The New York herald., 1878-09-29
BUTLER ON THE YELLOW FEVER.
AN INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL BUTLER ON HIS
IxPERIENCEs WITH THE YELLOW FEVER IN

From the Cincinnati Enquirer, September 25l
al had great deal OF credit Tor New Orleans" Gen
srai Butler began, but tnink tried the experiment
more fully IN Norfolk IN 1864 Previous 10 that time
the disease had never passed that place, In 1859
1t had almost decmated IL aud the country had made
liberal contributions ior The benefit The orphans
went there in the winter, rather spring. OF 1864
and at onoe my attention to sanitary conut-
ton OF the city. found about two hundred soldiers
and others confined IN Fort Norfolk. senteu ced by
court martial TO hard labor which labor by the way
consisted of sleeping, eating. playing cards and hav-
Ing good easy Time lgot lot OF suits, half white
ana half black. and pat these men work the
streets; but, TO give them life and hope, ordered
that good behavior would shorten me-
third, and when they had 10 work in the places
gave them whiskey and made other reiaxations TO-
ward them. Ana must add that one OF these men
ever ran away. when their sentences expired they
were sent to their regiments Wen, between tae Ist
ofMarch and The lst OF June we had taken three
thousand loads OF filth out OF tho city. All private
premises, az well as public places were cleaned up
thus early In the season and thoroughly disniected
with chloride OF lime. Boxes barrels were placed
for the reception OF garbage ana these ptod
twice per week, an after being empted were always
sprinksd with chloride OF lime BY the Ist of June
We had spent So 900 Tor chloride OF limo aIonemore
perhaps, than many cites buy In "a whole season.
Newbern, N. c., was connected with Norfolk by the
Dismal swamp Canal but tho people at that place had
no fears OF the disease that year. and yet It came
anu SIX out OF every ton Of the Inhabitants had It,
The exigencies Of the service required to run
boat twice week between the Two places, ana yet
there was not single IN Norfolk that year and
mover been since that nave heard OF; yet IN
1864 tho disease extenaed far north as
n. H.
81 might say the experiment my theory was rea-
sona6iy larry iried Ia New Orleans. When went
there ~as disturbed by the possibility OF my army
being destroyed ny the disease, ior me reoss pre-
uicted II, ana Inc were very aemoral zed
by tue danger got there in May, about tho Stn or
l0ta fnAt aIisrnOon rode over the city to look
aiLer Its condition. Though early IN the season
found the AR pregnant with bad doors. rode out
along tue New Caaai, whicn runs from Lake PonI-
| cnartrain 10 WITHIN lew RODS oil tho NJ ssissippi
RIVER This canal runs along famous sneit ROAD
winch leads 10 tne lake. Tue lake miles
wide and nifty sixty miles loug aud is tide uKe
the Gull, WITH winch II connected by rgoieIs Or
narrow cAnals oil whicn there threS-twv natural
| mud one when has been pui,t found this New
Canal in bad ALI drains IN the city all OF
winch are above ground, empIed into 1t, and the
stencil was horrible lhs Canal had been
built fifteen or sixteen years before. tho
| Guy government had not been disbauded, and |
sent ior the Superintendent OF streets Canals,
asked him auout tue bad coudltion vi me canal de
said he was not aware that in bad condition
that II had always been so. 1 told HIM that
be changed, and he said no knew OF way do IL
Then, said |, have no OCCASION Tor your services.
viii mud some ono VINO then sent an inteil,-
gent German engineer, wuo iived IN the city.
told that wnen u norther ~ always y blow
tho out oil the lake into the Guii, lowering
|
the blew the fresh waIsr from tie uif
back 10 the lake. found tue city iuil OF Idle men,
ana 1 hired l,OVO OIL them AZ 81 per DAY. Ihe Cny
Council al once, and resolved tnat they mud
always paid 81 90 per day, which was little
Tax the city Tor the moosy pay these mea, wanted
| 70 do the work ior the least money possible.
''Ihese were sci W woIk cleaning streets and
sinknoles, anu tney swept aud raKsd drains unt
all Tho MIN OF tho ciIy was worked inlo canal.
pumps put ~ all the drains flooded aud
washed. The men were supplied with brush brooms
ana started the NTH IN the toward the lake, aud
| the canal was thoroughly swept this way. The
NTH was carried ON me top OF the water In The lake
ana blown out into inc Gun, and when the soutn
WIND returned II brought pure water. l noticed AZ
that time tnat when tue wiad Was from Tho soulh
bad good preezs through the city al nsnt, buL
IL came from the north u cypross brako or swamp
seencd to keep u away. haa road ABOUT eignty
one hundred rods wide cut through TINS brake,
let the north winds draw down INTO the Guy. |
CURED all ctizsIs 10 Keep tner promises cean and
All ueosy ing vegetables anima deposits
were covered Win ehiorids oil lime. The sequence
Was that wo had no yeLow fever. l established u
severe quarantine o iorty DAYS against ali injected
ports, ana tor tnis was very mucn blamed AZ IL
iime IL Uore very hard on CON merce. 4 nad to EN-.
pioy doctor who resded there as Inspecting olcer,
| To- naa not a s,nge surgeon IN my army " no uai
ever u oil yellow lever. 1 sont 10 Washing
ton Tor one, ana tho surgeon Genera, DR..
| McCormice The quaranI,ne nne Was below Forts 81
Phiiip aud Jackson, whero the Health Oiicer was
stationed, and ns ,eiegraphed his reports
then sent dswu tho order TO aow the vessel pass
or 60 mao Quarantine, III. leaving polhing
his judgment except the health OF the people on
boAra. Havana AT That time Injected port,
4
oranges aud bananas would appear port,
would at ouee be put la qasrsnne ior fory DAYS IRON
tue ergo Mud "a total tnsn the
owner would write TO tnc spanish Consul,
Mr.. seward, wno would rsIrr the matter to
the Secretary OF War, ana he me, wnicn required
great dea OF explanation. lt also operated hsrdy
On Nortnern merchants, and that through Their
| Jolly. Wncn reached New Orleans Hour worth
me cty oy me shipoad. great maay dealers, ia
Oruer To get n Inc largest qaaity possible, would
taxs but ltlio coal and nl the coal bins wuh
oil nouf, anu run IOWA 10 Nassau tr Havana get coal
anu take a low passengers on also. Tnc hsanh
Ofcer would report 10 such vessel arrived from
Ne" fork, VIA Nassau or Havana, and sue went mo
quAiantIno or Iotty days, anu during this lime Hour
was gong dowo hlty cents per day per barrel Ins
supercargo would write nome !na. he was quarantined
ior .oriy days. vessel Boston, Gsner raj
Buffers noms. HAD been aiio~cd TO pass up; out ne
| ad not state ~hoie trusn iac.s, wn,ch wero
tnat the vessel waicn passed up had not at
| any Injected port
| ''Ae nad two cases only OF yellow fover a. New
Orleans, aud tbey got them IN this way niue
steamer from New YORK reported to tue health ocsr
tnat me hau .oucbed at Nassau and had .akeu on
wodd not carry the seeds oi hc disease, aud allowed
| the vessel 10 couo up. In two or tnree days the
medici Al director reported Cases OF yeiiow
French Town, tho Frsuch quarter OF the city
called nj once ordcred the arrest oi the cap,au,
at tue same tune paced guard over square
wncre Tue SICK men were, WIN instructions 10 let
everybody pszs ou', but " allow no one 10 return.
Every attention pad TO tue men, but they died,
and all The deposits oi overy KIND from tho sex
covered win chloride of lime, ana aitcr the
oentu oi 1nc "en 'neN eio'ninb Ueouins anu every
tHIng was burned. he gay aItcr the guards were
placed around the houses tho Frebch Consul came
into my office, and with show oil indignation de-
mandsd 20 know why had placed troops around the
houses OF tue SUBJECTS OF his imperial master.
~ replied, because hsd tue power 10 do 80.
"A-a is tnat tue answer am 20 give 10 my most
grpclou. msstcrR said ne
-" don't care wnat answer ron make, said J; fhat
| IL the Iac.
"wcli, no wrote TO the Frsncn Minister, aud he
wrote 10 his nome government, anu the letter
sent to Mr. Sc ward, aod oy MN TO Mr.. stanton. VINO
referred u u me tor sxpanitoh reported tno facts
III detail ended with tls remark that mad taken
this step to prevent the spread OF the disease In
city anu Ia the army under my commiBd, out could
imperial ruler oil the French tbat,
but uis SUBJECTS nat been 10 danger would never
nave taken any steps TO prevent s spread Ana that
| Was the last ever noaru from the ffencn.
Tug CAUSE YELLOW FEvER.
"Ny theory was that yellow lever not indigen-
| Gus IA any pace where irost csme thought the
1 ss.ds In NJ n A IN