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July 28, 1902.1
THE CHEFOO CALAMITY.
A special Chefoo correspondent writes as follows to the N-C. Daily News under date 8th July:-
The chief topic of the last few days has been the deaths, one might say tragic deaths, of the popular little fellows of the c. I. M. Shool who, by nothing more nor less than misadver- ture, have been cut off from their parents and companions.
Wild rumours, of course, were soon in rapid circulation on receipt of news and many causes assigned to account for the sudden illness and deaths of the boys. The one most generally accepted is that of poisoning from the effect of bad meat, and this is confirmed by the doctors here. It appears that the ice-chiest in use at the Echcol is divided into two compartments, a higher and lower; the food is kept cool by ice in a tube running down the centre of the chest through both compartments. The ice is put into the tub in the morning, and during the day may of course melt, ultimately leaving the upper compartment void cf ice.
It appears that last Saturday six chicken pies were made for the Sunday evening's meal, four being placed in the lower compartment and two in the upper. Sunday was a very hot day, one of the first of real summer experienced in Chefoo this year, which would account for the speedy turning of the pies not thoroughly protected by ice. Both masters and boys ate of the pies at the various tables, but only those who ate of the two pies placed in the upper part of the ice chest, it is assumed, have been stricken down The first victim was Gershom Broomhall, aged 10 years, who died within four hours of the meal. From thence on it was a scene of death, the b.ys dying in the following order, though not with th: suddenness of Broomball, whose end was the most rapid of all. The names and ages are:-
Gershom Broomball Worth Fitch
Norman Gray-Own
Marit Sanstedt
Nicholas Gray
Hugh Gray-Owen
Stewart Kay
Howard Fishe
Herbert Parry
10 years.
10
12
+1
13
"
12
"
14
!!
10
11
16
10 10
Claude Hartwell Norman Whitefield Added to this list must be the little Momsen, step-son of Lupt. Muir, of the Pechili, and his was a very sad case. The Pechili was in port,
and the little lad went aboard and was to have
taken a trip to Swatow on the boat when he was taken sick; he was conveyed to the General Hospital, where, despite all efforts, ho died at a quarter past two yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. He was buried this morning. There is now only one very serious case, that of Cyril Molloy who was suddenly taken ill this morning at 3 a.m. He was apparently in excellent health. and wi es had been sent to advise no further cause for anxiety. His condition is critical, Frank Parry, brother to the one who died and who was almost given up, is better, and it is hoped he will pull through. The only other with any serious symptoms taken seriously sick also since last night's wire is Cyril Newcomb, the little son of Capt. Newcomb, of the (C. N. S.ì Chihli but it is hoped he too will get over it. There are two or three others in bed, but not seriously ill, and it is thought a great deal is due to fright on their part.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Too much praise cannot be accorded to the Principal and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Ebe Murray, for their untiring efforts during the last few days. Everything that was possible was done, and regardless of rest they worked with the others almost unceasingly. Trained nurses and doctors, who brought with them sterilised ice for the boys, were obtained from the American men-of-war in barbour, and Dr. Guest, of the U.S.S. New Orleans, and his staff have watched all throngh the night to relieve the Mission doctor, Dr. King. As each boy died, or was taken sick, cables were set to the parents. Full detals were also furnished by telegram to the C. I. Mission, Shanghai Indeed, everything possible was done. Mr. Murray invited and listened to every sugges- tion, and further requested enquiry.
A word as to the nature of the disease will not be out of place. At first it was thought to be cholera and 1 believe this was wired to Shang- bai, but it is now generally agreed that death is from ptomaine poisoning, the result of eating bad chicken-pie, the poison traversing the body until it reaches a vital part. The first symptom is romiting, after which the tempera- ture falls to 95 deg. from which it can rarely Be got to normal. The body gets colder and colder and cramps manifest themselves in feet and legs. There is usually one violent diarr hæetic evacuation of the bowels of exception<lly tad smell and unusual colour. The face becomes much drawn and emaciated, the eyes enlarge and slightly protrude; and the patient ultimately becomes unconscious, passing away quietly. After death the body presents the appearance of having been sick for monti.s, so drawn is the facial skin.
Last evening the British Cousul and the Chefco jurymen visited the School. They identified the bodies remaining (many having been buried), and requested a post-mortem of one boy are forwarded to Shanghai for expert examination where possible. The internal organs
opinion. Other than furnishing data for Shanghai in a report fowarded there and the
death was from misadventure,' opinion that nothing was declared. A word of credit is due to Dr. King of the Mission; Dr. Guest, of the New Orleans, au expert in microscopic examina- tions, has confirmed Dr. King's opinions.
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A few parents desire the bodies of their lads sent to them at various local places, but the permission of the Consul is waited for before buried and there were sad scenes at the grave this can be done: the other boys have been
side; sisters in the neighbouring school having lost brothers, aud parents, who have arrived, viewing the last of, in many cases, their ouly infections and there is no need to fear for the The disease is neither contagious nor remaining boys in the School.
sons.
was
A portion of the stomach of the late Harry Gray Owen, one of the victims of the Chefoo School poisoning fatality, arrived in Shanghai on Friday evening by the C.N.S. Taiwan, An analysis of the contents of the stomach commenced at the Nauicipal Latoratory on Saturday afternoon, under the supervision of Dr. Stanley, the Health Officer, and Dr. Macleod, and was attended by several local practitioners.
A telegram of date 13th July to the above journal says:The fire boys who recently showed poisoning symtoms were, after a time, transferred to the General Hospital. namely, Frank Parry, Edgar Derault, Archie Orr- Ewing, Cyril Newcomb, and Wallace Squire, To-day all are pronounced quite out of danger, and three are able to leave their beds.
Two
other boys, John Reid and Harry Faers, have been suffering from ordinary summer diarrhoea, and not from poisoning as at first thought. They are being carefully nursed and are better. An impressive memorial service was held at St. Andrew's Church this morning, at which all were represented. A similar service takes place this evening at the School. Since the abore was written & twelfth victim, Cyril Molloy, has succumbed, while the result of the analysis shows cholera, not ptomaine poisoning,
denominations
PEKING.
Peking, 9th July.
THE RESTORATION OF TIENTSIN,
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Choufu proposes to occupy his time while waiting for the provisional government to be given over in digging a well in the Hatomen for the benefit of the people. He is en route to Shantung, where he is governor, bnt is using bis good offices for the benefit of Yuan Shikai and proposes to remain here until the Viceroy comes into possession of h's own at Tientsin. He will Lave plenty of time to dig the well if he begins it now, because the Ministers and Com- manders at Tientsin would rather take a summer vacation than settle their differences. We do not want to have anything interfere with our dinner parties," said one minister. And so the solution hangs fire, The Com- manders will doubtless have to modify their military conditions, as, though entitled to ex ercise their judgment in this matter the Ministers oppose and they will also have to forego ministerial approval of the fifteen or
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twenty franchises which the Provisional Government donated to interested parties, for the good of Tientsin, Chihli and China, we all know--but it looks bad, boys, it looks bad..
CONCERNING BELIGIOUS AFFAIRS: Mr. Timothy Richard has aroused the ire of missionaries by being called “General Manager of things connected with the Protestant Church in China, by the Throne. They have no objection to his being called wise and good but they think he is responsible for such a grave mistake and that it is up to him to correct the error of the Wai Wu Fu's ways in this respect and to apologise to the verions missions. The Chinese official has the greatest weakness for regulating things and the genus Wai Wu Pa has spent days recently never flinching under a temperature of 112 deg, Fahrenheit in the dog- Louse where the Tsungli Yamen used to be, toiling away on Regulations to prevent converte and missionaries from outraging Chinese officials of the Dragon Throne. Bishop Favier has names Dr. Timothy Richard as one specially been consulted in this matter and a special edict
qualified to assist them.
This is regarded here as a great honour to him, the only detraction being the error referred to above which is looked at seriously, to say the least, by the missionaries.
CHOLERA.
Cholera of a relentless kind is all about. When it appeared here requests for remedies come in from a place twenty-five or thirty miles west of Peking, in the hills. It is now hopping increasing. It is not too much, probably, to about in.the city: some say it is abating, some
say, that hundreds are dying daily from this dread disease, while in the country cities, Pao- titgfn, Tungchow and elsewhere a proportionate mortality exists.
THE NEW CITY GATE.
The water-gate, now completed by the Royal Engineer, has been formally turned over to the Germans and Americans who will jointly or alternately guard it, relieving the Chinese railway police of this duty. The Germans have put an iron picket fence on top of it to cut off their section of the wall reaching east to the Hafamen.
THE AMERICAN TARIFF COMMISSION EB, General Sharretts, the American tariff specialist, is here. You have seen him in Shang- hai. There are probably more tariff experts in America than any place else in the world. Tariff has been the inspiration and intuition of million of Americans. They are bred and brought up on it and have been for thirty years. When you find an American who knows the tariff business he generally knows a good deal. This is probably true of General Sharretta.for it ought to be. He will call on Prince Ching and having atlained thereby all that is worth living for he will go unostentatiously back to America and his tariff work will be forgotten. General Sharretts is far too modest, otherwise he might be a successful politician.
MORE TROUBLE IN MONGOLIA.
There are more rumours of trouble with bandits in Eastern Mongolia. General Ma Yu- kun was supposed to have bought them off, paid the insurance to safeguard his soldiers and settled things as long as he might remain there. But there must have been a screw loose some- where.-Mercury.
PAKHOI.
[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
Pakhoi, 15th July.
THE TYPHCON.
We were visited by a typhoon on the night of the 12th-15th instant. The previous day the sky presented a somewhat gloomy appearance, the sun being scarcely visible, and passing. howers were the order of the day, but the barometer did not indicate the approach of bad weather. On the afternoon of the 12th, violent rain squall was experienced, and it was shortly afterwa ds that the glass began to show a falling tendency, but not until between 8 and 9 p.m., however, that the wind began suddenly to increase and with such force that no doubt was left in the mind of any one that a violent gale was rapidly approaching us. The wind continued to gain strength, progressing all the ·* time, until the early morning when the typhoon appeared to be at its height.~About 9 am
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