The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-10


Cases at Biloxi Being Yellow Fever
New Orleans. September S.-when
the board OF health met tonight. DR..
Oliphant had no additional cases to re-
port To that body as having occurred
in New Orleans and was able TO say
that the local situation had vastly inn
| proved and that there were no pres
| ent prospects of evil resulting from
the death Of the Gelpi children. The
| public pulse here is vastly stronger
and New Orleans is almost ready to
| declare that it has had a scare for
nothing. DR.. Oliphant and his stan
| have slept but little in the past seven
| ty-six hours and have fairly honey
| cOmbed the city for suspicious cases Of
! fever without result.
| Deep interest has naturally been felt
| here in the outcome of the examina-
| ton of DR.. Guiteras, who arrived at
Ocean Springs this morning. Under in
structions from the superintendent of
the Louisville and Nashville, DR. Gui-
teras was put off in the woods a couple
OF lies from Ocean Springs. 1t was
not long thereafter before the doctor
ran up against the quarantine trocha,
and the distinguished visitor had to
fully establish his identity before he
was permitted to run the line. On his
arrival in Ocean Springs. DR.. Guiteras
went Immediately to work and in per-
son investigated a number of cases OF
the prevailing sickness. He found only
two cases, it is said, that deserve the
term doubtful or suspicious and in an
swer to an inquiry he said he hoped to
be able to wire the result of his exami
nation to Washington this evening. In
the meantime correspondent will rec
Ommend to the city that he learned
from a source that could not be doubt
ed that DR.. Guiteras, after his exami-
, nation, had not been entirely convinced
that any yellow fever has existed or
does exist in Ocean Springs.
The local physicians are not prepared
to say what effect an opinion by DR..
Guiteras counter to that expressed by
the four experts, who declared the
cases they investigated as yellow fever,
would have. A thorough canvass of
| the wards Of Ocean Springs, completed
| late this evening, shows there have
| been 74S cases of the prevailing fever
| since July Sth. There are now thirty
seven still sick. The total deaths have
been nine and in several instances ply
| sicains' certificates show the fever was
| complicated with other diseases. There
| are believed to have been only two
| deaths due to yellow jack. At the sug-
| gestion OF DR.. Cant. every house
| where there has been sickness or there
| is now is being fumigated.
| Final arrangements to handle the
Biloxi and Ocean Springs mail were
| completed today. The railroad mana
gers sent over a mail crane today and
| the pouch will be taken by trains both
ways after the bags have been fumi-
| gated.
| After DR.. Guiteras has completed his
| investigation, a quarantine detention
station will be established. Those who
are not ill, will be detained at the sta
ton until they are considered worthy
| to be given clean bills of health, and
| will then be permitted to go to their
| homes. There are sixty-five residents
of New Orleans who are tied up at
| Ocean Springs anxious to get away and
some fifteen from other points.
There is a law in Mississippi against
| the violation of quarantine laws. Usu-
ally in yellow fever epidemics, how
| ever an unwritten law, enforced by the
shot gun, obtains, and that is the law
| which is now in effect about Ocean
| Springs and Biloxi.
Biloxi people are not absolutely con-
vinced that the fever there is
yellow jack. DR.. Harralson has 30
pronounced the cases, but when he has
| completed his investigation at Ocean
Springs, DR.. Guiteras will be asked to
visit Biloxi and determine positively
| whether or not DR.. HarralsOn has cor
| rectly diagnosed the disease. What
| ever the fever is, it has had a good ef-
feet, for on all hands residents are
carrying into effect Mayor HOwards
| recommendation to put their homes in
proper sanitary condition and to alb
stain from congregating anywhere in
| crowds.
This morning the three patients at
Biloxi were doing well, and it was
thought they would recover. Their
homes have been completely isolated
and thoroughly disinfected.
Some $50 people were brought to New
| Orleans by the morning trains from
| the coast. There We're very few pas
| sengers on the evening trains and both
Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis have
| been depopulated so far as summer Wis
| itors are concerned.
| All coast trains on the Louisville and
| Nashville were discontinued today and
| through trains will do whatever local
| business is necessary, while special
| is always al the disposal Of the officials
who are enlisted in the government
service to stamp out the fever at Biloxi
| and Ocean Springs.
| Baton Rogue. the state capital, Is the
latest town to declare quarantine. Bus
mess men who had shipment to make
| by express TO the state capital this ev-
! ening, learned that orders had been is
sued not to let the New Orleans trains
| stop there and the express people had
been further instructed that they would
not be permitted TO toss Off packages as
the train went flying through Baton
| Rogue. Even the afternoon papers
| were tabooed and the publishers mott
fed that their papers could not be de-
| liyered at the capital
No Yellow Ever in MonsEomsry