Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-07-20
RIPE FOR AN EPIDEMIC.
Santiago. Naturally a Fever Center,
Now a Nerltable Pest Hole.
(.QdEI3alaI EQl

SANTIAGO. JULY Is. VIA KING
STON. July -Noon.-General Shat
ter has had thorough examination
made Q: the sanitary condition of San
uago. The work was done by DR.
Goodfellow. of the generals staff. and
ny Il civilian physician. Or Orlando
D"lkeT They find that although there
are at present but six cases of yellow
FEVER IN the city. in addition to two
suspects. the town is ripe for an epi
demic. Santiago and Rio Janeiro are
considered the greatest fever breeding
centers in the world This town lacks
every sanitary feature at it's best. and
now. after two months siege. leaving
!. ulr,y ana repel]ant. i: is a veritable
pest mole The awful stencils that
arise from the streets stagrer ana
choke one. ''''
. The city of Santiago is a typical ,rop
i:al place with narrow crooked
streets and low one-s'oried dwellings
ana stores. Many of ti.c houses are
succeed and painted with startling
colors. sky blue ana vivid shades of
greet prednminating. These with the
RED s1les of the roofs and the quaint
verandas. show evidence of past pic
turesqueness. but everything is now in
=. state OF dilapidation and decay, ana
the city is but a shadow of it's former
sell. The majority of the houses are
absolute rims. and public squares. once
green with fountains playing in their
centre. are now neglected. But here
ana there. through the open doors Of
more pretensIuus dwellings,. on. ,n.ets
WITH inc vision Of AN open court filled
Win palms, bfliliut-Lued pouchianos
ana other Towering trees ana plants
IL is like brief glimpses Of a happy past
ions gone.
The city drainage is all from tn. sur
lace INTO the harhor, and the lower
part OF the city, through which much
OF the drainage runs and especially
poor quarter around the bull ring to
the northwest Of the city, is a seeding
centre or malaria, Typhoid and other
low fevers.
There are other hospitals in the city.
me IN civil hospital presided over NV m.
nislers OF Charity, and the A1iiit.rv
mercedes and Conchas bospitnis -,
these hospitals are 1747 patients wbicr
~, comparatively small number. con
sldering the lack of food and long sisna
1t must be remembered that ~. r..,,e,,
cenlrados We're never admitted ia ~,
hospitals, and when the notifica tions Of
the proposed bombardment by our bat
lerles We're received every patient who
Streets ~ III
twenty lepers who were in the civil
hospital were turned into the streets
ana they have been roaming ever since
The largest number of patients are in
me military hospital where there are
49, - 'S'S'l Nouldcu spanish O1flcerS
ANA AL wounded soldiers and sailors
In addition To these are hundreds nf
cases of niai;iria and dysintery and six
cases of yellow fever
'ihe sailors were wounded In the bat
tie of July and .. They were disem-
harked from the ships OF Admiral Ger
vera in order 10 assist in resisting the
attack of the American troops by land
These sailors say that when the Span
iSh fleet sailed out of the harbor half
If he sailors ana marines on board
had been lighting and working in the
trenches ashore for forty-eiEht hours
previously Admiral Cerrern, they also
assert. sacrificed his fleet in obedience
70 the popular clamor. both in Spain
ana in Nuba. including Santiago. that
he should give battle to the American
fleet ST.. ."a.-"