The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-21
THE PANIC IN MOBILE.
As PICTURED BY MIR. It. c. DELEON,
THE NOVELIST.


VIII he an Epidemic-The Origin
of the Diseasc-SOme Interesting
Facts.
The most vivid picture Of the panic and
desolation which the shadow of the yellow
death has already wrought in Mobile, says
Mondays Atlanta Constitution, is that
drawn by Mr.. T. c. DeLeon, the famous
southern novelist and writer, himself fresh
from the plague-stricken city.
He left Mobile early yesterday morning,
reaching Atlanta tired, hungry and dusty
yesterday afternoon at 4:So O'Clock. He
sees a dark picture behind him in any view
of the case. He sees impending a terrible
epidemic which ne does not believe the
skill and watchfulness of the experts can
prevent He sees, even if the awful visi-
tation be averted, money damage to that
section which grows appalling when stated
in dollars and cents. He believes it win
strike from that section the prosperity
of twenty-five years and put it back 10
where it stood at the end of reconstruc-
ton.
When seen last night Mr.. DeLeon said:
THE fever and the scare are both there,
the scare, happily, at this moment more in
evidence than the fever but both in New
Orleans and Mobile as well as at several
points between them on the coast, fever
has established itself in positive form and
seems to be moving toward epidemic form.
Your kilograms have already given detail,
but I may say generally that the disease
this year has so far proved of milder type
than heretofore. In Mobile we have had to
date twentynine cases in all, with three
deaths. This ratio of 10 per cent. is not
large, and it includes the
the disease was in doubt All
sorts of theories and tracers have been
used to locate the origin of this years
epidemic-for such it doubtless will be in
the stricken cities The proof seems to
settle that the seeds We're first sowp in
Ocean Springs, a small summer resort
about midway between New Orleans and
Mobile. Thence it spread to Biloxi, Scran-
ton and other Mississippi points, commu-
nication being easy and general, and
many families visiting these resorts on
Sunday and holiday trains. Thus the fe-
yer germs We're spread all over the coast
cities, and into interior Mississippi even
before people knew of one case. There
was a supposed epidemic of dengue fever
at Ocean Springs. Dengue is first cousin
(and seemingly heir apparently of yellow
jack. Most past epidemcs of the latter,
began with "a mild epidemic of dengue.'
This rule seems to have been followed
this year. The Alabama, Louisiana and
Mississippi state health board visited
Ocean Springs diagnosed the growing ep-
idemic and stuck to the mild type of
dengue' theory. Then Mobile, not being
in good sanitary condition for lack of
sewerage and paving, grew uneasy in her
recollection of the loss and setbacks of
past vicissitudes. DR.. Sanders, Alabama
health officer, again went down to Ocean
Springs, this time accompanied by DR..
Rhett Goode Of the Mobile board and DR.,
Eugene Wasdin of the United States hos
pital service They asked conference with
Louisiana, and DR.. Oliphant and his ex-
perts and chemists from New Orleans met
them, did the Mississippi board"
Briefly, the doctors differed, as often
before, Mobile claiming a marked type of
yellow fever Immediately Surgeon Gen
eral Wyman sent to the scene DR.. John
Guiteras, a noted expert. He confirmed
Wasdins diagnosis, and a siege of yellow
jack had to be prepared for in hurry
The misfortune was that the door was
locked, both in New Orleans and Mobile,
after the pale horse with yellow death on
him and got in and ambled gayly about.
For-whether Ocean Springs grew her own
crop of fever germs or got them from Gu
ban refugees-it Is about proved that
New Orleans and Mobile and interior
points got their fever from Ocean Springs.
A company was playing at a suburban rec
Wyatt was taken suddenly i'll. On Sept.
2 he died, after three days of fever; dag
nosis being 'uremic COMMISSIONS
Ten days later the first case of yellow
fever was buletined by the Mobile board.
To date there have been twenty-nine cases
and three deaths, but it was not until the
boards first declaration that any man
fever, or that any one remembered that he
had been at Ocean Springs. Now, the
Whole consensus of belief traces the Mo-
bile epidemic to him. True, there may be
other fact of contagion from the coast
towns not yet traced, or even traceable:
but New Orleans board experts positively
state that the fever now there came from
the same source
do you believe it will be a serious cpl
demic?'
Terribly serious in it's results upon the
new grown prosperity of that section be-
yond all shadow of doubt" was the en-
phatic answer. 81 prefer not to hazard
any guess about the medical side of the
question. On that experts differ widely.
DR. Guiteras has from the first asserted
we would have a severe epidemic: many
local experts believe the disease can be
held in check. But, as to its business Sc
riousness l have no hesitancy in saying
that l believe the damage already done
has set the south back twenty-five years.
We We're on the edge of a great boom all
along the line Now we are at a dead
standstill and cannot move until after a
killing frost, probably until after the first
freeze, if the fever is general When we
do move we will have refrigerated to the
edge of reconstruction days. This is cold
truth; and ! do no harm in telling now
what our people will all realize long before
any resumption of now dead business can
possibly occur, No city with one case Of
fever-none with even suspicious vicnage
to that plague-can do business with
any other. Trade travel, even mail COM
munication ceases; quarantine and self
preservation becomes the sole business of
life. Nothing comes from outside, and
all is paralyzed within. Labor finds no
demand and retail trade (save for bare
food and medic mel is strangulated. For
example yesterday l could send no pack
/ &nMs> MOTHERS /