The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-27
THE BLACK PRINCE.

| 10 the Editor OF the Democrat:
Perusing the columns Of your valuable
| paper OF the twenty-third, / saw the report
4 Or DR., Austin, acting president for the Board
OF Health, on my vessel, the British bark
Black Prince, OF st. Johns, New Brunswick,
and say 1t ID Incorrect from beginning to
| end, so would like to state facts myself to let
the public see how far DR.. Austin's report Ia
unjust and wrong.
! arrived here on the twenty seventh Of Au-
gust with three cases OF fever, and one man
died between Port Eads and Quarantine sta
ton, and not as the doctor reported. All the
sick were placed In the hospital the same day,
and since then there has been no sickness on
board.
DR.. Austin gives his report thus: upon en-
tering the hold Of the vessel the doctor stuck
his knife into several places and said she had
great deal OF rotten wood In her."
Dr. Bell did not walt until he got to the
hold, but as soon as he arrived on board
stuck his pen-knife in the ships deck and said
the wood was rotten, which Ia incorrect, and
an insult to me besides. They then proceeded
to inspect the ship, commencing with the
fOrecastle Tor fire hearth, az they termed It'll,
and examined the mems bedding, which was
not In the condition reported-most OF 1t
being new. All the deceased mems bedding
and clothes had been burnt on shore, and
what remained on board had undergone fumi-
cation three times. They then ordered the
| clothes to be boiled in a solution Of sulphate
| OF zinc and salt. have had all the bedding
burnt, and as i remarked to them IL 1t was
| the rules OF the Board OF Health to have this
mi
| weeks before, and not to walt and come the
very last day Of the cancelling OF my charter,
and then through them not giving their
proper orders In the first place to delay my
vessel for another seven days and probably
1 lose my charter besides.
| AS for their report concerning the hold,
am amused at the absurdity and untruth Of
u, and 1t shows great Ignorance In using the
/ torn aopened when mentioning the keelsOn
and would like to know from either OF them
| how the Ike e.sUn OF vessel could be opened, as
| was alWays under the impression that q
ships keelsOn was boltsd or fastened through
and through the vessel and the bolts clinched
outside.
| Ii DR.. Austin had expressed himself correct
| ly he would have said thateon entering the
ships hold DIR. Bell stuck his knife here and
| there, and, with the air of a nautical man or
| surveyor, pronounced the wood rotten (which
| again deny. He then asked To examine the
bilge water, which he had previously exam
| ined on deck. ordered my carpenter to go
down and open the Timber boards so he could
| test the water there, and he found 1t perfectly
| sweet. On opening the timber boards the
| boxing Of the keelson had to be started, which
place contains rocksalt, and this must he
| what DIR. Austin called filth" and either
from poverty OF words or being so used to
closet inspections made him use such word
IN connection with my vessel, for there Is no
such thing ia any part Of my ship, and am
sure Il any unbiased person had come to In
spect the Black Prince he would have come to
very different decision, for she is as clean
vessel as there is In your port.
l cannot conclude without sa ying that it was
| quite farce to sec these two men Inspecting
ny vessel, and their report is libel
T. w. TTKELL,
| Master Of British bark Black Prince, OF ST.
Johns, New Brunswick.