Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-09
YELLOW FEVER.
Secretary Young Thinks United
States Should Own Cuba,
So That Some Attention to Hygiene
Could be Paid.
Her Unsanitay Conditions Cause Great
Menace to United States Safety.


Cuba. said Secretary Young of the State
board of health. Friday.
cuba is the seat of the place where
the yellow fever starts from. that gets
into the United States, ana it has cost
the United States millions of money. and
many of its inhabitants to fight the dread
disease, all because there is no system in
cuba to prevent the spread of it,
lr. Young then pointed out certain art-
cles that have appeared in various maya
zines regarding the condition of things
IN Cuba, especially in Havana.
In the February number of the Sanitary
Inspect ", is an article headed Havana
and Yellow Fever" that contains a por-
ton of an article written by Surgeon
General Wyman of the Marine hospital
service, refers to the unsanitary condi-
ton of Havana as follows:
The Iarbor of Havana is a cesspool.
which for years has received the drain
age OF the city; besides, il is Il Vcritahle
cul-de-Sac, which cannot be secured by
the tides or by fresh-water streams. The
WharVes on the Havana side of the har
Dor are notorious as sources of infection.
An examination Of the records of the
quarantine stations on the South Attain
tic ana Gulf coasts for 1884, shows eleven
cases OF yellow fever. all having been
taken from vessels arriving at the Dry
Tortu@as station from the wharVcs in
Havana. Two of these WharVcS. the
peclal!y dangerous. Under the Talldpie-
dra. cmptieS the sewer from the military
hospital, where the yellow fever patients
from the army are treated 1t has been
said that no vessel with a non-immune
crew on board has ever been tied to this
wharf without yellow fever appearing
among them. So well known is ii as Il
danger-point that sailors call it Dead
| Mans Hole, and so great is the danger
of tying up to it. that captains Of
| American vessels have been known to
pay for the privilege of discharsing car
| goes on lighters in the open bay. the pay
ment being made by deduction from
| freight charges. amounting frequently to
500 or 5000, American captains have fire.
quently asserted that the United States
| government should not allow vessels to
| go to this wharf.
SANITARY engineers have repeatedly
shown that these conditions are wholly
unnecessary. That reform of this kind
is practicable seems TO nave been de-
| monStrated in the experience of Vera
| CRUZ. whose harbor was formerly almost
| as great n menace to the United States
| as Havana. With the great engineering
changes AT Vera Cruz. brought about I'M
der the leadership of President DiaZ. the
disease has been practically wiped out in
/ that city
The Sanitary Inspector further says:
| ''tf this government has expended a few
million dollars protecting CUBA from MI
we I'd lo,' t'it1 VI a3
I rursione NJ yellow fever Infection from n
! filthy neighhor. In civilized communities
mere are leSdl I'tnditlcI anu ilJuli' W.,
/ ,,-,,a, when h.. carelecsl, or vyilf1llv lpts
/ his possessions or his doings seriously
! threaten the life. health or prosperity Of
/ others in the community of civilized ma
4 lions lishtfully insist that another cease
| 10 remain a cohiliual liit!lact 10 NE
/ AGAIN and again American physicians
I and public health officers who have per
| sonalN observed the nlthy c9"ulti"llS !"
,n,v insnnctor Of the Marine hosnital SER
vice has lately reported from Havana
| that. i am more convinced than ever
tI", t''l9 f ~ I-nitaa ctatee INA win ~
main so until modern medical science
| shal be employed |" remedy me eNilH
a ai'n 3,
-, -.
! ''''i'i '''''' 90 ,'>
oi''''p % gu i''''' 0'' Wv
- d" 'A' az L" Avn - ,'H " pap
pN III l. w. Ni"A"'i' anu -
the repru"iS ""hl"e' VI '''' sam ~ o.'-
Spain iH'eie9' III '"'' 'Nf'' '''i'1 W.
se'lt'iit "''l n'e" VI i''.''''i''7 Nv
poSSeS9lol'9 i'''"t'' - 7',''p'' '''N -
Sor"id II - WIZ" 9i'''i'i' " sun, "
rev "li"t 'l "'ii'ii7 t'' N
Well"lc anu h9'piiiie99 VI 'i'i 'U'' - Ga
secondary l" 'h"t' an" III N0ii9'
the heaith conditions Oh '"'' 6Nea i'ei
ii''iV VI II"
this latter question cannot be over est
mated. Cuba. because of her proximity
and commercial relations is regarded as
the point of danger to the Union as 1t re-
lates to that bugbear of modern times
yellow lever MlliohS u u"i'di9 ii"N0
been spent in efforts to prevent lis lntfu-
sion into the states. While my kno"i-
edge of that disease, It's history ana ma
ture forbids assent to the commonly ac-
cepted notion that it is contagious am
in complete accord with those VINO hold
that its persistent prevalence IN CUBA is
due to the utter disregard OF the Simplest
principle OF hygiene. 1hat II Is que 10
local unSdnitdfV conditions IN f1aNdld