Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-20

Conditions Under Which the Govern
ment Will Pay for Destroyed Articles.

Surgeon General Hamilton has sent the fol-
lowing letter to Surgeon Porter at Jackson
vile: 'You will inform the city council, through
the mayor, Mr.. Giro, that the passage of an
ordnance, in the form inclosed, will be satis-
factory to the government, and articles actually
necessary to be destroyed will be paid for. AL
articles Of clothing and bedding that can be
disinfected by being plunged into disinfect-
ing solution, and afterward plunged into boil
ing water. could be so treated. For
this purpose a laundry house should be
Immediately constructed, or if in your judg-
ment it can better be done, the laundry already
in operation will be rented. But nothing will
be done in this matter until the ordnance shall
have been passed. as without it it is useless to
undertake the work"
In another letter. written to-day, DR.. Hamil-
ton says: my opinion is that the class of arti-
cles that need necessarily be destroyed is an
extremely limited one. Mattresses and their
contents, pillows and comforts cannot
well be disinfected, at least without the en-
ployment of process so expensive as to render
it useless from an economic point of view.
With these exceptions think all the articles in
sick rooms can be properly disinfected. Bed
chamber walls should be spOnged and washed
with a solution of bichloride of mercury, and
such articles as sheets, pillow-cases and blan-
kets should be first plunged in a disinfecting
solution and afterward put in boiling
water. Wearing apparel hanging in clos
cts adjacent to bed chambers, carpets
Of bed-chambers and rugs in bed-chambers
should be subject to disinfection by steaming.
All houses should be exposed to air currents as
much as possible. Upholstered furniture should
be treated by spraying with bichloride of mer-
curry solution. Please notify me by telegraph
when the city council passes the ordnance in
closed in yesterdays letter"
The ordinance alluded to provides that '.it
shall be unlawful for any person to refuse to
give up, to conceal, or to remove, any article
which shall be declared to be infected by vel
low fever by the board of health of the city
physicians or by any officer of the United States
government cooperating with said boards of
health. That within ten days from the date of
this ordinance every householder having
articles believed to be, or declared to be, in
fected shall report the same, and in case any
article is directed to be destroyed it shall be
appraised and payment guaranteed by the
government of the United States.
"All bedding and pillows and bed-clothing
and other articles declared by the health au-
thorities to be infected and liable to cOmmu-
nicate disease are declared to be nuisances,
and the city authorities are authorized to
seize and condemn the same to be either disin-
fected or destroyed, and the possession of such
articles after they are declared to be infected
shall be misdemeanor punishable by fine
not exceeding SlOO or imprisonment not exceed
ing thirty days. The articles SO seized or sur
rendered or SO condemned will be paid for by
the United States under regulations to be pub
aished by the surgeon-general.
1T is further declared to be unlawful for
any person to carry through the streets of said
city or cause to be removed from house to
house any infected article without having
permit. In houses where yellow fever has ap-
peared at any time within a period of six
months articles therein requiring to be disin-
fected shall be turned over to the officer in
charge of the government disinfecting estab-
1tahpn hi tof, nj hall la
disinfected, and will be returned to the house
holder"
CONFERENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT.
The President yesterday afternoon had a con-
ference with Senator Call, Surgeon-General
Hamilton, and committee of citizens from
Jacksonville, consisting of Messrs. Jos. II. Dur
kee, d. G. Amber, Telfair Stockton, s. b. Hub
bard, and John G. Christopher, on the subject
of the disinfectiOn of clothing, &C., in the yell
low fever districts. The President promised to
do all in his power to alleviate the sufferings of
the people in the stricken places