The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-04 00:00:00

THE CHOLERA IN LIVERPOOL.

FOR some days past rumours have been afloat to the effect
that several cases of cholera had occurred in Liverpool, and
these rumours, as might have been conjectured, gave rise to
feelings of great uneasiness in the public mind. On Thurs-
day, however, all doubt upon the subject was put an end to
by an officiaedeclaration that three fatal cases had occurred
on board the Silas Greenwood, emigrant-ship, lying in the
river, and chartered for the conveyance of emigrants to
Boston, U.S. The Silas Greenwood is a fine packet-ship, be-
longing to Messrs. Rathbone Brothers and Co., and the emi-
grants, we believe, were chiefly foreigners, who have come
from infected ports in Germany and other parts of the con-
tinent. The vessel was inspected ten days ago by the Govern-
ment emigration-officers, and 'would have taken her de
parture, had she not been detained by stress of weather. The
whole of her passengers then appeared in tolerably good
health. but yesterday week the cook, and afterwards several
of the Germans, were attacked with premonitory symptoms,
and the three fatal cases were the result. On Saturday seven
more emigrants were reported ill of the disease, two of them
seriously so, and .a meeting of the Sub-health Committee was
called to take the state of the ship, and other matters respect-
ing the sanatory condition of the town, into consideration.
On the recommendation of the acting medical officer of the
Union, (Dr. Cameron), it was decided that the best
measures to adopt would be to remove the sick to the
sheds appropriated to such cases at the Workhouse,
to bring the whole of the passengers on shore, and
thoroughly to cleanse and fumigate the vessel. Mr.
Rathbone, who was in attendance, showed the greatest
desire to meet the wishes of the committee, and the
ship was cleared of the passengers on Saturday, the Irish
portion going to their respective lodging-houses, and the
Germans being conveyed to the Emigrants' Home, Moor-
fields, whence they had been shipped. On Saturday night
and Sunday morning eleven cases of diarrhoea were removed
from that place to the Workhouse. They included the cook
of the establishment, a German woman, seven German emi-
grants, one Austrian, and one Prussian. They were not
severe cases, but were wisely removed, on the first attack of
diarrhoea, by the orders of the medical officer.
• The sub-health committee has held several meetings, and
one important result of their deliberations has been a deci-
sion as to the necessity of having some depOt, entirely apart
from any other place, to whits to remove the emigrants
among whom cholera breaks out, as in this instance. The
parochial authorities have been advertising for such a place
for some days, hitherto without success, but endeavours
are now being made to obtain the use of one of the lazarettes
lying in the river. Fitted with iron bedsteads, and supplied
with the requisite fixtures, it will be better than any other
depot that could be selected. Captain Schomberg, the active
chief emigration officer at this port, was in attendance during
the deliberations of the committee. _ . _

On Sur.day, the Silas Greenwood was fumigated and
thoroughly cleansed by the afters of the Health Committee.
Immediately on the cases being reported to the Health
Committee, means were adopted to obtain accommodation
in the government hulk, moored in the river as a quarantine
vessel, whereby the parties taken out of the intected ship
might have been treated without coming into the town;
on inspection, the hulk was found to be useless for such a
purpose, being without fittings or other accommodation. In
these circumstances the Health Committee had no alternative.

We regret to add that on Sunday seven cases were reported
from the Emigrants' Home, and received into the Hospital ;
of these three of the patients died the same day. Ye.terday,
a man named Roberts, a patient in the medical ward of the
Hospital, was attacked by s) mptoms of the malady, and died
in six hours after being taken ill. Seven new cases were also
yesterday admitted from the Emigrants' Home.