "llICIi ioS Ue1eh u8ul-
ing the disease in La Guaira has been
obliged to abandon its efforts
The alarm felt over the condition in
that port caused a superficial cleaning up
In Caracas by the residents. The streets
have not been cleaned nor the possible
foci Of infection destroyed.
Neither the public nor the government
has been awakened until the present to
the dire necessity for action.
Quarantine for Trains.
WILLEMSTAD Curacao. June lS.-The
steamer Aurora, which is replacing the
Caracas of the Red D line, arrived here
yesterday from Puerto Cabello with the
usual bill OF health.
She has no passengers. While at Porto
Cabello no communication was allowed
with the shore.
Trains are running between La Guaira
and Caracas under quarantine regulations
Otherwise the situation with regard to
the bubonic plague at La Guaira remains
unchanged.