The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-30
JOHN BULL In DOUBT.
Thinks He Has the Cholera but Is
Not Quite Sure.
PHYSICIANS NOT AGREED AS TO
THE RECENT CASES.

THE RECENT GASES.
Quarantine Ofdcials Censured for Assume
ing that Cholera Is Not Likely to Come
in the First Cabin as we'll as the Steer
age-Immigrants in London sIums May
Spread the Disease Through the Great
Metropolis.
LONDON, August 29.-What with the
assertions and denials made regarding
the presence Of cholera in England, it
would be hard to decide whether or not
the cholerine cases that have occurred
have been true Asiatic cholera or not.
In some quarters it is positively asserted
that there is no doubt true cholera has
effected an entrance into the country.
while. on the other hand, it is just as
positively asserted that the disease is
nothing buta simple cholera from which
no danger need be apprehended.
DIR. Whitcomb, the sanitary officer at
Gravesend, who inspected the steamer
Gemma, which arrived there from Ham
burg on Thursday last, and three of
whose passengers subsequently died
from what was said to be Asiatic chol-
era. emphatically denies that the dis
ease was the dreaded Eastern scourge.
He attended all three of the victims in
the hospital, and says that they died
from cholerine. He further says that
the emigrants on the Gemma were not
of the poorest classes, but were greatly
superior to the general run OF foreign
Jews who arrive here.
In some quarters it is held that II is
nonsense for the quarantine officials to
act on the supposition that it is only the
poorest class Of passengers who can con-
vey the contagion. 1t Is said that
Even First-class Passengers
from cholera infected ports are just as
likely to convey the germs Of the dis
| ease as those who travel in the steerage
and that the disease is not generated on
the steamer but in the cities from which
the passengers come, and there is no
possible telling whether or not some OF
| the first-class passengers may not have
only recently left house in which some
| person has fallen victim to the disease.
The people who argue in this way
claim that there should be no partialty
| shown as to what passengers should be
| landed from a steamer, and that to nave
an effectual quarantine all should be de-
tanned for observation.
| 1t is now declared that the sickness on
| the steamer Laura was due to acute diar-
rhma and not to cholera. The Laura is
| the vessel that arrived at Lynn Friday
| last, with two suspicious cases of sick
ness on board. The health officials
would allow none of the passengers to
land, but ordered the Laura to put back
| to sea.
Notwithstanding the denials made of
the presence of cholera in the country,
| the residents of Gravesend were thrown
into
A State of Excitement
by the arrival there of two emigrant
steamers, one of which was from Ham
burg, while the other, it was subsequent
| ly learned, was bound for Hamburg.
The steamer from Hamburg was the
Portia. She was subjected to most
rigid examination and all the passengers
| were mustered for medical examinatio on,
Not trace of cholera was found. The
| steamers physician reported the death
of baby on the voyage, and the news
| of this spread among the townspeople
4 and occasioned much alarm, the univer-
| sal belief being that it was another case
of cholera. Later it was found that the
| child had died from some infantile com
plant.
were found to be free of infection, al
| the emigrants were allowed to land al
Tilbury, opposite Grayesend. They all
belonged to the poorer classes OF eml
grants.
A London firm has received an ordel
from the authorities of Hamburg for 80.
600 gallons of disinfecting fluid and 81
tons of disinfecting powder.
The Evening News has reopened the
agitation against entry of pauper aliens
IT. demands that the government issue al
order to prevent the entry of imports OF
immigrants from cholera-infected ports
1t adds that several of the immigrants
from the steamer Portia have now gone
to the east end of London, where they
will probably develop the cholera in thl
next few days and become centres from
which death will spread throughout tht
city.
New York's Quarantine Rules.
NEW YORK, August 29.-This order il
about to be issued by Health Office
jenkins: ''All vessels from cholera in
| fected ports or carrying steerage passen
gers from infected localities, will be sub
5ected to quarantine detention Of from
two to five days. Passengers and thei
baggage will be transferred to Hoffman
Island, where they will receive baths
while their baggage and clothing are dis
infected by steam. Immediately afte
such transfer the steerage and cargo viii
be disinfected. Passengers may then re
turn to the vessel, which, in the absenc
of suspicious cases, will be allowed tt
proceed to her Dock
!: Ravages in Russia.
ST. PETERSBURG, August 29.-Th
cholera has reached Merv, in Turkestan
A panic prevails among the inhabitants
The Armenian merchants wanted to clos
their shops Immediately but the govern
l oh +o1 fn ovnal fh