The New York herald., 1879-07-29

hOSpltAl EfOullus at Sct
Michael fitzgibbon one OF the Memphis refugees
taken Quarantine hospital last week. died yester-
day morning. None of the other members OF tue
refugee families (Fitzgibbon's and Corvetts) have
been attacked. although Mrs. fitzgibbon is much
prostrated. owing to anxiety and excitement conse-
quent upon the death of her husband Albert
Reighr the barber from the steamship Saratoga re-
manned yesterday i'll about the same condition AS on
the previous day. which was not favorable.
bartholomew Mckeon. the Brooklyn case from
the City of Merida. which created such q stir be-
the Health Officer of the port and the engineer
twentyfou hours for the pas. two days, one quart
of beef tea, twelve ounces of brandy and eighteen
grains OF quinine II it had been case of genuine
yellow fever. Dr. Nanderpoel thinks, the man would
have been either dead or cured before this. Brand
Tolifsen OF the bark Antonio Sala aud Charles Has
kell of the bark Shetland, attacked with malarial
fover. were discharged yesterday. During the day.
President Oakley, OF the Quarantine Commission
made tour OF inspection through the hospital ship
and the hospital on Dix's Island.
There are now but two cases of yellow fever in
Quarantine Hospital. that OF Reight. of the sara
toga and Esty, OF ''o schooner L. 9. Ebbit. The
case of McKeon is not considered pronounced one
OF yellow fever.
FuMrGATros OF THE MAILS.
President Chandler of the Board of HEALTH yes
terday had Postmaster James letter asking for in
formation and instruction regarding the fumigation
OF letters from the Southern yellow districts
under advsement. and will to-day present to the
Health Commissioners, at the regular meeting OF
the Board, his answer to tho communication. His
views as to the course to be pursued tor the disin
fection OF the mails arriving in this city will be
detailed in his reply; but it was not ascertained
yeSteruny now lie proposes 10 reacn cOntrOl the
most serious difficulty this matter, which is the
procuring of that fumigaton Of all letters and papers
at the infected places before being sent on.
HERALD reporter had aconversation with Colonel
Clark, secretary of the Board of Health who stated
that ample precautions had been and would still be
taken to prevent the settling of yellow fever in this
vicinity. For his part he said. he had much more
dread OF scarlet fever in its devastating work among
the children than OF yellow fever. which was not fa-
vored by our New York climate.
sANITARIAN ON THE sCOURGE-THE FEVER
CAN ORIGINATE FROM LOCAL cAUsEs-How
SHIPS BECOME FEVER DENs AND HOW TO
PURIFY rBEM-ADvIcE TO THE FEARFUL.
Among the many prominent physicians with
whom HERALD representatives have lately conversed
upon the yellow fever is DIR. A. N. Bell, editor of
the Sa,atarias. This eentleman's dealings with the
yellow scourge began third OF century ago
in and about Vera Cruz during tho Mexican war.
and have been continued in tho West Indies. on the
Spanish Mn tho African coast and at naval stations
in various parts OF the world where the yellow fever
is always ut home. He is also author OF the Quar-
antine Law of New York, and at one time q
Quarantine Commissioner. DR.. Bell has just gone
out under the National Board Of Health. Quaran-
tine and Sanitary Inspector OF the Atlantic coast
from Norfolk. Va. to brunswick. Gaa coast line of
nearly thousand miles. In answer to tho import
ant question whether the South realized its danger
and the of it the Doctor promptly answered:-
'No. They assume, wherever have been in the
South that they cannot have yellow fever unless 1t
is brought to them from somewhere else. In tho
seaport towns they insist that the disease never
reaches them except by ship yet some of these very
towns have filth enough in their midst to infect
every ships in the world"
.Do you really mean to say that shore conditions
affect the shipping and cause outbreak Of tho
fever among the salors?"
now SHIPS NAY DE INFECTED.
'Most certainly. Imagine o ship lying in the port
OF Havana--no como nearer home and put your ship
into port at Savannah, Ga, with its filthy open
sewer, the 'ilbo Canal" and other open sewers. all
dscharging among the shipping. Some Of this filth
becomes part of the 'bige" water Of the ship; its
foul emanatons finally pervade the whole vessel and
cargo. and these emanatons the germ" which
scientists with their wonderful magnifers.
while they fail to SEQ or smell tho fifth that
it, out of all patience with this terribly
fatal pseudo-scicnce of men who study disease III
cap and gown and easy rockers. in their libraries
summed and dried, and there catch ut tho ''dust in
the air. and call 1t fever germs. Mountains of filth
ali south; open sewers flooding harbors.
ships sucking up the foul compost and transporting
it from place to place. while the authorities. like the
doctors. arc straying after invisible gnats-disease
THE FREEZING PROCESS
'.Then you would have tho freezing process ap-
piled to all ships in order To kill the germs?'
IL would if freezing possible but it is not.
Just tell me how freezing i'll any waters south OF the
Arctic circle affect the poison IN the timbers of
u shipY
1.-The timbers?'
..Yes: the open spaces between the ribs and tho
sides. Innings decks ceilings. &C. Yet these arc just
the places where the poison il most likely to be held
and least likely to be sought by the ordinary health
Inspector The soakcge leakage and drainage waters
from ballast cargo i'll the hold into these
spaces by openings. usually auger holes. in
large vessels sometimes little scuttle holes
M hatchCa--tlrOurh nOOrlQn
keelson or bottom of the ships WELL to
which the pump extends. Hence the keelson
water or bilgo filthy. II it be q lcaky vessel
especially and that has lain in any filthy port,
the poison here collected and harborcd to cke its
How is the freezing process to affect the tmbers be-
referred to- particularly in these portions which
far below the water limo and in warm wster?'
srRAM PROCESS
''What, then, is to be done with poisoned ship"
''Steam it. Steam be made to penetrate every
portion of u ship--timbcrs lmbers. bilge and all.
Some objection is made to the process the ground
that saturatcs everything with dampness, but the
impression is erroneous When the work liz properly
done every bit OF woodwork becomes hot that
when the matches finally lifted the heated wood
Immediately disspates the entire body of mos-
treated the Vixen. bad tever ship by this method
while she lay at Vera Cruz. Within three weeks
there not u fever case on board. year later
she cruised through tho worst fever ports OF the
West Indies and not case OF fever occurred. Tho
same method applied to the Mahones vessel
captured from the Mexicans. and most filthy.
that although she went from a bad fever port to
Norfolk and remained there all summer not single
of fever occurred
ORIGIN OF THE FEVER.
"Well, to go back to the prospects of the South,
do you to say that the fovcr originated in the
localities devastated last year. instead OF being car
ried to them?'
II believe that in many Of those towns the disease
originated in local conditions. In other years yellow
fever occurred in localities whore 1t Inn pos
sib'o to charge IT to foreign origin and believe SINH
lar outbreaks are bound to occur where the condi-
tions favor them.
''What these conditioner
"Moisturc. putrefyiDg organic matter and high
temperature. When these three combine. the two
former being In quantity. am compelled to believe
that outbreak OF yellow fever Is inevitable. Ex
cossive moisture and heat arc not prevcntibie. but
neither can they of themselves tho fover: the
dccaying organic matter, the filth. the poison. of
which streets, North well AS South. full; tho
open sewers ou closets, sinks and drains unburicd
animals-in short, refuse OF all organic sorts Is in
every case the starting point of the diseasc--the
factor absolutely necessary. without which tho
others arc harmless"
SOUTH
''Thcn what advice should tho HERALD give its
Southern readers"
"rel them." said tho Doctor "to fight desperately
for clean streets houses and yards. say night be-