The herald., 1898-04-17

the military lines in the East, would
soon sweep on Havana province and
unite with the Americans The fleet
would also aid in the junction of the
forces at any point that would be fixed
upon for such union.
Climatic Dangers
| NEW YORK, April 16-"I am too ia :
mliar with the ravages. that yellow
fever has made in Havana and the inter-
Tor provinces of Cuba to underrate or
minimize its dangers" said DIR. Alvah
Fl. Doty, Health officer of the port Of
New York, "but I was surgeon of the
Ninth Regiment, N. G. N. Y, for two
years, and will go to Cuba If needed.
Everything tends to operate against
the fever patient, both in Havana and
the interior country. and the death rate
is very large. The danger of yellow jack
depends very largely, of course, upon
the seasons of the year.
'"rhe rainy season, which runs from
May until September, while we have new
er been able to say that it engenders
yellow fever bacilli, certainly encour-
ages their propagation. The damp val
leys, the generally malarial condition
of the country all initiate against the
patient in the interior of the island.
On the other hand, the city of Havana
| is a perfect pesthole, stretching out it's
arms to welcome every contagiOn that
can reach it. 1t is miserably drained
Its harbor is a stench-pond of almost
stagnant water, with the accumulated
| filth of years and the general hygienic
conditions would disgrace Egypt. OF
sanitary or quarantine restrictions there
are none.
ut behooves the American soldier who
may be called upon to face the dangers
| of campaign to use every precaution to
guard against disease, even though he
is hundred-fold better prepared to
fight than is the Spaniard. I know the
American soldier well. / know the Ma
tional Guardsmen well. They are strong.
clean, well-fed, well-cared- for men, who
/ can meet disease on a war footing, so
to speak, and nine times out of ten re-
| pulse it.
Major Edward J. T. Marsh, surgeon
of the Seventy-first Regiment N. G. N.
y, for instance, has recently issued a
precautionary order to the members oe
that regiment, in which he gives some
very excellent advice for their protec-
tion against yellow fever. In these he
| cautions his men not to drink water un-
less it has been boiled and not to battle
in anything but boiled water.
Cook your food properly is another
wise precaution. Avoid all use of alco-
hol internally. This is an almost es-
sential order. OF two men afflicted with
yellow fever, one being a drinking man
and the other an abstainer, the latter
has 30 per cent the better of it,
"The other good rules are to keep dry,
stay in at night, avoid strange fruits,
use plenty of quinine, be vaccinated.
MY last weeks report from Havana
shows epidemcs Of typhoid malaria and
inflammation of the bowels. Still !
would not hesitate for a moment to take
our troops there. They would fare bet
ter than 80 per cent of the population -
Ready to Start
SAN FRANCISCO, April 1e-The
| United States troops now preparing to
so to New Orleans from California, in
fantry and light artillery combined
number about $50 men. The infantry
will carry all Of their arms and ammun
tion, their knapsacks, blankets and ra-
tions. The artillery will carry their field
pieces and all their accoutrements, and
with them will go their horses, about
Sc in number. They will not be encum-
bered by tents, these having been ship.
| ped yesterday, in a car attached to the
regular passenger train. They were con-
| signed to the depot quartermaster at st
| Louis.
| Brig. Gen. Merriam, who is in the
north, will succeed Gen. Shafter in COM
mand of the division and Lieut. Col. Ran.
dolph OF the Third artillery will sue
ceed Col. Miles in the command of the
post at Fort Mason. One of the officers
Of the First will be detailed today to act
as acknowledgement and he will be in
| charge Of the army headquarters in this
city.
| The orders to General Shafter in
structed him to lose no time and also
take with him his entire staff. which in
cludes the Generals aides -de-camp
First Lieut.. John D. Miley and Second
Lieut.. r. H. Noble, Adjutant-G General
Babcock, Col. Egan, Commissary; Lieut.
Green, signal officer. and DR.. Gander
surgeon. 1t was stated last night that
the troops would not leave here until
Tuesday but it has been determined tc
start this afternoon or tomorrow, if DOS
sible. They will travel over the South
ern Pacific and Gen. Shafter, who is al
Bakersfield, will probably board the
train when 1t reaches that place. Neither
officers nor men expect to remain long
in New ORLEANS, but think they will bu
hurried on to Florida, or perhaps to the
Cuban coast.
The troops that will go from San
Francisco to New Orleans are the First
infantry and two batteries Of the Third
artillery. The companies Of the First
infantry are A, c, d, E. r, G, now al the
Presidio, and B and H at Benicia Bar
racks. OF the Third artillery c and F,
the light batteries are the ones ordered
East.
Fears a Massacre
NEW YORK, April 16.-Senor Leopold
Dolz, professor of law at Havana Uni
versity. who arrived with other Cubans
on the steamer Seneca from Havana,
in an interview gave out the following
statement regarding affairs in Cuba:
Il left Havana with my family be-
cause the opening of hostilities means
the massacre Of all the Cubans, and
all Americans, or very nearly all, have