The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-27
YELLOW FEVER IN NEW YORK.
-Four Deaths OF the Government
Cruiser Boston.

anoearance of yellow fever on the United
states Steel cruiser Boston, the sister ship of
the Atlanta, which returned to New York
Saturday from her first cruise, than ap-
,,oar7d in the dispatch printed in the MORN
IyG NEWS on Sunday. Capt. Ramsay no.
tilted Health Officer Smith at quarantine
that he had three sick on board, and had
buried four others on the trip from Port
an-Prince, Hayti, and that it was probably
the work of yellow fever.
Mr.. Lord, of the firm of Lord & Austin,
the agents for the American steamer Hay
tien Republic, which has been condem ned
Inv q prize court in Port-au-Prince, had
made arrangements to visit the Boston. He
wanted news of his ship. Several news
Daper reporters went down the bay with
him in the tug Franklin Woodruff The
Boston lay at anchor just above the lower
quarantine station. She left Port-au-
Prince on Nov. 10. eight days ago, and the
white incrustationS of salt on her two
smoke stacks told the tale of the buffetings
of wind and sea which had made her VOYAGE
of 500 miles SO long. Her flag was flying
on the rizzen, her decks were alive with
men and officers. and there was no sign of
,he trouble aboard her until the Woodruff
rounded the steamers stern. Close along the
rail by the quarter deck fioated the yellow
flag Of pestilence. 1t was on board the
quarantine tug Preston, aud DR.. Smith was
then aboard the Boston. The Prestons
lookout signalled the Woodruff to keep of,
and she drifted and steamed back and forth
along the length of the black-hulled war
ship. within earshot of her until Dr. Smith
left He gave permission for the Woodruff
to lay alongside the Boston, but ordered
that no one board her.
Capt. Ramsay stood at the rail and good
naturally answered the volleys of questions
that were fired at him by Mr.. Lord and the
reporters.
The Boston left this port on Oct. for a
general cruise in West Indian and Central
American waters. She went first to Kings
ton, Jamaica, and from there to ports in
Guatemala Greytown and Nicaragua,
Turks Island and back to Port Royal in
Jamaica. She arrived in Port ROYAL after
the Haytien Republic and other American
vessels were seized, and on Nov. 3 Capt
Ramsay received orders to proceed to Port
au-Prince. He cast anchor there on Nov
s. During the month that the ship had
been out all on board were well. On Nov.
Q a seaman named Lasseter was taken ill,
but he recovered.
'They told me that there was no yellow
fever in the town." said Capt. Ramsay
yesterday, land my vessel was anchored
two miles from shore. | went ashore
to 90 ashore, nor did | allow any general
communication with the town. do not
know how the fever got aboard"
More than mile away, nearer the shore,
the Hayden Republic lay and the first
case of yellow fever that the Boston's COM
mander heard Of was on board of her. Her
flag was at halfmast on Nov. Is, and when
Capt. Ramsay cent to know the reason, they
told him a seaman named Olsen was dead
on board of yellow fever. That day one of
the Boston'S officers aud one of her crew
we're taken i'll. They were Surgeon w. j.
Simon and Apprentice John j. Kelly.
There had been, Capt. Ramsay says, no
mingling of the crews of the two ships
The Boston had no guard on the Haytien
Republic, as it has been reported, although
Capt. Ramsay and Capt. Compton had
often met.
The Boston's work was finished, her
captain having gathered the information
regarding the Haytien Republic which he
was sent to get, and she sailed on Nov. 16.
1t was not until the next day that any one
of her $50 men and officers suspected that
they had yellow fever cooped up with them
under her steel decks On that day Kelly
got worse, and another apprentice, E. j.
Trap, was taken down. On the next day
the 18th, two marines, John Uzelman and
John Retzel, were attacked, and Charles
Mitchell, an ordinary seaman, and Frank
Thomas, able seaman, were taken sick Oh
the 10Th. Since that no new cases have ap-
peared Kelly and Trapp died on the Goth.
The next day Uzelman died and Retzel died
on the 22d.
The three who were on board sick yester-
day were Surgeon w. J. Simon, Frank
Thomas and Charles Mitchell Surgeon
Simon is very i'll, and will probably die
The others may recover. DR.. Smith did not
remove the sick men last night, because the
hospital on Swinburne Island, ne said, was
not open. He will remove them to-day
Capt. Ramsay was unable to tell how long
his vessel would be detained in quarantine
Surgeon Simon is from Pennsylvania. He
was born in 1912, and received his appoint
ment in the navy in May, 1864. He has
been with the Boston since May, 1887.
Passed Assistant Surgeon G. p. Lumsden
had charge aboard the Boston after Surgeon
Simon was incapacitated. In addition to
these officers the Boston has on board Capt
+. M. Ramsay, Lieut.. Commander Harry
Knox, Lieutenants Charles G.. Bowman,
Wainwright, Kellogg, and s. w. B. Diehl
heutenants of junior grade, Ridgely Hunt
and W. F. Fulam; ensigns, Edward Lloyd,
Greorge X. French, and F. K. Hill
Naval Cadets H. A. Allen, W. S. Burke, F.
W. Hibbs, r. H jackson, M. R. Pigott and
X. Stocker; Paymaster Daniel A. Smith
Chief Engineer David Smith, Passed Assist
ant Engineers A. f. Dixon and George S.
Willis, Cadet Engineers B. c. Samson and
Scion Arnold, First Lieutenant Marines
L. DcuuJ, faCIluR OuuHeT IOrdCo
Yewell and Carpenter j. W. Burnham.
In speaking of the possibilities of thor
oughly fumigating the Boston, Capt
Miller of the Brooklyn navy yard said last
night:
1T would have been a very serious matter
Tor the ship if the Boston had been a
wooden vessel. It is almost impossible to
get yellow Jack out of them. Cases have
been known where the fever has broken out
on board vessels and no amount Of fumigat-
ing or freezing would get it OUT as soon as
the vessel gotinto warm climate 1t would
oreak out again. The Boston, however,
beng steel vessel, can be thoroughly fumi-
gated and purged Of the fever
Very little information has been received
at the navy yard regarding the future
movements of the Boston. 1t may be
deemed advisable to have her go farther
north. hardly think that will be neces-
sary, however. Unfortunately the Boston's
mall was all sent south this morning."
MUSICIANS who were asked last night
ABOUT the danger in New York from yellow
FEVER, agreed in saying that it could not
spread In this weather, and there was abso-