Year: 1873

DIANA TOWN.


lCannelton undQ Letter to the Louisville Courier


Journal


This town is just recovering from one
of the most disastrous epidemics, in all
its manifestations and details, that has
visited this immediate section since the
cholera of twenty-five years ago. The
smallpox broke out here in The early
part of January, and after raging with
extraordinary virulence for twelve weary
weeks, is now happily, almost abated,
there being but little over dozen cases
reported, and those of mild form. But
many families mourn the loss of MEM
bers, some, indeed, having been almost
extinguished. In one household, with
five children about the home hearth two
months ago, only the father and mother
are left. In almost every home visited
by the terrible disease, the loss of one or
more children is mourned.


The first coming of the epidemic was
50 peculiar in the circumstances attend
ing it that their full detail will be of in
terest. While the disease was raging in
Louisville, during the latter part of De-
cember, a relative here of one of the
victims received from your city sewing
machine and a bundle of clothing, pre-
sumably the effects of the dead rela-
tive. However this may be, as the sto-
ry has been told me, she was attacked
with smallpox, and | believe died.
There had been ore case of the disease
in town before, of a negro who contract
ed it in Louisville, but SO carefully was
he isolated from the rest of the town
that none of the after disastrous results
are traceable to the infection of his bed
side. The woman | have mentioned was
intimate with the family of German
baker in town, who had number of
children, the elder of whom had had the
disease before. A younger child was
attacked with smallpox; the fact was
carefully concealed by the ignorant ad-
vice of the attending physician-Ger-
man-and the children of the family
attended school as before, the shop also
being kept open and daily filled with
customers. In nine or ten days the fear
ful disease broke out a | at once in all
part of the town, but particularly in
the classes at the public school and the
Sunday school attended by these chill
dren. Almost every one of the earlier
cases is to be directly traced to this in
tected house, as | am told, and to the
wretched concealment of the first case
the dreadful results of the epidemic
must IN great measure be referred.
Thirty or more cases were reported
among the Germans within space of
two or three days, and the town was de-
livered over to fearful panic. AT first
the authorities made no motion to arrest
its progress, but in week or SO strin-
gent measures we're adopted, board Of
health appointed, and the most effectual
precautions possible taken to prevent it's
spread. Every infected house was rigid
ly quarantined, and fine of $40, or
perhaps more, imposed upon any viola
tion of the regulations. Nurses we're
employed by the town, and a guard,
whose duty it was to prevent egress from
houses in which were smallpox patients,
and to attend to the wants of inmates.


But the disease spread in spite of all
precautions, and for weeks the town suf-
fered under mortal terror, such as can
hardly be imagined by one not having
personal experience of its manifesto
tions. On visit here during the worst
stages of its virulence, l found the
streets deserted, except by hurried pas
senger or so called out by special busi-
ness; the stores were empty, and the
large cotton mill, into which the disease





fortunately did not enter, furnished al
most the only sign of activity within its
limits. There are some $500 inhabitants
in the town, and first and last there has
been about 6 per cent of the entire pop.
ulation attacked. Nearly 33 per cent
of the cases were fatal, an extraordinary
mortality, I am informed.


have said that several families were
almost swept from tae earth. In one
of German-the pestilence seems to
have been almost entirely confined to
that element of the population, which is
here large,-one child died in the morn.
ing before day break, another at noon
and another just at nightiall. The three
we're taken from the house, that night
and hurried TO a common grave. An
other family lost five children another
six. In another, father and three chill.
dren were buried within four days OF
each other, and the mother was left alone
behind.


If not for the fearful thoughts sug.
gested, sight to be seen every day in