Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-11
THE QUARANTINE FLEET
In Perfect Order and Condition, and
Ready for Any Emergency.

An APPEAL representative happened incl
dentally to be walking Sunday afternoon in
the vincinity OF the point at Fort Pickering
where the quarantine dispatch steamer and
the hospital feet has spent the winter season,
took occasion TO visit the fleet, with the view
of ascertaining what condition it would be
found in should a sudden emergency call it
into commission. The visit being unan-
nounced, we thought il better opportunity
to arrive at the manner in which the boats
are kept when out of service. We boarded
the Benner and called Tor the comm ander
Captain Tom G ildweli, who had Just pre-
pared himself for an afternoon snooza. He
very kindly postponed the pleasant psstime
and devoted himself to the APPEAL. intruder,
conducting ia through the pretty Rsnner
and the hospital boats, which we were sur
prised to fiud all in perfect order, as bright as
a new pin, and ready for work on instant
warning. The feet consists of the III. H.
Bsnner, neatly built iron-hull steamer Of
immense speed, and constructed with we'll
conceived ideas of adaptation to the quaran-
tine service. Her cabin is 50 constructed as
10 be converted into apartments for sick per-
sons, having a dispensary, bathrooms, med
ical stores, pantry, cookhouse, nurse quar-
terz, etc. She was SO built to be able to
take sick persons from any boat or port and
carry them 10 the hospital fleet, at the same
time afording them all the comforts and
attention, medical or otherwise, III at the best
arranged hospitals can affDrd. The Benner
has powerful engines and is capable of the
highest rate OF speed made BY STEAMERS of
any cllss. A close inspection of her ma
chinery convinced Us that Captain Tom
Caldwell knows the value OF taking care of
m machinery when the boat is lying idle. From
the B ,nnsr We were shown through the three
hospital barges, also built for the special pur-
pose. They are each - feet long by % feet
wide, with a ceiling tine roof II to 10 feet
in hight. Oat of service they are what, in
river parlance, might be termed fat with a
freight box aboard: but when on duty they
are SO arranged as to be converted into twelve
apartments with spring cots and bedding in
each for the accommodation of a single pa
tient-igelve on each boat. Each barge has
also its own dispenssry, bathing, cooking
ventilators at the roof and on the floor level
SO as to admit pure air below TO escape
through the transoms above. These boats,
like the Benner, are all in apple-pie order,
ard ready for the reception of patients at
once. In connection with these there is also
a barge with steam disinfecting apparatus
aboard, which IL is unnecessary here to de-
scribe, beyond the fact that it is of modern
invention, and said to be best adapted
to the work. Then there are the three
iron hull steam launches, one for each
quarantine ststion-Cairo, Memphis and
Nicksburg. They are also in perfect
order, covered with tarpaulins to exclude the
weather and preserve the machinery and
inside fnishings. We pnt it mildly when
We say that We were astorished to find
Captain Caldwell so ready" for business,
which We hope he viii never be called on to