the coffin, which caused one arm
to hang out. The Irish laborers employed there commenced a quarrel with
us, swearing that they would be the death of us if we brought any more
coffins there in that situation, and we found some difficulty in
prevailing upon them to receive the present one. They at last agreed to
help lift it off the cart. It was then placed in the canal, where the
water was about two feet deep, two men stood upon it until they put
another coffin on the top of it, when they placed the third one on the
top of the second one, making the tier three deep, laying the coffins
crossways in the canal. When one tier was finished they hove large
quantities of lime upon it and commenced another.

We now returned to the hospital and took in two more bodies, enclosing
them in single coffins. This time we found a number of chickens busily
employed in the hospital yard picking maggots out of the eyes and ears
of the putrid bodies laying on the ground in the yard. The hatter and
myself had a long consultation about handling the putrid carcases, and
agreed between ourselves to pick out the soundest of them first. We
noticed some cartmen drawing a number of loads of wood and depositing
them on a vacant lot of ground near the hospital. A report was
circulated that the Mayor of the city had ordered the building to be
burned down that night. We proceeded back to the grave-yard, where we
met with a more peaceable reception. On our return we found the fowls
still busily engaged on the dead bodies, which had become more putrid
during our short absence. This was one of the most unpleasant scenes I
ever witnessed. We stopped on our way and took some refreshments, and
then conveyed two more loads to the burying ground, carrying two at each
load.

About sunset we unharnessed our old horse and put him in his place.
Having satisfied our employer we took our discharge. We agreed between
ourselves to stop at the hospital a short time and see what disposal was
to be made of the remaining dead bodies. Soon after sunset some eight or
ten men made their appearance and took up an old door and bored one or
two holes through it, and putting a rope through the holes, rolled two
of the putrid bodies upon it, and then took hold of the rope and dragged
it to a vacant lot near the hospital, which process they continued until
they had gathered them all into one heap, when they went to the various
rooms and took all the beds and bedsteads containin