The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-10-15
THE BLOCKADE In TEXAS
REPORTS OF YELLOW FEVER
CAUSE ALMOST A PANIC

RAILWAY franc In oOutucIu dh~
Texas Almost Entirely suspended-Estab-
lishing shotguu Qu~arantine-No Abats-
,eent of the Disease I'm New Orleans.
Spreading TO the Chief Residence Portion
OF City
Houston, Texas, October 12.-The city
woke I'D this morning to find itself In
quarantine. with the declaration OF state
Health Officer Swearingen, based on the
statement of DR.. Guiteras, that four
cases of yellow fever existed here. The
nublic schools were not opend and this
fact created some alarm. Few trains left
town and all were well filled. The cases
have been promptly isolated. City health
officers today carefully investigated sew
eral cases called to their attention by
physicians, but pronounced all OF them
dengue. No trains are running now ex-
cept one between here and Galveston.
Austin. Texas, October 12.-The most
serious situation now confronting the
people CT Texas is the almost complete
blockading of travel, owing to the yel-
low fever scare. Many trains on an AZ
principal lines have been abandoned ana
local lines have stopped running enurely.
Both divisions of the Houston ana leXds
Central, and the Southern Pacl1ic are
tied I'D most effectually tonight, NOT a
single wheel moving, save, in the ex-
IRENE northern portion of the state.
Every small town in the state Is rapidly
organizing shot gun q~uarahtlhes SO tra,ho
cannot stop, except at the big cities. The
situation in the entire state Is nlgniy
panicky and the feeling IS che OF grow
ing alarm and apprehension. BY tornor-
row night. unless the situation Is soon
relieved the entire southern and central
norton of the state will be practically
without any railroad facilities, as all
trains will be stopped.
N1obiIo Ala nct0hpr ~ -Threp new
cases of yellow fever were brought to
light in the past tw~entyfour hours. NO
deaths have occurred in the past forty
eight hours. The record is: Total cases
to date 129, deaths 20, discharged ",
under treatment 81. There are three more
cases reported on the steamer Kate, lying
at Magazine point, three miles aoove .n ne
city. A hospital will be establIsned
there by the quarantine board of Mobile
bay and the ship disinfected. The fever
is making it's greatest progress along the
centre of the residence, a portion or tne
city in the Broad street and the spring
Hill avenue districts, but still it is not
at the ratio noted at the beginning of the
outbreak. while the virulence of the dis
ease has not notably increased.
New Orleans, October 12.-The fever
situation grew no worse here today; but
at the same time thee is no rift yet
showing through the clouds and the
promise is not bright for an immediate
re-opening of the avenues of industry.
Daylight had hardly come this morning
before three OedlnS mao DeSu dHIlOuICeu,
but no other fatalities had gone down on
the books when night fell. The cases to-
day are, as usual widely scattered and
have increased somewhat the total num-
Der Of cases under treatment, but at the
same time there have been a large num-
Der of cases discharged today and the
death percentages has suffered a fall.
Today'S record is: Deaths 3, new
cases %.
There has been for some time a general
impression that the fever was confined
solely to the houses OF the poor; but 1t
has likewise found it's way into the
houses of the rich and from handsome
mansions today on Jackson avenue and
other fine residences th~oroughfares the
ugly red and yellow flags hang. OF the
new cases those of Mrs. Hunter c. Leake,
wife of the general agent of the Illinois
Central road; of James r.. Anderson. a
eastern houses ana of Mrs. Eakin, wife Of
the superintendent of the standard Oil
Company, are said to be of a somewhat
mild type. These are the most prOminent
cases reported today.
Houston, Texas, October 1.-Two more
cases were today placed under %surveil-
lance by the board of health as being of
and will be guarded. There was a long
drawn out meeting of the board of health
tonight at which the following bulletin
was prepared:
The respect which we entertain for
the great authority Of DR.. Guiteras will
prompt us to watch the development of
the prevailing disease with the utmost
vigilance and mindful Of our duty to the
people, we promise to make specific re-
ports when ever the occasion requires.
We have at present two cases at the
house of Judge E. P. Hamblin, under
special observation, the result Of which
observation we shall report as soon as we
are able to arrive at a positive cOnclu-
sion. We have not yet had an oppor-'
tunity of examining the cases reported
by DR.. Guiteras but will do so at the
earliest profitable moment"
Biloxi, Miss, October 12.-The board of
health reports: Yellow fever under
treatment 8. new cases IL, no deaths to-
day, total yellow fever to date 324, total
yellow fever deaths 13.
Scranton reports II new cases today,
but no deaths. Weather rainy.