Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-09-12
From the Boston Traveller.
The Yellow Fever i'm Boston in I708--In
tense Heat Of the Weather.


Boston, for the last half century, ut least, has
been visited by no severe epidemic. One reason
for this is, the wise piccaution which established
a thorough system of sewerage; and another, the
regulations adopted for relieving it of the filth aud
rubbish always accommodating in a great city. The
yellow fever, which has 80 often ravaged New
Orleans, and is now 20 awfully fatal in Norfolk and
Portsmouth, has, ms VIC learn from DR.. Clark, city
physician visited Boston within the past sixty
years four times, viz; 10 179S, 1902, 1919, aud
1885; and it is quite remarkable fact that it has
exhibited itself in and about the same locality on
every occasion, in the neighborhood of Fort Hill,
being apparently evolved from miasniatic materials,
which, from the experience of the year of cholera,
ls49 there Isl reason to suppose are still deposited
in the imperlectly streets about the lower
parts OF the Hill.
The most severe visitation of yellow fever in
Boston was in 1913, but the mortality that then
took place was not of magnitude sufficient to &C.
count for the general panic that ensued and which,
FIR month or two, nearly destroyed business, and
almost depopulated the city. One old resident,
then clerk says that at the time he lived on Bea-
con Hill, with two other clerks, no business was
doing and, from fear of the epidemic, they kept
close to the house. Once each day they would
cast lots to see who should 20 down town to get
provisions and smoking tobacco, and on the excur-
sion hardly soul was met in the streets. But
few countrymcn entered the city, and their en-
larged stories spread the panic far and wide, one
of them asserting that so infected was the air that
piece Of beef exposed for few moments turned
putrid
The first case Of the fever occurred on the 2lst
Of June in Fore street, near the Market Place.
Here Mr.. Stoddard, his wife and their daughter,
died of the disorder. After this, no case was re-
ported until the 2lst fJuly, when il appeared on
Codman's wharf, an appanage Of the Market Place,
several adults dying. 1t then spread upon Fort
Hill, and continued TO prevail with more or less
violence until the middle of October, when il was
completely checked by northeast storm of three
days continuance OF the number that persisted,
nothing certain is known. The pamphlet in ques-
ton gives the names of three hundred adult de-
ceased, but adds that the children are not incud-
ed, and the list il by no means complete.
So vifultnt was IL in the early stages, that not
one of twenty who took the disease was saved.
Scarcely family escaped il. In one family five
ont of six persisted. One house in Purchase street,
from the mortality which occurred there, was de-
nominated the coffin. A sexton visiting IL found
the last tenant, woman of some wealth and sta
ton in the community, dying alone, her relatives
aud fiiends having all abandoned her. As an evil
d,nce OF the lack Of business during the epidemic,
it Il stated that one person was seized upon Long
wharf, and was in the last stages of the disorder
before he was discovered and taken TO a hospital
ID airing the rage Of the fever the weather was in
teasely hot.
OF Fort Hill, the place of the great mortality,
the account says that 1t is underlad with clay upon
thin soil, and is speedily surcharged with pu-
trid residnum, which the clay prevents from being
carried off. There were, also, vast amounts Of
filth In the neighborhood Of the places where the
mortality ragged In one case Il was found neces-
sary TO pour several hogsheads Of lime into cell
lar before the filth could be removed. A man,
hired at great price, vcntuted 10 remove it, but
he soon after died. In other parts of the hill pu-
trifing hides were found vast amount Of spoil
ed fish were poured into one Of the docks, which
tended 70 increase the strength Of the epidemic.
The visitation in 1902 was not severe in Boston.
That IN 1919, though not much over one hundred
psrished, led 10 panic almost as great as in 1898
the authorities, TO prevent communication with the
places where the epidemic was raging, boarded UP
some Of the streets In 1885 there were few
cases, but Il did not assume the form Of an cpl.
demic Indeed, lis ravGges here have been light,
a. compared with smallpox, which, in 1870, car.
RED off onc-tenth Of the population of the city,
then probably numbering $4,000.