Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-07-17
PUBLIC LEDGER.
TUESDAY EvExISa. JUN IL ~

TUESDAY EVENING. july IL, ny
MEMPHIS has quarantined the Mis-
sissippi river against Cat Island,
Friars Point, Arkansaw City and the
balance of the world beyond point
fifteen miles below the city, This |:
an interior and unique quarantine
A steamboat that runs - q local
packet, and therefore has had no op'
portunity to obtain 3 clean bill o.
health from the SO called Sanitary
Council at New Orleans or Fort
Adams, twelve miles above the mouth
of Red river; boats from st. Francis
or white rivers are required
to round to at Presidents Island
aud be inspected the same as 8
boat direct from New Orleans. This,
however, is no great inconvenience
and there is no disposition, so tar as
we know, to resist or object to it.
Though there might be very serious
objection on the part of boat owners
to furnishing the means to run the
station. Admitting for argument
sake that there should be s quaran
tine at Presidents Island and that all
boats running up the river, even the
Eckert on "a Macaronian excursion
should be inspected or have papers, 1t
ogically and inevitably follows that
there should be vigorous quarantine
on all the railroads running into
the city. By coming either directly
or making few hours detOur, passen-
gers can reach Memphis in about "A
hours over any Of these roads. They
can come by Little Rock, by Fulton,
on the Kentucky and Tennessee line,
BY AMai Milan By Grand Junction, or d.
rectly through via Grenada. And
while it takes several days to come BY
the fastest boat, the trip can easily be
made by any of these different railroad
routes in a day and night. Interior
guarantees are necessarily detective.
The one maintained here in 1879
was as open as q sieve. Ger
tain points were rigidly guarded,
others left exposed, but hundreds OF
people obtained passes without any
medical examination aud came aud
went at pleasure. The quarantine at
Presidents Island is in the hands Of
DR.. Sol Green, an excellent gentle
man and thoroughly competent physi-
clan who has had large experience in
epidemics But it is like guarding one
point in . circle and leaving all the
rest exposed, and it looks very much
as if the object Of all this hoOrah
and sock it to EN-" style of business
was intended simply to keep the So
called Sanitary Council before the
colntry in the interest OF the
late pnlamented National Board Of
Health, whose members propose to
make struggle for power before Con-
gress next winter. This Sanitary Coun-
cilcrowd reminds US Of the story OF
the boy whose load of hay was over
turned in the road. He went tearing
down the road believing at the top iOf
his voice. Two gentlemen met him
and inquired the cause of his lamenta-
tions. LOAD O. hay turned over,
sir, in the middle Of the road" "Well
never mind, my son, said one OF
them. when we get there
we will turn it back, and start
you on all right again.
"Yes, but it won't be all right unless
you are quick. Dad is under there
and that's the devil of it." responded
the weeping urchin Dad, tho BIZ
National Board Of Health, is unds
the wreck and that is what is the mat
ter. Quarantine. nor salt, nor passinl
around the hat. nor running down thu
road, will hardly save him.