The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1893-03-18
WATCHING CHOLERA.
Consuls Watching Foreign p orts -Steeragc
Traffic Resumed

Traffic Resumed
WASHINGTON, March 13-The treasury de-
partment is officially advised by the depart
ment of state that steerage traffic between
European ports and the United States, which
was discontinued on June last has been re.
sumed United Sta ,es Consul Gardner at Rot
terdam, in a report to the state department
gives detailed account Of the precautior
taken there to prevent the immigration of pe'
sons affected with contagious diseases. He
states that all steerage passengers are ex-
am1ned by the consular doctors, their baggage
dls1nfected by consular employees and cert6-
cate OF both passenger and baggage made by the
consul
In addition to the safeguards against trans
mission of disease afforded by the local system
OF examination made Immediately before en-
oarkation, new hotel designed exclusively for
the accommodation OF steerage AMI second
class passengers en- route for the United States
has been built This hotel is known as the
"Nasm, ana is owned by the Netherlands
American Co and is solely under their
management 1t contains all the modern con-
veniences of o first class hostelry with
an experienced steward assisted by walters
ana guards The hotel is located in the
immediate neighborhood of the docks There
are separate rooms for families and single per-
sons The beds are like cabin beds on ship
Doard but larger. 1t is light and airy. The
sanitary arrangements are of the most modern
square, it is light and accessible from all sides.
A coffee room in which only temperance bev.
eragos are sold at O minimum cost is also pro-
Plued Inc entire contro. of this building, ac-
cord1ng to Dutch laws is in the hands of the
commissioner Of emigration, although the
United. States consul has free access 10 tho
buildings A hospital room in a building apart
from the hotel has been provided, where any
diseased suspect may be at once wholly
isolated.
In addition to all these precautions taken at
the hotel all Storage passengers destined for
the United States from Rotterdam are met at
incoming trains by officers and servants OF the
steamship company and by boat are at once
transferred to the hotel adjacent to the steam
ship wharf, there to r main under such suryeil-
lance as may be necessary until the next steam
er sails. Should the need at any time arise, it
would be possible to quarantine 6)O or so peo-
pie at the hotel quite as efectualy as though
they were on ship board This could not be
done by the best regulated emigrant boarding
mousse and from sanitary point Of view it Is
deci1edly advantageous.
Consul Gardner states that within the past
thfec or four years the rate Of steerage sailing
from Rotterdam to New York has increased in
the ratio Of the added restrictions upon immi-
grafton imposed by the United States authori-
ties The rate for stecrage in 1891 was $50 40,
while at the present time it is s3 90 The grade
OF persons going in the steerago has shown q
percentage Of improvement more or less closely
corresponding to the percentage of increa ase of
cost Of passage
United States Consul Estes at Hamburg has
submitted asreport of the precautions that he
has adopted against the introduction of infec-
hous diseases into the United States by the re-
sumption of immigration. He states that all
vessels sailing from Hamburg for ports in the
United States, b fore they can obtain their
bill OF health, must be thoroughly disinfected,
according to the instructions of the United
States marine hospital service. This disinfec-
ton is supported By w. l.. Somann, a Hamburg
government surgeon, who uses the Ham.
burg police department sal on his
certificate of disinfcciion. Further, the
crews of vessels carrying immigrants
are medically examined by Dr. Homanu
and Dr. Nash, n deputy of Dr. Jenkins the
health officer in New York. These physicians
issue joint certificate as TO this examination
All passengers not travelling in the saloon are
medically examined before embarkation by Dr.
Homann in his capacitv as government sur
geon and by physician Of the steamship com
plny This examination is made in the pres
ence or either the consul or vice consul and
certificate to that effect is annexed to the pas
sengers' manifest of the vessel Both of the
PHYSICIANS issue a certificate besides which
declares the passengers to be in good health
and free from ell infectious diseases
The bill OF health, which is not delivered to
the steamship until all these requirements have
been complied with, hears across its face in red
ink the exact number of cholera cases and
deaths which have been reported to the Ham
burg senate cholera commission during the
fortnight previous to the date of the bill of
health. All the above mentioned documents
bears the autheni iication of the United States
consul Estes also states that all passengers
coming from Austria and Hungary are obliged
to observe quarantine OF at least six days un-
der police surveillance before they are permit.
ted to 60 on board ship