Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-07-19
INTERIOR QUARANTINE DEMANDED.

The Board of Health of San Francisco
has declared the Mexican ports, Guaymus
and Mazatlan, infected with yellow fever,
and ordered all vessels hailing therefrom
to be quarantined on their arrival in San
Francisco. As to the period of detention
all the San Francisco papers disagree. 1t
seems little singular that the reporters
could not record the actual fact One paper
says the detention is TO continue until the
Health Officer is satisfied no harm can
come from landing the passengers and
cargo; another says it is to be for eight
days, including the period of the voyage ;
another that it is to be nine days from the
date of touching at the last port. BY this
action of the health authorities it is settled
that the yellow fever is epidemic in Mexico
and now for fully three months we will
probably be menaced from that quarter.
1t gives the lie also to the dispatches that
have been regularly and frequently sent
from Guaymas, declaring that the health
OF replace is good, and that no fever pre-
walls there. This policy of lying has been
pursued for fear of q" hurting the place, y
and exempiiies the folly of the suppression
system. Why Panama was not declared
an infected port by the Board of Health of
San Francisco is a mystery, since yellow
fever RACES there From another source we
have Mexican news of quite as startling
character. The San Francisco Bulletin re-
cites that The Captain ofthe American ship
t,stella was before United States Commits
sioner on Wednesday, charged with violat-
ing the law in shipping sailors for one port
and carrying them to different one. Cap
tain Ayerys defense secured his clearance
1t was to this effect, that he shipped a crew
and cargo for Manzanillo, Mexico On
arrival there he found the cholera raging
fearfully All the merchants had fed from
the city, including his assignee. He was
therefore forced to run for a Central Amer
lean port. 1t should be a matter of imme
date inquiry If the cholera a month ago
or later was =. .lexico, as Captain Avery
on oath testifies, and was so virulent as to
cause the people of Nanzianllo to flee from
that CITY, it is entirely probable that it is
still in that section, and has spread widely.
The disease, when il has such hold as
that, does not relax for months Assuming
Captain Avery statements to be accurate,
it is passing strange that no news of the
cholera having invaded Mexico has been
before received here, and that the usual
avenues of news have been silent upon the
subject.
The San Francisco Bulletin has not much
faith in official port quarantine alone. Ii
says
We must have sanitary Gordon maintained
by those whose hearts are in the business
Quarantine in a perfunctory or halfhearted way
will be of no effect whatever. IL viii be merely
a vcxati0n TO commerce. but not the least use
hygienicaliy-a matter of fees and salaries, but
yielding no results TO those who pay them. The
adoption of a resolution in the Board of Health
declaring Guaymas and Mazatlan infected ports
was q precautionary measure not day too soon.
Ii is known that yellow fever has again broken
out in those places Strong efforts were made to
prevent news OF the fact leaking out. But ii was
known for weeks past privately from persons
who had returned from Mexico that new out
break had taken place. N0peISOn afflicted with
an epidemic disease, or capable Ofdisseminating
it, can land at san Francisco on the one hand,
or climb the Sierra on the other, unless we let
him. At this point we reach that division of
official labor, which, when observed, greatly
simplfes matters aud fixes the responsibility |
The State has to look after Truckee, The Needles
and Fort Yuma. II has, perhaps. deeper inter |
est in this matter then we have The hot valleys |
of the interior are more favorable for epidemicS
then the city of the cool sea breezes. 1t is our
business to guard the Golden Gate. No epidemic |
disease can enter there without criminal negli- |
genee The fact of this responsibility might as |
well be accepted right off. If it is regarded as |
too heavy a load 10 assume, designations are III |
order.
DR.. McAllister, the Quarantine Officer, is |
equally urgent that the State authorities
shall set up barriers against epidemics COM
ing in by land across the Sierras, or by the |
Southern route, and thinks that in those di-
vections is to be apprehended the greatest