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Title: [?], New York, to [?], Londonderry
ID3908
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
File1790-1800/6
Year1793
Senderunknown
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationunknown
Sender Religionunknown
OriginNew York, USA
DestinationDerry, N.Ireland
Recipientunknown
Recipient Genderunknown
Relationshipre an epidemic
SourceThe Belfast News Letter, Tue. 19- 22 November, 1793
ArchiveThe Central Library, Belfast
Doc. No.9906029
Date05/10/1793
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogDocument added by LT, 04:06:99.
Word Count477
Genre
Note
TranscriptLondonderry, November 19.

Part of a letter from a gentleman in New York to his friend in
this city, dated 5th Oct. 1793.
" I am extremely sorry to acquaint you, that our good friend
Tom Lea is dead; he was carried off in a few hours by a
dreadful malady called the Yellow Fever, which now depopulates
the once flourishing city of Philadelphia. He had removed his
family to Bristol and was entirely safe, but, after several
days he ventured into the city to give directions about a ship
he was loading, when he was instantly taken ill and died
before Mrs. Lea could be informed of his illness. --- All
communication between Philadelphia and this place is cut off;
guards are stationed at all the landings, to prevent sick
persons being brought here; and those who are in perfect
health are not admitted, till they have been 14 days at least
from Philadelphia. Baltimore uses the same precautions, and
in all the sea-port towns vessels from Philadelphia are forced
to perform quarantine. --- The National Bank has but three
officers capable of duty, and the Bank is as helpless; the
Post Office has but one man to tie up the letters, which are
all fumigated here with tobacco and sulphur. Every mail
brings long lists of our acquaintances being dead, and the
letters are written in despair. There is reason to believe
that in Water-street, there are some houses locked up with
dead bodies in them, as the stench is intolerable, yet no
person dare examine them. -- Men will not meet each other on
the most urgent business, and were it not for the Black men
(who are not affected by the contagion) the city would be
helpless. The markets are dear, but well enough supplied as
the number of inhabitants is now small. --- Various
conjectures are formed as to the number of people carried off
I think 3,000 at least must have died. There is no hope of
relief but from the cold weather, and that is yet far off.
Three or four persons got in among us in spite of all our
precautions; we had them forcibly transported to Governor's
Island, where there is a hospital with proper attendance, but
they all died --- providentially, no person in this place has
yet been affected; 32 citizens from each Ward patrol nightly
along the wharfs, and I hope we shall escape this dreadful
contagion. We have had a solumn [solemn?] fast, the theatre
is shut up, and the Assembly stop't [stopped?]-- we do all
in our power to show the Philadelphians, that our own safety
obliges us to refuse them shelter, but that we sincerely
sympathise in their distress. -- Letters from St. Croix
mention, that this disorder rages in that island, and in
many islands to the windward. I think the Government of
Ireland should be acquainted with this, and you would do
well to inform the Mayor and Collector of this serious
notice."