The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-08-31

On tie 20ih of July a vessel from Point Peter,
Guadalupe, laden with rum, sugar, and molasses
arrived Ia the harbor Having discharped hsr
cargo at al upper wharf, her bilse water wa.
pumped out on the dock, between southgste and
Warrens wharves which was found 10 be 90 pu.
trd and offensive, as TO render it expedieDt that the
doors srd windows OF a neig ghboring house should
be closed, 10 order to exclude the etiuvia arising
from II. Ins and Souhgate's warehouse were
about equally distant from the vessel-ssy Is or
20 yards-one on the east, the olher on the west
side OF the dock
On the lss of August MFR Price, acting as clerk Ia
the warehouse, was taken sick with iever strongly
marked with symptoms of maignancy and dice
on The -. On the same day negro womau
cook to the family occupying the other house was
attacked, and died on the 9,h. On the Alb two
ladies OF the family sickened, the elder of whom
died on the 10Th About the same time bow ae ed
10, and an infant 10 the same family were attacked
but both recovered. On the Oh the ady OF the
house had slight attack, from which she soon
recovered, and the only one who escaped of The
whole family, seven In number was the master OF
the house, whose duties fortunately took him from
home al the lime the bilgewater was discharged
Young Piercey, who had assisted in pumping the
vessel and boy by the name OF Andrews, VINO
sd frequently been about her al the time, both
sickened and died, one about the 18th day OF
the Cisease the oher within 48 hours after the at
sHck
II Is evident. therefore, that the efiuvia arising
from the bige-wa,er the immediate cause Of
OF disease In every Instance that mas been record
ed Tor every individual had been exposed TO It's
lhuence. and almost every who had come
within LIS atmosphere was more or less affected
by il.
The cause being removed, Ii was expected the
disease would have terminated but not So On
me lUth OF August IL appeared i0 Woodside's lane
distant from the Aforesaid dock only The width OF
Southgste's warehouse, or about 60 teet This lane
Is bounded on the east by another very filthy dock,
Tor 1t serves for common sewer for all The Cal OF
the nefghborhood and low tide is bare and ex .
posed TO the action of the sun for considersb q
distance from its head. The residents upon this
lane were mostly Irish, recently emigrsted, aud
persons In the lowest circumstances, addicted 10
hlth. intemperance and every species of debsucbe-
~, and consequently the test subjects of disease
The lever extended gradually to Water s,reet frst
around the head OF the dock last mentioned from
thence 70 the lower end OF the street, 10 block of
wooden buildings under which the tide flowed.
and equally unclsan with those of Wood sides
lane; and, In a very short time, embraced the
whole section of the town bounded by Market
square on the east Main street on the north and
the river on the west and south. IL was almost tx
elusiveiy couhned 10 these limits, although a few
Insulated Cases appeared In more remote parts Of
the town, most OF which could be traced to the
Injected district; but before is termination the
virus had become SO stlenuated and ditfused, that
several persona, who had communications either
with the district or patients removed from IT, were
injected.
do not wish to be uud derstood as subscribing to tbs
doctflne of contagion and importation of disease
generally implied. when l say that the vessei from
Gusdaloupe nsd soms agency in its production in the
present Instance foul air generated shipboard,
ana brought from foreign port are two distinct
things; but that biige water, Die and perhaps
animal matter and the like, whether of foreign or
local origin, under certain circumstances Of atmos-
phere, temperature, &c, capable Of engenderins
disease, no one. am persusded is prepared deny.
For THIS reason our quarantine restrictions which
are absurdiY severe upon passepg and
no instance 3 that has come within my knowledge has
the yellow fever ever been communicated from the
patient to the attendsn should be strictly and
scrupuiousiy enforced with respect vessels aud
goes.
No very material change was obser vable 10 the
prog ress OF the lever uutl the 81 Of September
although It appeared TO be in manner influenced
by state OF the weather, and more less
violent the thermometer rose and fell On that
day we were visited by hurricane from the
shifting soon after to NJ W., and accompanied with
torrents of rain IL exceeded In violence any that
b ad occurred within the memory of the Oldest p.
hsbitants, and continued about two hours and
halt the tide rose to an unsual height, and cover
ed all the wharves and lower Streets particularly
the injected districts Care taken to move the
water from the cellars and other low places that
had been Inundated, and ms was prousey scat
tered over them The existing cases did not eeem
to have been much benahlted by the storm. IL
evidently, however, had tendency to reduce the
number Ut new cases, and mitigate the violence OF
tnetr symptoms, and " "a had reason to expect Its
entire subsidance in a short time. But about the
last OF the mouth II began 70 increase and though
generally OF miider character, several cases OF
extreme mal2nancy occurred.
Unfortunately many persons who had removed
from the infected dstrct, persuaded themselves
from favorable change OF weather about the irst
0f October, that all danger was over, and returned
Most OF them psid for their temeriy as their tenn
porary absence only seemed to have prepared them
tor becoming victims OF the disease. Several who
had contracted the ague and fever In the surround
ing country. who had been we'll evacuated, and
were regularly continuing their tonics, were at
tackled and died. There was no way by medicine
or otherwise OF preparing or fortiiyiug the const
tuition 10 resist Its power. Salvation offered
no security, aud the only means Of escaping the
disease was to get beyond the atmosphere that en-
sendered L.
Dr. Archer hero gives the method OF treating ID )
disease, and concludes by reatiog the following
circumstance:
An accidental Circumstance which occurred
in Q patient under my care, afforded addi-
tional evidence, If Il be wanting, OF the
Mill iy of cold bathing In yellow fever
He was an old man sixty years OF age, 10 the
third day OF the disease. The fcbrtie .ymptoms
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