The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-06-30

hy the iever ~Ae sovernmeus has been
assembling large bodies of troops. Dur
Ing the civil war there was an outbreak
ef yellow fever on board the u. .. s.
Relief ut the navy yard. Pensacola
She had been used as a store ship on
Ship island for more than year and
she was not even subjected to quaran.
tine regulations on her arrival at Pen.
sacola. The disease spread to the navy
yard and thence to the bomb feet
which had just come from the Missis.
sippi river. A large body Of troops was
encamped at Baruncas. To, protect
these troops, a Gordon sanitaire was es.
iablished between the camp and the
navy yard. and the camp was "policed''
or cleaned daily in the most thorough
manner. AS result Of these precau.
tions lot one of the soldiers caugh ht the
fever.
At this time, and in fact through eli
the civil war, there was rigid mill,
tary quarantine. The military authos.
i'ies also adopted r:gid sanitary regu.
iations, and though yellow Jack" was
epidemic more than once at Key West
and points on the Florida coast, New
Orleans was almost wholly free from
the disease from 1858 to 1867.
The vessels Of the feet were not so
fortunate. Sanitary conditions are no,
OF the best aboard battleships. They
are the hottest places on the hemi-
sphere in hot weather. Every inch of
room is sacrificed to coal, ammunition
and the steaming and fighting equip.
ment, and both officers and men are
crowded closely together. 1t was this
condition that made the feet Of iron.
clads and gunboats off New Orleans in
1864 breeding place for the disease.
"Filthiness. crowding, excessive hca,
and moisture, together with the stag.
nation of the local atmosphere of those
ovenlike boats. incident to anchorage
in fideless stream" were the reasons
given by the sanitary commission for
the fact that the fever ttacked 200 men
on 2' gunboats and ironIlads and killed
61 of them.
This suggests new danger TO the
fleet now gathered in southern waters.
The fever which attacked the fleet in
1864 was "unequivocally generated in a
large number of filthy and unventila ted
gunboats and other naval vessels living
idly at anchor" 1t was not brought to
them, but was generated in the ships
by reason Of the unsanitary conditions
existing on them. The modern ship of
war is cleaner than its forerunner, but
1t is no less hot and ill-ventilated. As
In the time of the civil war, the navy
is now acquiring many ships which
were not intended for naval service.
The men assigned to these vessels are
in greater danger from yellow fever.
probably, than from an attack of the
enemy.
The artillery men, however. may be
protected from Yellow Jack by com.
plete isolation. In 1864 blockade run.
ners from Havana brought yellow fever
10 Galveston. 1t became epidemic and
252 persons out of n population of $500
died from it. Four forts in the vicinity
of the town were garrisoned by confed-
crate troops. The officers in command
quarantined against the city. Flag.
stalls were put up quarter of a mile
from each fort and no person was al
lowed to pass them. Supplies, letters,
etc. were deposited at the quarantine
limit. and when the bearers had gone
away they were brought into tile fort
by band of men who were thoroughly
acclimated and who were kept wholly
apart from the other troops. These pre-
cautions saved the soldiers from the
..}a--9..
Quarantine regulations were put in
effect April l of this year Ga month be-
fore the usual time); but epidemcs Of
yellow fever seldom break ont before
july. and usually not until August or
September. If the trouble with Spain
is over before the really hot weather
sets in the United States has not much
to fear from the plague. Eut troops
sent to Cuba will undoubtedly suffer
from it even now, and unless extreme
precautions are taken they will bring
the germs of the disease back 1!,h
them. A rigid naval patrol all along
the coast and ceaseless vigilance by
the military authorities on shore will
be necessary-lesst TO keep the Span
lard from landing on American soil
than to shut out that greater enemy,
"Yellow Jack"
GRANT HAMILTON