Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-08-26
THE CHOLERA SCARE.


Alexandra Arrives at This Port
IL Now In tho outer Harbor-Win
be Vigorously Examined Before
Being Allowed to Land-What DR..
@. A. Lindsley Says About the Pos
ability OF Cholera Obtaining Foot
hold in This Country.
The appearance of a vessel In the outer
harbor yesterday laden with rags from
Alexandria, Egypt, consigned to the Sey-
mour Paper company caused Esaewhst of
q scare among residents of all portions of
the city, owing to the fact that cholera is
now prevalent in the port from which the
vessel sailed, and has resulted in the local
board of health, receiving a number of
communications from various citizens,
requesting the most rigid precautionary
measures before the boat be permitted to
discharge her cargo and land her crew.
The vessel arrived yesterday too late to
allow the health officer to make any ex-
animation, but he will board the vessel
this morning and make q most rigid in
disembark.
The vessel may be prevented for several
days from discharging her cargo, or until
such time a. the local health officer shall
be thoroughly satisfied that there is no
danger Of any of the gems of that dread
soourge, cholera being concealed among
the rags with which the vessel is laden.
The vessel has been some seventy-five
days in transit, and at the time of her set
ting sail cholera was not prevalent in the
region from which she comes, but the
local health officers believe that IAN ounce
of prev entative is worth a pound of cure, "
and will accordingly put both the vessel
and her crew through most rigid exami-
nation.
Dr.. g. A. Lindsey, secretary of the state
board of health, was seen by a COURIER
reporter last evening and in reply to
queries in reference to the cholera and
probability of the scourge reaching this
country, said substantially as follows:
Many people believe that cholera cannot
be imported into any country, while others
believe that 1t can be and that ia especially
dangerous to permit rags to land which
have come from infected districts without
being thoroughly disinfected before land
ing, especially where they come from in
fected regions with no certificate of
disinfection. I do not think there is
any danger in allowing members of the
crew to land, providing they are not
allowed to bring any baggage with them,
and providing further, that no one has
been sick on board during trip. My rea-
son for feeling this is because cholera
germs incubate in five days, and the voy-
age usually takes anywhere from five
weeks to five months, and in consequence
were any of the sailors affected, the dis
ease would have shown itself before their
arrival here. There is danger, however,
of the germs having been kept alive in
baggage or in the bundles of rags which.
when opened, allow the germs to come to
life. 1t was in this way, by means of a
sailors baggage, that yellow fever was
introduced to this country in 1895 and
sixty-four deaths resulted All baggage
should be thoroughly disinfectsd.
consider that there is more danger of
cholera becoming an epidemic this year in
this country than ever before, owing to
the fact that more immigrants are coming
to this country from infected districts than
at any previous year. In consequence of
this the surgeon general of the Marine
hospital service issued an order on Au,
gust 10 to take effect September 19, en-
joining str1cter measures in admitting i'm
migrants to the various ports of this coun-
try. An effort is now being made by some
of the boards of health in the various cities
to have this order become operative at
once.
A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE STATE BOARD TO.
DAY.
A special meeting of the state board of
health will be held in Hartford to. day to
consider plans to prevent the ingress of
the disease into this state. DR.. G. A.
Lindsey has prepared a circular treating