The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-02
md change h, air because Of its move.

q most competent medical of ce' DR. Me
Corn ok sent TO him by the LIT OF July
received, perhaps too muvn credit for the
r suit which was attained in tho treatment
OF III yellow fever, or rather in its pre-
ycntion, in New Orleans.
After this, however, the General had q
much moro satisfactory experience with
the yellow fever in Virginia and North
Carolina In the campaign Of 1864.
The city of Norfolk is situated about
thirteen miles hom Fortress Monroe on
the Elizabeth river, in Virginia When
ever before the yellow fever has struck the
Atlantic coast II has, by way OF apparent
preference, paid Norfolk visit. hcmost re-
markablc oi those visits was in 1857, aud
will be remembered us having been very
destructive of life. The North was called
upon, rs she ought TO have been, for inn
mcnsc sums of moncyto save tLe city from
That lcll DESTROYER
Inc General went over from Fortress
Monroe to inspect Norfolk in the winter
and spring OF lS63.6l several times and
about the LIST of March active operations
were begun to clean the city. Norfolk had
been in armed occupation BY the Cunicd-
crates and by the United States since
the spring of 1861. Without say
ing whose fault il was or intend
ing To blame anybody for the condi-
ton Of things the General found there, II
may be said, that the city was simply onor-
mously nasty, uncarcd for and full Of
everything that would cngcndcr disease.
There were $50 men whom the General
had found on his hands when he took the
command, under sentence TO hard labor
by courts martial; besides he had men that
were all the time deserving that sort of
promotion, because II Is not TO be dis
gused that We nearly empticd our prisons
into tn" army, aud to punish oilcnscs be-
came an enormous duty dcvolying upon
those who had command.
That body of men WIS taken, and with
them that transportation for which
there was then no use, aud for many
weeks there was taken out from that small
city, say, not then exceeding 1900 in
habllants, an average OF 5000 loads OF
every conceivable sort Of filth week. The
city was cleaned thoroughly and after the
fashion ] have described In New Orleans
A portion OF her streets were paved, and
care was taken that there should bc moth
ing that partook Of decaying animal matter
left IN the city.
The result was that Norfolk had not q
case OF yellow fever In II, nor, 40 Ear rs has
been generally known, has she had one
since that was not brought there.
This result IL rendered still more re-
markablc because no effective quarantine
could bc had at Norfolk. especially be-
cause regular communication by steamer
was had all through the hot weather ui
1861, via the Dismal Swamp Canal aud the
sounds, with North Carolina, aud espc-
cially the city Of Ncwhorn. Supplies wrrc
sent down from Norfolk 10 NcNbcrn, men
went back and forth continually, and, as
that communication was Tor military pur-
| poses, II could not be Interrupted.
Newborn was then little town OF about
/ 1000 inhabitants ON the NCusc River. On a
sandy pine barren soil, with no considcra-
Die vigorous vegetable growth around cN-
| ccpt along the river. The General visited
In the course oi inspection In January aud
saw there, then, nothing which would
lead any one Ia suspect that city ever had
or ever would have yellow fever. aud
therefore the General took no pucaulion
against that disease. but ia the summer
yellow fever broke out In the most yiru.
/ lent form, aud very large pur-
ton Of the inhabitants, both black
aud white, died Of IT, II WIS very
yifulcnt A good many vi the
troops, for We occupied Il, had the fever,
aud hls remembrance IN that nearly five
out Of ten OF all the people aud soldiers
either lett or were stricken with the dis.
ease still, continual communication
had 10 be- kept up between Ncwbcm aud
Norfolk, but the disease finding no almus-
| phrrc prepared for II ut Norfolk never went
there although little more than 100 miles
away.
The General was curious 10 ascertain
what caused the disease at Ncwbcrn, aud
went there ns SION ns the active
duties OF the campaign were over
| The town had been Ia the OCCUPATION Of
both armies, the Coniricraics had bo
sicgcd Il, aud bot, armies had occupied
| the outskirts, and the sinks Of the two
armies, open trenches filed with human
cXcrcmcnt, had not been properly covered,
but had been left entirely uncafcd Tor
when the troops moved Oh, and the smell
Of thc orlurc aud filth on iino aulumnal
day was perfectly pcCeptiblc at the dis
lance Of two miles, making AN atmosphere
which, II the yellow fever could bo cngen-
dcrrd nom such cause, Il would bclikcly
| 10 be- produced, and although inquiry ~
10 that WIS made, he never heard VI H. be-
ing brought there.
The General directed those sinks 10 bc
! built up, and lac believes there has been
no yellow fever In NoSbern since.
| have been informed Of another In.
stance still more striking. and II my In
formation is incorrect those people who
are applying for q reward Of $4,000 from
Congress % discover remedies tor the vel.
low fever may do well to investigate the
| gasa 4 LEARNED Tint an Ga, it.V,u 1 Z,
Fuorchc, near the crossing Of the Texas *
Opol0usss Railroad, some ten years ago, o.
near M ] can remember, there WIS sud
den and very virulcnt breaking out u ycl.
low icyor There was nothing Of lhc hind
there in 1852, although the yellow fever
was nj Galveston and other points NJ not
distant ncighborhOol. Rendered curious
by the fact, wrote 10 gentleman and
asked some questions about the conditions
aud circumstances surrounding the place
knew there WIS vegetable matter enough
there 90 do the mischief, bat ! could not
see where thc necessary amount oi decay
Ing animal matter could como from
IN that little village. lie wrote me,
however, that there had been an
accident on the railroad 30 Texas
cattle train by which some large number
ol cattle were killed and wounded Those
owning them simply stripped on their
hides aud tumbed their cafcassos into the
bayou, where they lay fostering and putr-
iyng under the summer sun, and the In
habiianis partOok Of the atmosphere la
which woro mixed the germs Of disease
supplied io Il boy the dccaying animal aud
vegetable matter, aud thcrcupon came
upon them this very yinlent attack Of cpl.