486 



and sometimes dies in four hours. It is not 

 at all uncommon for four out of five in a 

 family to die ; and it is said there are many 

 buried alive. The cause is this, that, when 

 a family is seized with the fever, the greater 

 part probably are delirious ; and it fe some- 

 times hard to tell whether they are dead or 

 alive. In this state perhaps a contractor is 

 employed to bury them. The contractor 

 keeps a cart and a horse for that use : he 

 has three dollars for each corpse. The 

 man who filled that office at Baltimore, 

 kept two horses and carts for the purpose. 

 I have frequently conversed with him on 

 the subject. He says it may be that some 

 are buried alive ; for, having many to 

 bury in the night, he begins at one part 

 of the town, and takes all before him. 

 It is usual to have the coffins in the 

 room ready by the bed-side. Nor is it 

 uncommon to be provided with a coffinj 

 #nd yet survive the disorder. There is a 

 man in Philadelphia, who was put into his 

 offin by one of these contractors : the 



