and unable to go out, so he went alone to the poor farm, which he found in a horribly filthy condition, both indoors and out. All the day long the mayor labored to straighen out matters, and it was not until nine o'clock in the evening that he felt able to come away, leaving one of the prisoners in charge. He subsequently sent a man by the name of Sherburne to have the charge of the house, and requested Dr. D. F. Stark to attend to the patients. The Doctor sent word to the mayor to send him some Otard brandy, and two gallons were sent up. Under the Doctor's care the patients began to mend, and no more deaths occurred there during the epidemic. The fugitive keeper subsequently returned to the city, and after a rather bitter debate he was reinstated by the officials in charge.

The most wide spread consternation was caused by the death of Dr. Thomas Brown, a very popular physician. He was stoutly-built, of medium height, quite bald, the picture of rugged health, tipping the scales at 200 pounds. As stated before the Doctor attended the cases occurring at the corner of Elm and Manchester streets on a Sunday. The day was intensely hot, and Dr. Brown was accompanied by Dr. Thomas Wheat, now practising here. The odor of the room was very bad, and Dr. Brown went to an open window, and wiping the sweat from his brow he remarked, "This is the devil, ain't it?" an expression quite common with him when a little excited. The following Tuesday or Wednesday he was attacked by the disease and died before noon. The evening previous to his death the Doctor passed Daniel L. Stevens, who was sitting on the steps of his steam mill, on the site now occupied by David B. Varney's foundry. "How are you, Doctor? " queried Mr. Stevens, and receiving in reply the laconic expression, "Perfect," a common word with the Doctor. The next morning, about eight o'clock, Mayor James met him on Concord Square, and was greeted with, "Good morning, Mr. Mayor," from the Doctor, who immediately added, " For the first time in my life I am alarmed." The mayor looked at the Doctor, and saw plainly signs of the fatal scourge, mainly in the glazed appearance of his eyes.

which he described as much like the glare of a dead person. He told the Doctor to go into the house at once and he would send a physician. The Doctor lived near the common, and Drs. Gregg and Wheat went to him, but the disease had already done its fatal work, and he died in fearful agony about eleven o'clock in the forenoon. During his hours of suffering his shrieks could be heard away across the Square. The death of Dr. Brown caused more fright than anything that had preceded it, and a feeling of utter despair crept over the community. The afternoon following his death the streets of the city were deserted, and old residents say that from one end of Elm street to the other not a living person was to be seen. The epidemic spent its force in August, and with the advent of fall had entirely disappeared.

The second epidemic made its appearance in Manchester in 1854, as before breaking out in. the south several months previous. As in the epidemic of 1849, no published data of any extent is attainable, the city officials, mill management and press combining to keep the matter quiet for fear of interrupting business and keeping operative help from coming to the city. But the scars left by the first visit had hardly healed, and the fears occasioned by it were still fresh in the memory of the people, and so upon the re appearance of the disease the excitement approached very nearly to a panic. No report of a physician appears in the city report of 1854, and but few deaths are recorded in the papers of that year, but the number is variously estimated from one score to four score, the latter estimate by a gentleman who was Noble Grand of an Odd-Fellows lodge at the time and an overseer on the Stark corporation, so that his opportunities for obtaining facts were exceptionally good. Yet in view of all the facts obtainable it does not appear as if the mortality was as great as in 1849. Among others others there died, August 20, Elizabeth Duby, who worked for George C. Gilmore on the Stark corporation. She left the mill Saturday afternoon at the close of work, apparently as well as ever. Sunday night the poor girl was borne to her last resting place

in the Valley cemetery. Another case was that of Thomas M Carr, who died the same month, the 30th of August. So wide. spread was the fear of contagion that it was almost impossible to procure any one to care for the sick. A Mr. Gardner was employed to nurse Mr. Carr at $10 a night, but he was taken sick and died, after which, although $20 a night was offered, no help could be hired, and the brotherhood of Odd Fellows had to care for the stricken one, four of them, Charles C. Keniston, Abel M. Keniston, James M. Howe, and George C. Gilmore, taking turns, two at a time, until Mr. Carr died. All four of the watchers escaped the disease.

Several deaths occurred on Concord street, nearly opposite Vine street, among them a Mr. Fitts, or Fitz, residing in the "yellow block ; also a Mrs. Brown; close by lived Mrs. Richard Smith, the mother of Mrs. Gilman B. Fogg. Mrs. Smith was stricken down and with her aged mother fell victim to the disease. Mrs. George C. Batchelder, wife of the veteran hackman, nursed Mrs. Smith through her illness. Quite a number of deaths occurred in the same locality and also in the vicinity of Manchester street, and at the south end.

During the prevalence of both epidemics many fatal cases were marked by peculiar characteristics. Dysentery would first set in, without perceptibly weakening the subject; then the collapse would come like a stroke of lightning and in a few hours death ensued. Decomposition seemed to set in even before life was extinct, the flesh turned purple, emitting offensive odors, and mortification followed immediately after death, necessitating hasty burial. Many of the dead were buried at night, in the north east corner of the Valley cemetery, and now lie fully twenty feet below the surface, by reason of the filling up to grade.

Both in 1849 and 1854 the violence of the epidemic was expended on that part of the city lying between Elm back street and Chestnut street, isolated cases only occurring outside of those limits.

Rock Rimmon.

BY WILLIAM ELLERY MOORE.

It is not known when the conspicuous rock, near the city of Manchester, rising from the high plateau, west of the Merrimack river, was named, nor by whom the name was conferred. It is, however, quite certain that it has been generally known as Rock Rimmon for not less than seventy years, and very probable for a much longer time. As is not unusual, this name has been more or less corrupted, and has sometimes taken the form of "Rock Raymond," commonly pronounced "Rock Raymon." One of the earlier charts of the city gives the name as Ray mond. Careful inquiry reveals no evidence that this latte name was correctly given, and it was so written without authority by the engineer in charge, in ignorance of the real name or a concession to a mispronunciation and orthography then somewhat common.

The writer has taken pains to interview some of the more scholarly and intelligent among our older citizens, with the result of an entire agreement as to the correctness of the form first given, as well as concerning the undoubtedly Old Testament origin of the name. In order to show the probability and practical certainty of its scriptural origin and application, we append such references as the Old Testament records afford.

We find, first, the name of one Rimmon, who was known as "Rimmon the Beerothite " (II Samuel iv, 5, 8). He had two sons, Rechab and Baanah, who are described as a pair of bloodthirsty scoundrels and assassins, of a type quite common in their day and generation. In the absence of direct evidence it is quite conceivable that this " Beerothite was the first settler who preëmpted that particular claim and bestowed his name upon that locality.

We again find Rimmon under the form of "Ramon," meaning exalted, as an ancient idol, by which was represented the sun, or sun-worship, at Damascus.

We find further that at a later date the city of Rimmon first

belonged to the Levites and was known as one of the cities of the priests; that it was afterwards reckoned as one of the cities of Judah, and that it was finally given to Simeon. At that time it is described as Rimmon with her suburbs (I Chronicles vi, 77); also as one of "the twenty-nine cities of Judah with their villages" (Joshua xv, 32). In Simeon's day it was spelled "Remmon." From these references we must conclude it was a place of considerable importance.

En Rimmon, a city near Jerusalem, is referred to in Nehemiah xi, 29. Um er-Rummanim, meaning mother of pomegranates, is by biblical students identified as the same place, and is described as a village in ruins fifteen miles southeast of Hebron. Between two hills, both covered presumably with ancient ruins, and a mile south of the village, is a large fountain, the chief wateringplace in that region. The word Rimmon means pomegranate.

Rimmon parez, meaning pomegranate of the breach, was one of the camping places of the Israelites, during the exodus, where they pitched their tents (Numbers xxxiii, 19, 20). Parez means a breach in a wall or cliff.

"The Rock of Rimmon " and "Rock Rimmon " are spoken of in Judges xx, 45, 47, and xxi, 13.

Finally, we find the scriptural Rock Rimmon to have been a high rock or hill ten miles north of Jerusalem, and four miles east of Bethel, on which there is now a modern village. After a loss of more than twenty five thousand fighting men, in a series of sanguinary battles in the great Jewish civil war, eighteen thou sand men having fallen in one engagement, the remnant of the tribe of Benjamin, six hundred in number, held this Rock for four months against their enemies. The Rock appears to have constituted a natural fortress of great strength, as the warriors of Benjamin are several times spoken of as "in the Rock."

After the foregoing Old Testament record, and especially in view of the distinct and remarkable appropriateness of transferring the scriptural name of Rock Rimmon to our Merrimack valley rock or cliff, there appears no reasonable doubt as to its original appellation, and that it was and is and should remain. Rock Rimmon, nothing appearing to the contrary.