The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-14
OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
Fourteen Cases of Yellow Fever Re-
ported ON the 11th Inst.

w WAS1lN11ON, July lo.-lnG war De-
partment this afternoon made the follow
ing statement concerning the condition of
things in the hospitals near Santiago:
"On the 18th of July telegram was re-
ceved from Lieutenant Colonel Pope, chief
surgeon of General Skaters army, inform
ing the surgeon general that there were
fourteen cases of yellow fever in the field
hospital which had been established for the
care of such cases. Since that time infor-
nation has been received that number of
additional cases have occurred. Every eff
fort will be made to arrest the progress of
the disease by the establishment of isolated
hospitals in which the sick will be treated
by immune surgeons and cared for by i'm
mune nurses
The war board discussed the matter at
the White House this afternoon, and later
there was a special meeting of the Cabinet
Steps were taken to control the disease. and
it is believed the fever will be prevented
from spreading.
The press reports of the burning of ST.
honey by the medical officers of the United
States army had depressing effect here on
the friends of the soldiers at the front in
Cuba. For long time it was impossible to
learn anything from any official source as
to the exact state of affairs at the head
quarters of the Fifth Army Corps, and this
reticence on the part of the officials had the
natural effect to increase the apprehension
Finally the fact was reluctantly admitted
that it was not certain that yellow fever
existed at Siboney, but the reports received
over night from the medical officers did not
state that there were fourteen suspicious
cases of fever. The fact that these cases
were almost entirely confined to members
of the quartermaster's department, team
sters and others, encouraged the officials
here to believe that the main body of the
army is not in danger from the disease, If
it should turn out to be yellow fever. 1t
cannot be said that the appearance of fever
at this stage would surprise the medical Of
ficers of the department. They made every
preparation science could suggest to protect
the American troops from the fever, but 1T
is fully realized that men working in
trenches half full of water, soaked for
twenty-four hours at a time in tropical
rains, recklessly disregarding the advice of
the medical corps in the matter of drinking
unboled water and eating large quantities
of tropical fruit, were certainly in some dam
ger of contracting disease If the same
should he existent in their neighborhood.
That the disease did exist in Santiago,
though never officially admitted. was known
at the front to their friends, and the exodus
from the city to the vicinity of Skaters
camp of eighteen thousand inhabitants
presumably for the most part in
destitute and filthy condition, would
afford ample opportunity for the COM
munication of the disease to the American
troops were not the strictest measures
adopted to prevent intercourse. These refu-
gees originally made their way out of San
tiago to Caney, a town in the suburbs of
Santiago. There they have been in dreadful
straits to secure food and shelter. and Gen
eral Shafter has confessed his inability to
prevent suffering on this score. The French
embassy has been informed that among the
refugees were eight hundred French cili-
zens, led by the French consul. The latter
hearing that food was more plentiful with
the American army at Sboney, led his fell
low-countrymen across the hills to that
place. and, as the hamlet has just been de-
stroyed to prevent 1t from becoming a hot
bed of yellow fever, the sufferings of the
refugees will be intensified.
1t is not doubted that General Shafter has
done all that is possible to prevent close
communication between the soldiers and the
refugees for sanitary reasons. But in his
efforts to assist the poor people to the ex-
make use of the quartermaster's depart
ment to deliver supplies to them, and from
the exposure thus resulting the fourteen
cases represented found their origin, as the
latest dispatches say that nine of the cases
were among the quartermaster' department
employees and five among refugees. The
cases are regarded as mild cases of yellow
fever. The promptness with which the sick
men have been isolated and the thorough
precautions adopted to secure for them the
best nursing and medicine. combined with
the improved methods of treatment of fe-
yer. have been developed by the United
States marine hospital service and adopted
by the army, would seem to warrant the
confidence expressed by medical officers
here of the ability OF the surgeons with
General Shafter to control these suspicious
cases and prevent an extension of the fe-
yer. The presence in the camp of DR.. John
Guiteras of the University of Pennsylvania
one of the most famous yellow fever ex-
perts in the world, is an additional source
of reason for the confidence in the proper
management of the situation
According to the best information obtain
able by the Navy Department there has
been no sign of contagious disease among
any of the vessels of SIMPSONS fleet, nor
among the marines at Guantanamo. the
first of the American forces to land in
Cuba. The exemption of the latter from
disease, although they have been camped
out in the tropics for over a month, is un-
doubtedly attributable to the ability of the
marine officers to enforce very much stricter
conditions upon their men than are possible
Oh observance among volunteers and regu-
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