The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-26
ing and Havana was brilliantly illumi-
mated last night.
FIGHTING YELLOW JACK.
Details Of the Situation in
the Neighborhood
Of Santiago.

dred yellow fever cases here and at the
front today. There will be one thousand
if we are here two weeks longer"
This was the prediction made this after
noon by DR.. Sem, the government yellow
fever expert, who, with DR.. Guiteras, is
looking after the health of the Army in
that particular line. The bolt Of fever
has fallen out Of an apparently clear
sky. Three cases were discovered four
days ago. There were twenty the next
night. Now there are two hundred. Dr.
Senns estimate of one thousand in two
weeks seems conservative in the face OF
these figures.
DR.. Guiteras said today
II cannot say that the fever is of a mild
type; but, there has been only one death
so far, though there have been two cases.
of suppression and two of black vornft,
symptoms suppose to mark only the last
stages Of desperate case. All four of
these, however, seem to be doing well.
The usual course in an epidemic is mild
beginning with low death rate, followed
by more violent cases, more of them and
q higher mortality: then a gradual de-
clille, both in the number of cases and
their violence. / should say that
in this campaign we VIII have an appar-
entity lower death rate than usual but, it
will be because we will get nearer to
true figures than in/an epidemic IN large
city Here every<suspic case viii be.
carefully noted and it viii be practically
impossible for even mild case to escape
detection. In a city many Of these light
cases are not reported and are set down
to malarlal fever hence the yellow fever
death rate being taken from among allly
The more violent cases IS made 10 appear
higher in proportion to the number Of
cases than ii really Is 1t canno- be de-
nied that there will be great suffering,
but the detention camp is being put N the
best possible order and the men will re-
ceive the best treatment possible.
1t seems hard 10 reasiz While lying here
in the shade Of the white tents above the
beach, with the cool ocean breeze teln-
stretching seward and the white break
OF the waves at the foot of the cliffs,
that one is in the midst of a post camp,
that there are two hundred men sick
with one of the most dreaded tropic cpl
denies within a radius OF a few miles,
and that hundreds. perhaps thousands.
more will fail under the poisonous spell
that for centuries has lain Ike an en-
chanter's curse over this seemingly fav-
ored land. Yet such is the case.
Down IN the little half-mo0n harbor al
the foot of the bluff there are dozens of
transports and war vessels. hospital
ships and tenders enough shipping for a
town of $1,000 Inhabitants. The beach.
were it cleared of tents and commiss3fy
stores, might be a miniature Ostend or
Long Branch with its white sand and
splendid surf From four to five hun
dred feet high on either hand rise great
limestone cliffs, cave riddled and vefdure
clad while in the throat Of the narrow
valley opening from the beach 10 Hhe FER
tile country island, the steep slopes are
featllered with eoeoanut trees and ban
The whole country rises in terrace for
nation Hike the hanging gardens that
Babylon's S monarch built to charm his
mountain-reared queen. On one OF these,
too far away to be made out In detail
without a glass Is q cluster OF White,
airy villas, Jurag guaclta, Little Jaragua;,,
the tiny mountain metropolis OF which
the present fever camp was once the
port. Above and around it, filling the
vista beyond the, pass, the terraces rise
forest smothered to be rugged. The noun
tain sides melt from green to blue in the
distance and their sharp peaks disappear
in pillows of milky clouds that fashion
themselves in fantastic pictures against
the deep blue of the upper sky or in the
afternoon. perhaps, form suddenly in
valley in a sharp gust of rain thai clears
as quickly as ii came. making way fer
more sunshine. The flying fish breaking
cover like partridges where the GOlphins
chase them seaward. fret the blue waters
like a sudden gust of wind and the pink
nautilus boat makes shipwreck in the
tainly does not look on the surface like
the home of pestilence and the hearth
stone of the yellow death. But tie seeds
were sown here long ago and w rap where
we did not sow.
This IS not pretended to be criticism,
but here are a few of the facts.
The marines landed at Guantanamo
Bay more than a month ago. almost
month before the army reached Cuba.
The first official act of the landing party
was to burn every hut on the beach and
knock the head out of every cask of
Spanish wine. After the baptism of fire
camp was pitched and rigidly policed.
The Cuban allies came and camped with
the marines but they were made to obey
the rules of the camp. The marine camp
is not so large as that of the army, Its
men have not penetrated so far inland,
but they have been exposed to almost
as much ahrdship as the army and there
has not been a case of yellow fever in
camp. Rigid quarantine is now maintain-
ed against Juragua and the medical Of
ficers of Camp McCalla say that with
the help of God and sanitary precau-
tions they will have nc. fever.
The landings at Baiquiri and Juragua
were made almost month later There
were many men to be handled the IA
eilities were limited and tn landings were
made in great haste No building was
dug Several of the enthusiastic young
aides seized on pretty vine-clad cottages
as HEADQUARTERS for their respective gem
erals. The Spanish eom1nissary flour
destroy when he evacuated Juragua, was
gathered and used by our men when they
were thrown to the front on half rations.
The Spanish was bottled by the Medical
Department for use as stimulants and
part of it at least can from observation
be said to have fallen into the hands of
the men. Cubans and Americans filed in
to the empty houses of the town without
inquiry as to their antecedents
Major La Garde, in: charge of the beach
hospital did recommend earnestly on
landing that every building ashore be
burned. Major Wood and Colonel Pope,
it is understood, both endorsed this, but
the recommendation seems to have gone
by default The camp was established In
the heart of the Spanish town and the
first yellow fever case was that of Burr
Mcintosh the actor and newpaperman,
who had been sleeping at General Bates
headquarters in one of the pretty Vine
Icovered cottages aforesaid.
| DIR. Lesser and his wife, Sister Betina.
| the New York workers of the Red Cross,
were both taken to the yellcw fever camp
Yesterday from one of these lovely YER
| dure- -bedecked pest houses. Another Red
I Cross nurse shared the same fate.
After the fever was discovered the
other day every effert was made to check
| it and stamp ii out but the camp was
already pitted with it. Cases were taken
! out Of the surgical wards of the hospital
| tents out of the officers tents, General
| Duffield being one of the victims and now
| in tho general camp Of detention. One
| the Secretary Of War, is now in quaran-
| tine having tended General Duffield be-
| fore the latter was a suspect. IT is NOT
| thought, however. that Alger is likely to
| develop the disease.
| Since the cases developed here at the
| beach hospital, they have begun to come
/ in from the front, six miles away, with
startling swiftness The men, worn down
| with hard work. hard fighting and repeat