Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-10
MIIlSMANAGEMEN'T.
Charges Against the New York
Quarantine Officials
Made by Passengers on Board the
Steamer Normannia.
No Official Inspection of the
Vessel Was Made.
coRPsEs KEPT ON BOARD LONGER
THAN NECESSARY.
DTsINFECTAETs ASKED FOR, PROM
IsED BUT NOT FURNISHED. Ia

Declared in the Strongest Terms That
Proper Sanitary Measures Have MOI
Been Taken-A Protest Prepared and
by Committee OF the First and Second
Cabin Passengers -substantiated by a
Committee of Physicians Appointed by
the Passengers - Five Hundred Lives
Jeopardized and Proper Precautions
Prayed For.
New YORK, Sept. 10.--The following
letter has been sent to the governor of
New York state by the committee on
sanitation on board the quarantined
steamship Normannia:
To the Hon. r. p. Flower, Governor of the
State Of New York:
The undersigned q committee represent
ing the first and second cabin passengers
Of the steamship Normannia, now in quar-
antine in the port of New York, respect
fully show
That as good citizens we cAeerfully sub
NIT to such detention as may be deemed
necessary by sanitary experts for the
preservation of the public health but we
hold that while undergoing such necessary
detention, we are entitled, at the hands of
the authorities TO as much care and pro-
lection against infection as other body of
healthy citizens; as any persons innocent
OF crime and suffering discomfort in the
public interest it is our right to have that
discomfortNreduced to minimum, and to
this end no expense should be spared or
reasonable precautions neglected. But
such measures have not been taken, and
800 persons, mostly citizens of the United
States, have been exposed to infection to
their own danger and the danger of the
public TO show this to be true, we sub
NIT the following facts:
We have been detained since O'Clock
Saturday morning by order of the health
officers, and yet during that time no Off
cial inspection of the ship, or visit to the
sick has been made by that officer, or any
one representing him; no scientific expert,
or aid has been furnished to superintend
the disinfection of the ship, but this work
has been left entirely to the captain and
his crew.
Disinfectants asked for, and promised
have not been furnished, SO that the work
Of disinfection begun by the ships officials
has been stopped. No means has been pro-
vided for communication with the health
officer, with the result that the sick and
the dead have been retained on the ship for
an undue time.
Fresh water has not been provided to re-
place that put on board from the Elbe, al
though application has been made there
for, and the water tanks of the ship have
Eeen emptied, cleaned, and otherwise made
ready to receive it.
We hereby solemly declare that at this
moment there rs no illness among the cabin
passengers, nor has there been for eight
days, nor is there any undue excitement,
much less panic amongst them. Can it be
possible that the national government, the
governor, president and people of New
York will permit 500 of their fellow citi-
zens, all now in good health, to be longer
penned up on this ship without proper in
spection, or even any knowledge on the
part of any official, federal or state, that
the ship has been properly disinfected
Therefore we pray that your excellency
will put at the disposal of the health officer
such competent and expert assistance with
every appliance necessary to enable him to
at once take charge of this ship and put
the same in a perfect sanitary condition
and thus relieve us from our present jeop-
ardy
Now that you know the truth we vent
ure to hope That you will act promptly
Longer delay in this matter seems to us to
approach criminaiity. We subjoin hereto
the report of the passenger committee on
sanitation.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
j. r. MCPHERSON,
THEODORE HEINRoTH,
JULIUS LUMEBERG,
EDWARD l.. GODKIN,
ROBERT M THOMPSON,
A. NJ PALMER,
j. s. RosENTHAL,
DR. II. LANCE.
The undersigned sanitary committee, ap.
pointed by the cabin passengers ON board
the steamship Normannia, regard it their
duty to appeal to public opinion, in view
of the following consideration and facts.
1t seems inconceivable that 800 hereto
fore healthy people should be quarantined
on board an infected ship and that 1t is i'm
possible to isolate them Mt place thus far
not infected. They emphasize this point so
much more as from all appearances the
measures taken to disinfect the Normannia
have been incomplete and void of that
speedy, en- ergetic and systematic mode of
proceeding which il necessary to efficiently
counteract the damaging influences to
which all are exposed In reference to
these points, they submit the following
facta:
Fiyst-At no time have there been facili.
ties to remove the sick Immediately after
the onset OF the choleric symptoms even
dead bodies having been kept on board for
twenty-four hours and more
Second--At no time an official thorough
inspection of the ship has been made, nor
have any measures been taken with regard
to disinfecton except such as were posi-.
ole, with tie insufficient supply of disin,
.ecting mat erial carried on board,
Third Disinfecting material has not
been furnished promptly in spite of the re-
quest of the ships authorities, The demand
made on Saturday, Sd, to place on board
the ship an official expert to supervise and
execute thorough distinction has not been
complied with,
Fourth--lhe water supply of the ship
has not been taken care of in the proper
way, although by Monday morning the
tanks We're clean and ready to receive fresh
water. The supply of fresh water immedi
ately after the arrival OF the ship should
have been made main point of sanitary
Importance. We are on the fourth day OF
quarantine,
II, therefore, in spite of such n condition
Of things the passengers should be obliged
to remain In quarantine on board the Nor
MAMMA, the undersigned deem 1t their duty
70 demand the execution of such measures,
under the supervision Of official experts as
are apt to remove efficiently the danger
which, under the given circumstances, the
oocnnnnts Of the shin are constantly eN