The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-07
YELLOW JAMAICA
1IxTY CASES IN KINGSTON AND A
THIRD OF THEM FATAL.
psprehen.lbie Efforts TO suppress the New" 80
as Not TO rriure tho Tourist and Fruit
Trades-Our Consul sends lie WARNING
o.,ca The ounrnntinc-DIsens Spreading.

u.preheusIbio Enorts 10 suppress tho News 10
as Not 60 friure the Tourist ana fruit
Trades-Our Consul sends Us WARNING
pence the observation-disclosures sprendinG.
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Sept. 2s.- elbow teVer
has broken out in this island, and, notwlth-
standing tho efforts Of the medical authorities,
the disease is rapidly spreading. Creoles and
foreigners have alike bcen attacked, and the
oolored population has not, as in previous out
breaks. been exempt. Tho FIRST suspicious
case occurred n few weeks ago, and tho cause
nj death was certified as malarial fever. The
mysterious foyer spreading rapidly, tho au'
thorities took steps TO allay suspicion, and the
Government medical officers denied that the
disease was the dreaded yellow jack. Tho
newspapers in a semi-oficial communication
ware asked to refrain from publishing any
pews items In regard to the disease, and a
similar embargo was placed on the foreign
newspaper correspondents in this city. These
efforts to suppress the news were made in order
that the winter tourist season might not suffer
and to prevent the imposition of a quarantine.
which would, for the present, practically ruin
the fruit trade.
The American Consul was assured that while
thero was one case Of yellow fever in the city
Of Kingston It was Of Q mild type, and no danger
Of the disease spreading was to DO feared. Mr..
Eckford, the then Consul, accordingly Endorsed
3he usual bills Of health. but added the clause:
tSs arrival SHSe q Of idi.oT Louis sSs'i 4. Dent, The present
we're aroused, and taking tho Government
tuted private inquiries with the result that be-
fore no had even reached the end Of his search
az had H fEeo action I'll ov or t thiss Sssss II nn' Ss Ss'S q
prompt cable to the state Department at Wash
ington, resulting in the quarantining of all YES:
The action OF the Government in endeavorins
TO stiae the matter, and its laxity In regard to
hation here. and it Is felt that q better course
would have been to have given full publicity to
The ,o outSr ress. What ! Ssvs the been consequences aSS u M o,t to
have taken steps to check the spread Of the dis.
ease. !.
gases now in the city at sixty. Of which there
has been about 80 per cent. OF deaths, The
SnSsr is pr rspialy co spSfissinsll i sas It as rs f Se dan tns fe
check It. Medical men say that never in their
experience have the climatic conditions been SO
ing the past few days. a young ,oyerseer on
S Sns Of Of the a ]ssS oidneI if s tie & En- hiiaEEli h9ms, % Hna
Kingston q few days prior to the sailing Of the
north side Of the island via America, but de-
termined to go from Kingston in order that he
s &hisn eit ss' E00 thFsse q days US af rs9f Fl; arrival MrH Gf he ie
he was dead and buried.
Another case was tnat OF q young English
man named Shaw, who arrived here to take
charge of a soda water factory. On the Friday
died, after two days illness. This case illus
trates peculiarly the extraordinary action of
the Government. Up to the last the medical
officers denied that he had yellow fever. When
he died no one was notified, and although his
employers had signifed their Willingness to bear
any expense connected with the case, his body
was hurried from the public hospital in the
early morning to the cemetery and buried in a
pauper's grave.
The most virulent attacks of the disease are
Mt Park Camp. among the European soldiers.
Officers and men are in a state bordering on
panic. The fever is said to have spread also
e New Castle, the army station in the hills.
There Is little doubt that other parts of the isl
and besides Kingston are affected, and 1t is
feared that few Of the seaports are escaping the
visitation.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 6.-Louis A. Dent, Consul
1t Kingston, Jamaica, telegraphed the State
Department to-day that W. J. Scanlan. special
agent at San Antonio. Jamaica. had died there
of yellow fever. Mr.. Scanlan was n son OF Mi
chael Seaman, formerly manager of the Wash
Ington Baseball Club. He went to Jamaica
with Mr.. Dent Q month ago.