The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-09-08
Yellow Feyerin New0rIeans.

/, New Orleans, Sept. 6.-The Louis
lana State board of health kept faith
with its siste-- bodies of the south and
the rest of the country this afternoon
when it made official announcement
as result of a careful autopsy that
Raoul Gelpi, Is years old, had died of
yellow fever. Gelpi was the son of
prominent people here and had been
spending some time at Ocean Springs.
where be was taken down with fever
and brought here. Soon after arriv-
ing, despite the best medical atten-
ton. he died. Dr. Theard. the physi.
cion in charge. Immediately reported
to the board of healeh and expressed
the opinion that d&sth was due to
yellow fever lais afternoon an
autopsy proved that Dr.. Theard's
idea Of yellow fever was correct.
Steps were promptly taken to pre-
vent a possible spread of the dis
ease.
As the case was one of importa-
ton, the doctors expressed confidence
that they would be able to check the
spread Of the disease
The death of young Gelpl natural
" caused no little excitement in the
city. Phyicians, however. expressed
no apprehension and state their be
lief that it was quite possible to ar
rest a spread of the fever. The
board during the day had ordered
rigid quarantine against all points on
the gulf coast and had taken every
precaution to guard communication
against the entry into the city of any
person from Ocean Springs, Biloxi or
other points on the sound, which it
was thought the fever might reach.
During the day the bulletin boards
had been thronged about, the board
of health Office besieged and the
Western Union wires freighted with
messages to and from the various
coast resorts. In the meantime,
however reassuring telegrams arrived
rom Ocean Springs that the Miss
sippi board of health had taken every
precaution possible to circumscribe
the limits of the epidemic and pre-.
vent it's communication to the outside
world. We have no fear, said Dr..
Walmsley, acting president Of the
board of health. that the fever will
spread in New Orleans The board
of health is prepared to spend mil
lion dollars to stamp it out and we see
no reason to feel alarmed. People
ought not to get frightened. This
one case was taken charge Of in time,
and such scientific famigation has
been applied as 70 warrant the hope
that we shall promptly and effectively
stamp out the disease We have
made arrangements to issue to night
circular to every practicing pbysi.
clan in New Orleans. commanding
him promptly to report to the board
of health every suspicious case of
fever. We have made arrangements
TO act promptly in every case and if
unfortunately, other cases of yellow
fever shall be brought to our atten-
ton, we shall without delay notify
the world through the Associated
Press of the facts.
There have been at least four cases
in addition to the Geipi one. ofpeople
suffering from fever, who have come
to New Orleans from Ocean Springs.
Ten of the most prominent physicians
Of New Orleans have been pressed
into service, and we give the closest
attention to each of these cases. In
every instance meteorological examin-
atoms showed the existence only of
malarial germs and no evidence IF
yellow fever microbes l am well
within the truth, therefore when I say
the Gelpi case is the only one Of yel-
low fever in New Orleans up to the
present time, and l am sure we have
the city fully covered