Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1890-02-28
lFLUENZA AT SEA.
w it Struck Fleets and Visit
ed Distant Islands.
be Ocean no Limit to the Pro-
gress of the Epidemic.

H0 OSOdii liz 6iIhe ~ ~''O
gress of the Epidemic.
The popularity of influenza, says writ
in the London Pail Mall Gazette, is that
yea or an ocean puts no limits to its
ogress. Ships sail into influenza as
ey sail into the doldrums; in passing
rough a certain region of the high |
rs they take on board something |
hich starts an epidemic of influenza
nong the crew, and if they be not far
pm port, they will not improbably
id the epidemic prevailing on shore
ben they arrive. The feet under
empenfeldt left Spithead on the I'll of
by, 1882, and kept cruising out of
kht of land between the Lizard and
lpe Ushant.
About the end of May influenza broke
It on board all or most of the ships,
ID so seriously disablei the crews that
e Admiral was obliged to return to
brit in the second week of June.
mother incident in the naval annals
tings out further curious side Of this
|any-sided epidemic influence. The
hgate Rose arrived at Portsmouth from
tewfoun dland on November A. 1888,
a time when influenza was prevalent
this port. At once all the dogs on
oard the frigate were taken with cough
nd catarrh, and in a short time the
'hole ships company sickened with 1t.
Another example, similar to the last,
7as furnished by Lord Howe's fleet,
7hich sailed from England for the
dutch coast on the 9th of May in the
anne year. Towards the end of May
he disorder appeared among the crew
f the Rippon, and, two days later,
mong the crew of the Princess Amelia.
The crews of other ships in the fleet
we're affected at different times, some
lot until their return to Portsmouth
n the second week of June.
rms fleet, like mat nf
admiral Kempcnfeldt, had no communi-
alton with the shore, after leaving
Portsmouth, until it reached the Downs,
IN its return, about the 81 or 4th of
Tune. An equally remarkable lnstan ce
# an opposite kind was observed dur
ng the epidemic of 1887, when the
nalady is first mentioned as having
,een prevalent in Lisbon, and among
he merchant shipping in Portuguese
nd Spanish ports, during the month o f
Ia luary. Early in February it appeared
A the Russell, an English man-of war,
hen at anchor in the Tagus, and the
irst man it attacked had been exposed
he greater part of tn, day in boat
md on shore.
The disease rapidly spread, and of
ected eighty four of the crew. In the
anne year the Canopus, with $50 men,
lfter three years of service on the Medi-
crranean station, left Malta on the Isl
If January, and, after having stopped
wenty- four hours at Gibraltar, and
part of day at Barcelona, reached
Plymouth Sound on the 1st of Febru.
Try. The weather was cold and wet,
md influenza was pre- valent on shore,
md yet the crew contin ued in perfect
health until the 18th, when tho epi.
lemic struck down two thirds of the
men in one day. In March the disease
reached such height at Barcelona that
business was almost suspended
Another curious phenomenon is in the
epidemic catarrh which breaks ou
among the inhabitants of such remote
islands as st. Kllda and Iceland, wher
strangers touch at the former, or th'
first spring ships arrive ut the latter
The st. Kilda influenza used to b
thought to be mere fable, although
DR.. johnson believed in it against tn
scientific opinions of his day.
During a seven ars'residence in Nor
folk Island, the well-known settlemen
of the descendants of the Bounty mu
tineers, ] had opportunities Of verifyin.
the popular local tradition that the ar
rival of vessel was almost invariably
accompanied by an epidemic of infu
cnza among the inhabitants of tn
islanl. In spite of the apparent re.
moteness of cause and effect. the con
ncction had SO strongly impressed itsel
on the mind of the Norfolk Islander
that they were in the habit of distin
gushing the successive outbreaks b