Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-08-27

TIE YELLOW FEyER.-The appearance OF
yellow fever and its great vruicuce 10 the
Southwest. with its possible approach TO AieS'
aadria, mako the former attacks o! tAat disease
upon the city matters OF present interest. ana
We have. with some care, cxamlnca "tl the
t,rmer records on tho subject with tHc view 10
make q connected statement 10 lis regard.
There is no truth in any OF the published az
counts of the existence Of the yellow lever 10
Alexandria before tho beginning OF the present
century. The statement that the ic9cr ragged
here in 1898 aad in l79S not only mas 10 local
contcmporaneous evidence to support 1t. but IN
each case the flies OF the town papers prove
negative. la 1898 DIR. Dick wrote IS iolloTS
to the Columbian Mirror, 2 newspaper Euo-
iished here:
"A report having obtained some degree ct
circulation bearing ny nanc for It's auth2n.
ITCHY, that Contagious foqor had made its ap-
rearancc in this place, | think it Incumbent on
me to declare that | have never Intentionally
given cause for such gu idea aud further that
to the best of my observation, no disease o! that
nature..eXcept the small poX docs bow exist, or
hath, for twelve months past. been ncau II the
EIIsllA (. DICK.
September 81, 1875.
So much for the 30 cai.cI: aitlc!. 0l 1893
AS to tho health Of the town &ur!n; She suGl-
mer and autumn OF lJ9S, W, tai>o The following
from the Alexandria Times and Advertiser OF
September l9, in that year. lts editor, IN
leading article, alter noting the IaVarta d tic
fever in Philadelphia, adds:
we ought to acknowledge TIC boGc!lIul
goodness OF Providence IN blusSioE ALEXANDRIA
and its vicinity with itliA!Ittl TO al cD!tacnt
degree
The tyi'o IS that oi tao original article.
ali Il ~ !, IN
1903, and its awful Vlstiatlon was the first blow
given to our commercial progress, which had.
until then. been uninterrupted. Roy ycars
afterwards tho tcF'n Hs' conSilcIci "hHcaithY
ibe first case OF she lever maze ~ appearances
here IN VesSr iroIh the west ihGlGh with
which the town Gau liFgc caaiti2fctl>"a TIC
9Th OF July. lt soon Hprea" throtEhon' inc
in~cT portion of Inc to~h, r"nl!hiaS tt'th co
trclp eaat OF Royal slreet, anl Tastn& "i'h
especial violence IN the nelRh bnrAooh i! lie lie"
made gfouad Wlth "hich thH "oVa Between
Point Lumlcy Pioneer Aiia) ahu loat est
ifisitoRDj had been llilcd up. lhiS EEouGa
had been always ovciiljWGu Whenever tno tiae
rosn TO an unusual hcigtt, notably 10 spring anu
Eall, for many years, anu the process 6l raising
the ground had gone on year by year, but even
H. 1893, it was not cntlrciy safe from overflow
BE. >ides this, from tho want vi proper drainage,
The region had become, to n2mn rXcnt, the re.
crptioe OF the waste from ito h:ila ah0Y', and
IN summe" all unused places were covered "ii:l
a quantity III rank vegetation. Ihe needs or
commerce. b: vi caused i: 20 be quidt y Hnl!t w,
.ud it WIS. in tact iii $50: Seasons. :: Ei"r&s7.
covered by br.I c'nsS. Aa"cc 10 'nlS' - - '"'eH
that soma OF til warehouses On 'hI iiI'r 'I'.'t
waro stored witt n'd?H rom ""us" Au.E''oa'
10 state oil pntrt acisno us "u''S " k"'n
1cfied aud violated sa'''fsty lava: ut'1 no. ""h
impunity. They ". '" tenin'' Sihu!eRt",
Tho first germs Of >'E'loW lever qalsS'y 'oi1a"
abundant mediums oi H'cto"a' ia" l'Ti'a! ''u ~,
and the malignant poison soon GnE@i"''" 'H'
luwtr poition ST Ii,y ,n"a wltl'. Il II 4" M n
rhetoric to s4y, an atnc.'ni!afc al "cs'h. no
river side waa almost deserted trace iiDs"''"'
ed, niaDy fed never to iCtr:.' ia HHTpo!a'
ton of Washington, then sn,':, '".E;' > nv
,nad:" Ia The corporate authorities 10 tep AKA.
log The pra;ilcncc. DR.. 'Iok r@ti:9al+" l'"t
over 600 ptope lcir Tie town; MS WIZ
more than hGt tta population. nc H'a'a'
. fortunately was confined cast OF hoyal s't:s''
aud there sanitary c'rion cilt OIL cen'i'n",T'
ton wil: The IcsiuNI Even the noaiHH q t'' NJ
dead dlC NOT pass 't!olHh 10 ':tr is';"i p,H'e' ~
snpulchrc, bn5 !. ncw Potter tlea "as !0cs'''l
III a Garner u! the Injected district, and nioSt ~
the vtciEnS we're hnflF" on ms, hs'T" 900
which juta out iHn iinut!n% tfrrE' II sne lac.
Of Royal street. Jhn ',rc2n s~;iTi aEu p'"I'tu
field, unmarked hy name or st"ns', covers then;
how. but the town ii:An still shows a N" n'aIii
of the terrible ti,rr, N Penny Hi! street
whiol passes over tie Forgotten E'as'a 'FSnn1
lcA,cs Garden. when the disease an-''A -
HE fall tho progress at the t2%n had s'GpIt'';
Gao out OF every twenty o"f u! II" r'''''' ''Ei
died OF tho pcstllencc..
The lever OF ISL when wal ;:'So c"'''"HN
off more than one in five hundred, but ii came
Iato and continued oolv g few weeks. Anlong
ils victims was nm cy.NIavor.
3hc visitation Of 1880 WAS coniircj ,na;nly
/, tho river streets Of ,ho First Ward. Its ho..
hrd was situated on Potomac street, q low lyicg
Lind alley running into Wolfe street, between
Water and Union streets This Was portion
Of the former river beach. hut 10 laying out
IInion a.r,rt the Grade between this LEGALITY