The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-07

Ward, Mayor: Dear Sr-At your request,
1 herewith furnish you with the facts in
relation to the Danish brig Charlotte
Hague, said to have brought the yellow
fever to Savannah. These facts have been
taken from the books of the Savannah
Iniirmary, where the captain and two
of the seamen belonging to the brig
were under medical treatment for a few
days. The Danish brig Charlotte Hague
put into Cockspur roads about the 18th or
Both of June, 1854, and now visited on the
S0th by the port physician. On the 81 of
July two of the seamen were brought to
the Savannah Intirmary, where they re-
manned until the 7th and were discharged
cured. They had not the least symptom
of yellow fever. The captain was also
admitted and discharged cured. He had
not the least symptom of yellow fever. On
the 18th they returned to the brig and
she went to sea. The brig never came up
to the city, and the men brought up
nothing but the clothing they had on
Very respectfully and truly your obedient
servant, John Ashby Wragg, NJ. d.
DR.. R. D. Arnold, speaking of the origin
of the epidemic, remarks:
In 1854 it was my lot again, as in 1852
to have the first yellow fever patient This
erner, it was his first summer south; had
boarded in "Currytown," the extreme
southwestern portion of the city, and had
walked fully one mile two or three times
daily to and from his work, which was in
the northeastern portion of the city,
through the broiling sun. 1t is again to be
noticed that not a single other death &C.
CURED in that house during the season.
There was not any loop-hole wherein to
hang even a suspicion that this mans
disease had been contracted anywhere out
of the limits of the city. No Glow, long
black-hulled schooner" had just arrived
from the West Indies, to afford an easy
solution of how yellow fever had attacked
a deniZen of Savannah. The house was
a mechanics boarding house. A great pam
ic ensued, but l am yet to learn that any
boarder contracted the disease from this
case"
In 1876 we find the same cry of impor-
tation through shipping as the cause or
origin of the epidemic, loudly pressed upon
our people and through the press by out
side physicians, and especially Dr. Nc
Clellan, a representative of the marine ser
vice. The mayor of the city in his testi-
mony before the board of health shows
plainly that he did not believe it to have
been so brought, he said: mo cases of
yellow fever on vessels arriving here were
brought to my official notice; the quaran-
tine was in force and vessels from infected
ports were kept in quarantine. Some were
detained so long that the Spanish consul
became impatient and made complaint
about the delay" DIR. Mcfarland, health
and quarantine officer, emphatically says:
II don't believe yellow fever was brought
here at ALL
DIR. Duncan's opinion is thus expressed:
II have no doubt that the local conditions
of the city were favorable to the spread
of the disease and think that the malarial
element prevailed to a great extent dur
ing the epidemic"
The last epidemics of genuine yellow
fever occurred in New Orleans ana in
Philadelphia and many other places in
1858; in Savannah in 1854, and died out in
Norfolk in 1855. Excepting the few out
breaks which occurred in North and
South Carolina, in Louisiana and Texas.
before, during and after the war, no seri-
Gus epidemic of yellow fever again oc-
Cured until 1878, when it broke out in
Savannah In modified form, the inter
mittent and remittent type, mixed with
malarial fevers predominating. In 1873 70
the disease spread over the Mississippi
valley, New Orleans and Memphis suf-
fering a considerable loss of life there
from. Since that time there have been a
number of outbreaks, none deserving the
name of epidemic yellow fever inasmuch
as the malarial element greatly predomi-
mated.
Northern cities that were subject to
visltations of yellow fever epidemics sue
ceeded in Kidding themselves of the
scourge by the careful drainage of the
low lands surrounding them and by CIV
ing greater attention to public hygiene.
Boston was the first one to adopt this
method and they succeeded in Kidding
themselves of yellow fever and of the
quarantine of long detention as early as
1905
The city of Portsmouth, ~ H., Provi-
dence, and Newport RI, New London.
and Wilmington, Del, having followed
this good example, had no return of the
dread disease. Baltimores civil authori-
ties, needing the recommendations of her
medical men, instituted and enforced san
itary measures by which the foothold of
yellow fever was destroyed and at the
same time removed quarantine restrlc-
tions on persons and vessels ever since
1919, and this was done in New York in
1922 Philadelphia, then the seat of medl-
cal learning, was also the battle-ground,
wherein the partisans of quarantine
fought their desperate battles and sue
ceeded in keeping the municipal au-
thorities from carrying on the necessary
works of drainage and sewerage and en-
forcing other sanitary measures. To this
may be attributed the great prediction
yellow fever had for that city. 1t was
so evident that the last epidemic in 1853
was due to this neglect that radical sani-
tary measures were at once instituted and
carried out, and yellow fever has never
occurred there since. j. c. lie hardy.
March 6, 1897.