Year: 1873

known Disease


Invaloke Inlet, or Esquimaux Bay, on
the Atlantic coast of Labrador, has been
utterly depopulated by a scourge, in
maHy Of its phases similar to Asiatio
cholera. More Esquimaux inhabit this
bay than any part Of the peninsula,
there having been previous to the visi-
tation about 45O of them at Invaloke
and vicinity. At this bay there is
sizely dwelling erected by the Moravian
missionaries who landed on that frszen
and barren shore IN 1852. They became
the doctors, physical and spiritual, Of
the lazy people they had come to teach.
The missionary house was freelgturned
into hospital, and the fathers attend
ed to the sufferings of those mysterious
ly stricken in their midst. Their dwell
ling soon became house of death, and
twelve of them, who had held almost
ceaseless vigil over the dying,
fell, even to their last man, in har-
ness, victims of the plague. On the
10Th of October dense fog overspread
the coast of Labrador. Though intense
frost had been experienced on the 18th
and 14th ultimo, this fog brought with
it an unaccsuntable warmth and damp
ness. There was no rain, yet the rig
ging of the brigantine Ann (the vessel
which brought the intelligence to st.
Pi"~re) was dripping, and the decks
were slippery. 1t was impossible to see
the bowspriJ from the poop, and the
huts and people on shore were lost to
sight in the impenetrable fog. On the
morning of the 10Th ultimo, the morn
ing which succeeded that phenomenon,
more than sixty men, women, and child
ren, principally Esquimaux, were pros
trated with O disease, the nature Of
which the most skillful of the mission
aries could not define. A vomiting of vel.
lowish fluid, accompanied by acute pains
in the stomach and contraction of the
muscles, were the first symptoms. The
patient was suddenly prostratcd, and
sons struck down by the disease in the
same part of the harbor were heartreRd-
ing, principally SO in view of the mystic
riousness of their disorder.


On the afternoon of the 18th of Octo-
ber the Ann put into Invaloke Inlet
again. To use the exact words written
by one on board that vessel, "the as
pect of that plague-stricken settlement
will never grow less terrible in the
memories of all those who behold it and
still live." Women were fleeing with
their children and little bundles con-
tanning provisions and clothes. In
every hut there were several dead, and
others dying. Some yelled for help,
and others moaned piteously, unable to
move limb. The captain sent in o
cask of brandy to the house of the mis-.
sionaries, and, in grateful recognition
of the offering, they raised flag on the
pole in front of their house. Later
they sent word to the captain not to
come ashore, or permit any of his men,
as already many of their people had
fallen victims to the plague. The mes
senger stated that a schooner from the
United States lay inside the harbor, and
the captain, chief mate, and nearly all
her crew had been prostrated by the
disease.


Before night on the 18th ult. the
news reached the Ann that six of the
missionaries lay dead that on the in
stant after death all the corpses of those
carried off became of blush black
hue, and that decomposition had set in.
The captain of the American vessel
(the Henry F. Bolton, of Gloucester,
Mass and four of his crew died at
night. The next morning the captain
of the Ann ordered signal to be raised
for messenger to board them. There
was no one to answer the signal. The
men of the Ann who volunteered to go
on shore were given plenty of rum. At
the missionaries house they found an
aged Esquimaux alone and sobbing.
He spoke very little English, but the
sailors could understand that the last
of the fathers had died, that all his peo-
pie had been cut off by the awful
plague, only the few who fed escaping.
The stencil in every direction was pu"
trid and sickening.


The sailors with desperate reckless
ness entered several of the huts in
which there was not a living person
left to tell the talel In one instance
they found the corpse of white man
in kneeling attitude with the hands
and head resting on bed, and papeI
of pepper beside him on the floor.
Finding his end near, he must have
fallen on his knees to prepare for the
other world. The corpse of women
were found stretched in all parts of the
huts, and the feet and arms of dead
men and women in many cases protrud-
ed out the open doors of the huts. A
peculiar feature of this lamentable
scene was the forlorn appearance of
scores of trained Esquimaux dogs who
lounged about in utter bewilderment.
Many of these animals clung to the
doors of their dead friends, and hunger
sometimes evoked plaintive whine
from the masterless brutes. The op-
pressive stencil finally overcame the
the shore. Captain Richardson, of the
Ann, could do no more, and the vessel
set sail from the dismal bay on the
morning of the 10th ultimo.


On the 21st OF October, John Casey,
one of the men who had volunteered to
go ashore at Invaloke, died after only
few hours sickness. His body was
launched overheard and the forecastle
was dashed with spirits, the only dis
infectant on board. On the 25th tho
lookout sighted the coast of Miquelon.
Before landing, Captain Richardson
and the second mate we're taken i'll.
The official doctor of the harbor of
Miquelon (French) came on board and
pronounced the captains malady
virulent fever. Later the captain was
attacked by severe vomiting and
cramps. The doctor then pronounced
it Asiatic cholera. Between and half