The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-02-08
PLAGUE IN lEW YORK.
RutlI5riittiies D. Not Fear Importation
Bubonic Germs.
FEW VESSELS ARRIVE FROM INDIA
AND INFECTED DISTRICTS.

TO Europe Hheh IL "o"i~ DO -'A'o
Easily Com municated 20 This Country.
New York, FEB. 6-The health author
tiles Of this port do not fear any importa-
ton of the germs of the buhonic plague
which is now devastating India, but,
like many of the seaport cities OF
hurope, they. have adopted precautionary
measures to meet thesemergency should
it arise. Vessels from India ana the IL
fectad Asiatic districts, arrive mere IN
camnarativeIy small numbers, two or
Tires arrivals in the month DeinR hpouO
III. average, and these are all freighters.
Owing 90 the long voyagesand the short
,,t-io,: ri iuoubatiou of the bub0nio FEVER
germs. il isgregarded as almost next TO
ttnnosgible for the plague to lie Drou2nt
here. Even if an infected ship started,
the disease makes such headway thaD IL
w0ald have worked Itself OUT iong belole
tas7 arrival here, Many cases have ot-
c,Irrea in Bombay where victims nave
ffipfl within three hours after being at
tsosyed bys the plague. An Infected person
fseis fine effects of the fever almost i'm
Inedistelv. the disease germs working
wSth the speed Of poisonous drug.
IL TAXES a tramp steamship forty days
o- mora to make the voyage between
Prn1bay and New York, and sailing
vessel consumes 100 days on the trip. For
this reason it is regarded rs extremely
unlikely that thu Infection could be
hronrht direct from Indian ports. The
only danger is in the plague being car
ried to Europe. when the posi- nlilty 81 i ,l
Spreading to this country would be
greater IT,
Everything has. been made READY aS tne
Quarantine Station to meet any susplc-
tons ship, and, If necessary, every trans
atlantic steamer and sailer could pc
thoroughly fumigated, passengers, crew
and. cargo. without serious loss OF uinie.
Much was learned by the Quarantine
officials by the cholera scare in Septem-
her of 1899. when several of the Hamburg
steamers brought cases OF the pestllence
into port. At that time all the suspected
vessels we're held in quarantine Tor at
least fourteen days, the period OF lncupe-
tion of cholera disease germs.
Disinfecting the ships, the cargo, the
messengers and crew was cons1dera PIE. 81
a task. owing ossinadeq uate fac'htles;.
Tihe reopls badgeo be landed sd enc OF
the ouarantiGe islands "a We lower bay
and the whole ship had to be oyerhau!ed.
Now -Ie-. a. II. Doty, the Hehlth Omcer
.sses the port has a syseem whien WILL 90
the work in short order.
A small sidewheel steamboat has been
equipped with complete dlslnfectlng
D1ant. and should an infected vessel ar
rive the sssiek boat will steam out TO
her and meet hsr in the lower hay. where
every one on board will be put through
fumigat:ng process:
actions to zthe Quarantine boat. where
two ducrs lead from the after deck INTO
Dort ana starboard cabins. The women
will 90 into the one on the left and the
men into the one on the right. In these
Rams tiaey will take of every stltcn OF
flotbing, In the front part of each OF
fl,c- doors. one
oneDing on a passage In which there 1s
n large tray, and the other opening into
= bathroom The clothing they take or
will be put on the tray. and Fthe owners
wilI.go on TO the bath rocmso IN each bath
room there are four compartments, each
compartment containing shower bath.
The water used in thess baths will be
salt, and taken directly from ths bay
being pumped fresh as 1T is used. The
hold OF the boat will be full of fresh
water, and douse with fresh water will
come after the salt water bath.
Tie equipment in the bath room is SO
completes that ten persons can be bathed
every ten minutes. When they are
through with their bath the men will
don paiamas and the women woolen
robes. and they will pass on into dressing
rooms which adjoin tho bath rooms.
Between the women's bathroom and
the mems bathroom is the disinfecting
with steam pipes that give either dry
or a moist heat Of from 2a0 to $50 degree.
When the clothing taken off in the dis
robing room Is put on the tray and tie
owners go for their baths, the tray will
be pushed forward into the.dis1nfectlng
chamber and the heat will be turned on.
No life can exist In that heat. The g3rm
OF NJ disssse can withstand 1T.
10 thoroughly tlisinfsct the clothing
will require about one hour, SO the ind1-
viduals, after their bath, will have to cit
around in their paiamas and their gowns
for forty or fifty minutes. The clothing
disinfeoted win he delivered from the
forward end OF the chamber and VIII be
carried to the owners in the dressing
rooms. After dressing they go out OF
the forward end Of the rooms on the
deck. After the passengers and crew are
hus attended to the bedding will be taken
from the ship and put in the disinfecting
chamber, where it will undergo the sans
treatment the clothing has received.
While tba individuals and the bedding
are being attended to the work of disin-
footing the ship itself will go on. The
two Gisinfeotants used ars bichlorlde and
sulphur. There is also tank fer the
purpose OF storing experimental disin-
feofents The bichloride tank ia in the
center Of the boat on the upper deck:
II Csc fitted with ball nozZles that will
cause the liquid under pressure to be-
cone spray will carry it to the ship. An
ordinary room can be thoroughly disln-
feotea in very few moments.
The sulphur is stored in a reservoir OH
the asboard side Of tho boat, and the
manner Of burning it is new. The ordi-
nary way to disinfect with sulphur is to
carry it around in trays or BUCKETS and
set it Cd fire. Here it will be fred by a
furnace. Tie upper part of the furnace
is flgted with trays in which the sulphur
is uaated The fire is below, and when
the heat Of the furnace reaches 400 de-
grses the sulphur will ignite. Then the
fire can be put out.
From the sulphur furnace there is a
galvanized iron pipe running across the
boat. On the port side of the boat is
great fan run by machinery, which will
furnish the suction necessary to draw the
sulphur fumes from the furnace and
ttlivo them through a hose into any part
CT the ship in which they are needed.
phus the work Of disinfeoting the ship
will re completed about the time that
tho disinfeoting Of the individuals and
Ihe. personal prof epty is completed.