Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-02
YELLOW FEVER.
THE SITUATION AT PENSACOLA
AND THE SOUTHWEST.
The Fever Spreading Rapidly at Pensa-
cola-MOre Fatal at BrownsvilIe-A
Statement by Surgeon General Ham
iItOn.

NEW ORLEANS, September 3O.-A dispatch
to the Rcdyasne from Pensacola reports fifty
two new cases and eleven deaths from yell
low fever.
PENSACOLA, September 30.-This night
ends September, with report of 789 cases
OF yellow fever to date and 78 deaths. The
disease has been spreading rapidly for q
week, and It has unfortunately been chiefly
confined to very poor people, the colored
people being peculiarly susceptible to its
ravsges. The Southern people, especially
those of Mobile and Memphis, have sent
most liberal contributions, and our local
board has been enabled to promptly relieve
all distress up to this time.
BROWNSVILLE, September 30.-Five new
cases and two deaths from fever were re-
ported during the past "A hours. The fever
is now more fatal than 1t has been hereto
fore. Three new cases are reported st Fort
Brown and two deaths. Point Isabel re-
ports two o. ew cases but no deaths.
The sick at San Pedro are doing well
under the care OF DR.. Lehman, the New Or
leans Times Democrat volunteer. The mails
do not arrive here. Matamoras has cele-
brated the close Of the fever, consequently
no bulletins are issued there. The fever
there is now confined entirely to the poor in
the outskirts Of the city.
Two deaths from yellow fever are reported
to have occurred at Matamoras to-day. The
official reports from Mler show that there
have been five hundred cases of the disease
and one hundred and thirty-fVe deaths
there to date. Three boats ATTEMPTED to
land on this side of the river above Roma.
The guards exchanged shots with the occu-
pants of the boats IN preventing their land.
ing. Some of the boatmen swan the river,
and three were arrested. One boatman, who
tried to land below, was wounded, It is
thought seriously.
GALVESTON, October IA special from
Brownsville says: "There have been two
or three new cases Of yellow fever and one
death since our last report In this city.
There have been no deaths in Matamoras
1t Is reported that young man from Mats-
mofas is sick with black vomit in Monterey.
Passengers who arrived by the steamer
Asturia have been quarantined seventy
hours. The epidemic here and at Mata-
moras is virtually at an end. There are
only few sporadic cases in either city,"
WASHINGTON, October 1.-Telegrsphic
correspondents in Pensacola have devoted
much space since the yellow fever made its
appearance there to attacking the Marine
Hospital Service and National Board
of Health, and editorials have ap-
peared in some of the newspapers
based upon the assumption that
these attacks were just, passing harsh crit
icism upon both these bodies. Surgeon
General Hamilton, of the Marine Hospital
Service, has just returned to this city from
a visit to New Orleans. On being made
aware of the general circulation given these
newspaper assaults, he made the following
statement: "The position of the Ma
rine Hospital Service in re-
gard to the Pensacola epidemic
has been misunderstood, and In some quar-
ters grossly misrepresented. The statement
that the Pensacola Board of Health would
have been supplanted or caused to resign
in case the Marine Hospital Service took
charge there, is infsmously false. The
Marine Hospital Service plan was supple
mentary to the work Of that body, and its
members well knew it. They had applied
to the National Board Of Health, which had
an appropriation expressly in aid Of local
boards OF health, for money, and they re-
ceived an allowance Of $3.50 per day. This
was known to me, and had intended, If 50
requested to assume charge Of the inland
quarantine, and establish camps near
Oakfeld, several miles from Pensacola.
| am not, therefore, to see on what grounds
this course would have interfered with the
L
they wanted money, not assistance, or If
assistance were furnished thoY wished the
government to take sides with them in their
quarrel with the Mayor. Their quarrel
1t is well known, originated because
that officer early in the season denounced
the Pensacola quarantine, as managed by
the Board of Health, as Intellectual, and the
facts have since demonstrated the entire
accuracy of the Mayors statement. The
responsibility for the introduction Of the
present epidemic rests on the local Board of
Health, and they will do well not |
to add to that responsibility |
by blocking measures for the |
prevention of the spread Of the disease to
their districts. The fact is telegraphed to |
the Governor on September 10, as soon as |
yellow fever was declared epidemic, with |
out waiting the formal request offering |
Governor Bloxham accepted 1t |
on the 16sh, but withdrew his acceptance on |
the following day, saying:
"The Board OF Health, composed of gen |
tlemen familiar with the treatment of the |
fever, do not desire quarantine established |
around Pensacola by the Marine Hospital |
Service. There is already an efficient quar-
antine and withdraw my application for |
quarantine to be established by the Treas
ury Department, but earnestly request tha
the department give the additional pecuni- |
cry aid, asked for in the telegram of yester-
day.
"This speaks for itself and shows the ami |
mus of the local Board of Health, who /
well knew that DR.. White, of this service at |
Pensacola, was as familiar with the fever
as any physician in that city. The fact was
published, in terms that could notIbe mis-
that the one hundred thousand
dollars special fund for the suppression of
epidemics must be disbursed under the
supervision of the officers of the Marine
Hospital Service. That statement was
made public at the same time that the an
was made that the Treasury
had been chosen as the Gus
.odian of the fund, although necessarily
knowing that the Marine Hospit tai Bureau
was restricted to certain lines of action in
expendiDg the money. The Pensacola
Board OF Health have repeatedly asked for
IN allotment Of cash, while rejecting as
,istance from the Treasury Department, in
The only way in which It can be rendered.
The responsibility for non-sction by the de-
oartment rests entirely within the State of
Florida.
s'In Texas the State authorities took &C.
ion, and thea Marine Hospital Service has
rome to the full limit of the law in affording
,elief, and within that limit has spared
neither money nor labor"
HAVANA, October There were thirteen
leaths here from yellow fever during the
V11t