Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-20


In the MORNING NV Of sunday last
was a local item to the e1eot that tho
Briush steamship Sylvia, watch asri' 81
In she river Thu sdaY from Gibraltar, was
ordered on Saturday BY the sanitary
board TO proceed to Sapelo quarantine
station, there to be detained the usual
period and undergo fumisAtion or disin-
lection before being allowed to enter the
por:.
} 1t is lear3Rd that the captain OF the
/ Sylvia exhibited q clean bill of health,
signed by the United states Consul at
I Gibraltar, and dated Aug. 10, and that
She sailed on Aug. a for Savannah,
where she was 70 load w'sh cotton for
Liverpool. Very naturally her captain
was very reluctant to 20 to Sapelo, and
made an earnest protest against the order
OF the sanitary board.
The question as TO whether the Ameri-
can Consul at Gibraltar acted properly in
signing this bill Of health is very sim
pie one. Up to Aug. 10 there had been
reported at that port twelve cases OF
cholera and seven deaths from the dis
ease. The last new case reported up 10
that date was on Aug. Is, on the very day
previous to the signing of the bill OF
health Of the Sylvia. On Aug. 10 it was
stated that there were no new cases, but
il is altogether unlikely that there were
then no cases OF cholera there. X is said
that on Aug. 10 the cOnsuls OF all coun-
agreed to give clean bills Of health be-
cause no new cases of cholera occurred
on that day. The best medical authority is
TO the effect that this position, from a san
itary point of view, is absurd. as not only
were there then cases of ch0leraleft over
from previous days, but the period of in
cubatiOn bad not passed on Aug. "a,
when the Sylvia sailed, it Is said TO be
doubtful whether there is any lifait TO the
length Of time the cholera germ or virus
may retain vitality. That the above view
Of the subject is correct is proved by the
fact that a fatal case OF cholera occurred
at Gibraltar on Aug. y, or four days after
the sylvia sailed for this port.
Attention is called 10 this case of the
Sylvia, not so much to commend the ac-
ton Of our health authorities for disre-
garding her bill of health and ordering
her TO Sapelo, as TO call attention TO the
improper and dangerous action of the
American Consul in signing a clean bill
OF health under the circumstances. This
action should be the more condemned
because il was the deliberate result of a
conference OF Consuls, all Of whom
agreed on a policy utterly at variance
with their duties and the safety of the
countries represented by them. The
probabilities are that the Secretary of
state Will look into this matter at once, If
be has not already done so, as it is
70 be presumed that he has had the
facts laid before him.
The attention Of the health authorities
Of other ports is called to this case. They
should exercise q sound discretion in re-
gard ta vessels coming from ports that
are suspected TO be, OF to have been, in
fscted with epidemic or contagious dis
eases. Reliance, IL seems. cannot always
be placed on bills Of health. In cases Of
doubt II is better that the scales be turned
Ia the interest q the people. 1t
would be better that every tramp
steamer on the ocean should be perma-
nently laid up at the quarantine stations
than that there should be even a chance
Of introducing cholera int this country
II is TO be hoped that no cases Of cholera
wiz appear on board the Sylvia, but
whether she proves TO be tree OF the con
tagion or not, the sanitary board did
right in quarantinIng her.