"
As the year 1846 wore on to its close, the Famine deepened in intensity,
and every day extended itself more and more. The cold, which was very
severe in December, became its powerful auxiliary. Wherever the blame is
to rest--at head-quarters in Dublin, or with the clerks at the
works--the irregularity with which wages were paid by the
representatives of the Government, caused terrible suffering and
innumerable deaths. Many of those recorded at this period occurred from
the taking of food by persons who had been without it for a long time.
"Carthy swallowed a little warm milk and died," is the simple
announcement of one man's death from starvation; but, with slight
variations, it might be given as the record of thousands of deaths as
well as Carthy's.
The means of providing coffins for the victims of famine was becoming a
serious question, as the survivors in many a poor family could not now
attempt to purchase them, as the outlay of a small sum for a coffin
might be the cause of further deaths from starvation in the same family.
At a meeting in Skibbereen, in the beginning of December, Dr. Donovan
said that, since his return from Glandore that morning, he had been
followed by a crowd of applicants, seeking coffins for their deceased
friends; and he had, he said, just visited a house in the Windmill,[187]
where he saw two dead bodies lying, awaiting some means of burial.
Pages:
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452