The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-26

IL any of them missing would have
fore night Mr.. Alexandra said he could
see no reason for refusing to finish The loading as
il would take only couple of hours. and he
perfectly willing to have the vessel Quaran-
tine. lie thought the Doctors refusal was due to
spite Dr. Vanderpoel replied that 1t was not spite;
he was merely doing his duty. He had done AL he
could to assist the merchants aud they had deceived
HIM.
shoremen were quietly leaving the City OF Merida
by way of the barge the other side and skip
ping OF to the neghboring lager beer saloons To
make merry their escape. Shortly afterward
the gangplank was hauled In tugs were attached,
and the City OF Merida was towed down TO Upper
Quarantine. with all Of the board that could
be found, the Doctor following in his own tug.
DIsINFECrING THE
In the afternoon the scene had changed lighter
was alongside the pier and crowd OF men were busy
rolling in the balance OF the cargo The Board of
Health of this city had been nctiied and three aged
Silesians had arrived with a cart containing large
hogshead of carboiic acid. which one OF them was
guarding while the two others hllei their watering
portion OF the pier with the odoroas liquid.
MR. ALExANDREs ACCOUNT.
A HERALD reporter called upon Mr.. Alexandra in
the afternoon and asked him about the affair After
detail ing the conversation substan TALLY reported
above Mr.. Alexandra said that he supported
the Doctors action. far the safety Of
the city was concerned, and believed that the
Doctor doing right although he had
acted too hastily in not allowing he shipment OF
the cargo to be finished. He referred to the ships
articles of the previous voyage, where tho name OF
the sick man was registered AZ b. McEwan q differ
ent name from that inquired for by the Doctor and
explained that i'll this way the chief engineer had
supposed there was no such person on board Mr..
West. he said. was very reliable officer and had
been with the company over hive years, and would
not think OF playing any such trick as the Doctor
accused him OF. The vessel would sail,
bounced. this morning. the passengers and the rest
OF tho cargo being taken down by lighters. The
expense would not be more than 500 $3.50 at the
outside. The Doctor. he said had acknowledged to
him that when the vessel left Quarantine on Thurs
day. the 17th. she was as clean rs any
vessel that had LETT there The Doctor had
said that the mans disease WAS not yellow fever,
yet it turned out TO be aiterward The Doctor
had taken the law into his own hands. and 1T was
quite hard to send u crew away without moments
warning. US they had no clothing or provisions at
hau... There We're about fifty Of tho crew, and he
would haveto find out all their addresses and send
to their homes and get their clothing and send them
down provisions. The Doctor behaved in very ex-
cited and angry manner at time threatening to
quarantine the whole dock, with rybody on It,
II there should be sickness on board OF the
vessel would not leave until all danger was past
The firm will be in constant communication with
the ship as long she remains in port. l do not
dispute the Doctors right to do lie has DONE
concluded Mr.. Alexandra. "but must say he acted
like O perfect schoolboy."
wBAT DR. vANDERpoEL SAYS.
TO HERALD reporter who visited DR.. Vanderpoel
at his headquarters ut Quarantine, last evening
briefly recapituiaed the circumstances of the arrival
OF the Merida at this port and subsequent occur
rences.
'The City of Merida" said the Doctor arrived
here the 18th of July. six days from Havana. She
is not strictly III the Havana trade. her principal
traffic being between Mexico and New York, merely
calling at Havana on her passage to and from her
ports OF destination. This time she stopped at
Havana only thirty hours, taking some few balcs
OF tobacco and cases OF cigars. Her Mexican cargo
consisted almost wholly of clean bale hemp. Tho
whole of this cargo. both Mexican and cuban,
discharged i'll lighters i'll Upper Quarantine. She was
then thoroughly cleaned and ubbel every part
All her ports and matches were opened tor airing
Then everything was closed and she iumgated
al through. pass was then given for her to go up
to the city. When she first came in sick man was
taken from the vessel to the hospital where he died
after few days. He had been sick but few hours
before the vessel came into port. have learned
since that during the one night that the Merida
in Havana several OF the crew stole of and went
ashore, which, OF course aggravated their danger.
WAS II wILFUL DECEIT?
II did not hear OF the sickness OF Manning of
the crew of the Merida. who died in Brooklyn. until
after his death. In order to satisfy myself went
up to tho vessel early Thursday morning. and
assured by the chief engineer, who had charge
of these men, that every man could be accounted
for. then went to see Mr.. Alexandra and Mr.
Ward, proprietors of these Mexican and Havana
steamship lines, and arranged that the heads OF
department the ships should be held to strict
countabty for every person. under them while they
remained port, and that, when u o.
illness occurred among the men. no matter how
trivial, to be informed OF it instantly by tele
graph came home feeling very easy until re-
ceived the despatch from DIR. Raymond, of Brook
Ign, announcing that suspected case Of yellow
fever from the Merida THAT OF the coal passer Lar
tholomew Mckeon) was there and requesting me to
come and take the patient. sent one OF my boats
once. In the meantime elelraphed to the engi-
OF the Merida to know whether one OF his men
sick there, aud received this reply Eerc the
Doctor showed the despatch which is quoted above
Subsequently, aud after had ascertained from the
mans own lips THAT lac fellow coal passer with
hIaPning. who had died. went to the city in my
decelving me, when he assured me that every one
of his men could be accounted for. I
dock. as I could not tell whether there
would be any sickness board
not The symptoms of the case Of McKeon on his
arrival here not such to indicate any serious
illness. He had been severely dosed with medicine
and feeble on that account. He was very COM
Portable when he arrived and was in the same con.
CitiOu this afternoon when visited him. The CITY
of Merida will be loaded by lighters in Upper Quaran-
tine and will probably proceed to sea tomorrow ito
dayl."
"wury DOCTORS DIsAGaIE."
The Brooklyn health authorities expressed their
surprise upon reading in the morning papers that
Dr.. vanderpoel had stated that McKeon not suf-
tcring from yellow fever. Sanitary superintendent
HERALD reporter:-"Well, 1t is the privilege OF doc
tors to disagree. 90 not set myself up as an au-
thority yellow fever. but il this case of McKcon
is lot yellow fever would like To know what IL is
We know of other disease i'll this climate that
has the same symptoms. Tho patients eyes were
congested; the skin yeowish temperature, lob IA;
pulse. 90 degrees violent headache; vomiting and
urine highly albumnous. All these symptoms,
taken in connection with the history OF the case.
would appear to conirm the correctness OK the
clusion at which arrives when sent the pa
tient to Quarantine. While am not an authority
on that disease ut least three ply sicians who
experts on the subjecs saw the sick man and pro-
nounced the case clearly marked AID unmistak-
consultation DIR. Hughes. formerly ambulance
surgeon. who has resiIcd in south America,
where he has gone through several epidemics OF
that disease has also lccn sick with himself.
lie has also Havana line of steam
ships. where he has treated cases. Then we had
Sanitary Inspectors Griiiiths aui Corbin. both of
whom have b,ea surgeons ia the United States Navy.
where they have had experience IN the treatment OF
yellow fever. Dr. Crane, President OF the Health
Board physician of between thirty and forty years
practice i'll Brooklyn. was also OF concurrent onnon
In this Bat II may b. that DR.. Vanderpoel,
having seen the patient ut night, could not by
artificial light judge of the color of the skim
Dr. Raymond still adhorcs % the opinion that
the Health Board acted properly In the premises in
sending the man to the Quarantine Hosp!ta The
house. No ca state street, which "a thickly ten
anted habtaon has been thoroughly disiniocted and
fuinigatcd and close watch Is being kept its
inmatea, who are OF the poorer class OF working
people.
secretary LII Fctra. Of the Health Board. In com.
meuting on the said IL tina. DIR. Wander
pOol denies that IL IL of yellow fever. l
not surprised at his opposition to this Board. and
think he draws the inspiration OF objoctng to every
thing done here from the New York Board of Health
~ ,.Ii.n L. a i,leiuLnr w. lal IA