New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-25
is THIS YELLOW FEVER?
A MAN IN FoRDHAM HAS SYMPTOMS LIKE
THOSE OF THE DREAD DISEASE.

FRIDAY - SEVERAL eF HIS FELLow-PAS-
sESGERs sICK-oNE OF THEM DIES IN
BRooKLYN-AN AUTOPSY SHOWS
THAT HE HAD rERNIcIoUs
MALARIAL FEVER.
A report that man was dying from yellow
fever In Powell Place near North Third-ave.,
caused excitement in Fordham yesterday. The
man was Michael Ryan, a young laborer who
lived with his widowed mother and his younger
brother, James, in small cottage between two
tenement houses In the most thiclIly settled part
of Fordham. Tribune reporter found him in q
stuffy little room on the ground floor of the
cottage last evening. Several Of the neiqhbors
stood at the door, talking H. whispers about his con-
diton. A priest had been with him earlier in the
day, when he was believed to be dying, it was
sad but he was feeling better, and there was hope
of his recovery.
DR.. T. j. Dunn, Of Webster-ave., who had
been attending Ryan since Saturday night, arrived
at the cottage with Sanitary Inspector O'Byrne,
who has the district north of the Harlem River.
and an expert from DR.. Cyrus Edson's bureau
The physicians drove out several talIatlve old
women, who were sympathizing with Mrs Ryan,
and then made careful examination Of tho sick
man. DR.. Dunn described the PATIENTS symptoms
Ryan's temperature had been about OF degrees
and his pulse-beat ninetysix q minute. His skin
was yellow and his eyes were congested. He COM
planned of violent pains in the region of the
liver. At intervals he had suffered from violent
hemorrhages from the nose and mouth. \ black
vomit had appeared also. In the forenoon he
was nearly at the point of death that DR..
Dunn had advised the family to send for priest,
and the solemn rites of the Roman Catholic Church
were administered. Later Ryan's condition had
changed for the better, and there was some hope
for his recovery.
When Ryan wos In the worst stage of the
fever Dr. Dunn had sent for DR.. O'Byrne and
they agreed that Ryans symptoms closely resem-
bed these Of yellow fever. Dr. O'Byrne tele-
graphed to DR.. Edsons Office for advice, and the
expert was sent later TO consult with him. Ryan
told the physicians that he went to Cuba on
July 9 expecting ITO find work on o railroad there,
but he was disappointed. and he came back on
the steamship Santiago, which arrived on Friday,
The vessel was crowded during the voyage Of
six days, and he slept on deck, On the third
night he awolye to find that rain was falling on
him and he had o. chill After the chill passed
away he was able to move about, but he felt
considerable pain in his back and limbs. Several
other people OH the vessel were sick, too, but he
was not in condition to take much notice of
them. He had not heard that there was yellow
fev.r in Cuba, but a number of people were sick
and dying there with mysterious fever which
they called contour" he said As soon as the
vessel arrived in port on Friday he made all
possible haste to get of and go to his home in
Fordham. Once there he got into bed and was
not able TO rise from it afterward.
The sanitary officials were strongly of the opin-
in LOST evening that Ryan had yellow fever, but
they hesltated to remove him to North Brother
Island in the night, fearing that the long journey
might kill him. They decided TO quarantine the
cottage, however, and DR.. O'Byrne sent for po-
lceman to stand on guard in front of the place
and keep the neighbors away. DIR. Dunn arranged
to consult with DR.. OByrne again this morning,
when, if the case is still believed to be one of
yellow fever, Ryan may be sent to North Brother
Island.
DR.. Dunn had heard Of two other men who went
with Ryan to Cuba and returned with him on the
Santiago One of them was Frank Hearn, who
lived in Kingsbridge. The other two men lived
in Wilamsbridgc, and one was said to have gone
to hospital IN the city yesterday. Ryan said he
know that over fifty men went from New-York
with him to Cuba and number of them had re-
turned, but he could not remember their names
The Santiago. of the Ward Line, on her trip
from the West Indies carried twelve frst-class
cabin passengers, twenty secOnd-class passengers,
and crew Of sixty men. She was passed at
Quarantine with clean bill of health, and came
to her wharf In New-York, where the passengers
were landed and portion Of the cargo discharged.
On Saturday she went to the wharf of the Have
meyer & Elder sugar refinery, at South Third-st.,
Brooklyn, to unload some sugar.
Five OF the sec0nd-cabin passengers were so sick
.,-a1 fla (fo1
lege Hospital on Sunday. They were said to be
suffered from remittent and intermittent fever and
were admitted without question One Of them,
Austin r. Reid died in the hospital yesterday.
On Sunday night he grew rapidly worse and had
bluck-vomit and other signs of yellow fever. DR..
Henry p. Wallace, who attended him, felt certain
that Il was a case Of true yellow fever
Permission was secured from Coroner Rooney.
OF Brooklyn, to hold an autopsy at the hospital TO
decide the character of the disease Health In
spector Callahan was sent by the Health Depart
ment Of Brooklyn yesterday afternoon to look after
the natter
The Santiago cleared for this port from Nassau,
West Indies, on her way from Matanzas, Cuba.
The purser. William Ely filed an affidavit with
the Health Department that there was no sickness
aboard the vessel before the unloading OF her
cargo in Brooklyn began. Pending the inquiry
into the case the work was stopped yesterday
afternoon.
An autopsy on the body OF Reid was held last
evening by Drs Van Cott, Cotton, Callahan and
the hospital staff, and it was decided that the
disease was not yellow fever but was pernicious
maarinl fever OF q remittent type. The doctors
agreed entirely in the diagnosis. Two of the other
men who are sick were reported to be in dam
gerous condition, but they have the same
disease as Reid. The dead man was foreman Of
a force Of miners employed at Matanzas. Cuba,
who were returning to this county. He lived in
Syracuse.