The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-17
DEAD OF BERI-BERI.
DREAD DIsEAsE AMONG THE SAIL
ORs OF THE PlCT0LUS.

Eweive' or Theu How IN Various Hospitals
Ifere-They CharEe That Their Condition 1s
Dus 60 Bna Food and lack or Medicine
-suicide on the Voyage freu Shanghai.
OF tho sixteen sailors who shipped at Shang-
hai on tho American bark Pactolus, which
arrived here on Thursday, two arc dead and tho
remaining twelve are in the city hospitals suf-
fering from what is believed to be beri.beri.
Tho first member Of the crew who was
stricken with the disease was John McCurt-
ney, who committed suicide by jumping
overheard. On Saturday last, after getting
ashore in this city, Koomt Whilst, q
Japanese sailor. died in n lodging house
ct the rear OF l28 Cherry street, his death being
due, tho doctor said, TO beri.bcri. That night
James o'Noill. another member of tho bark's
crew, was found Ill in q boarding house at 1856
Water street. and no was removed TO tho Hud-
eon Street Hospital. where tho doctors pro-
nounced his illness to BIO due to beri.bori.
O'Neill died at the hospital at noon yesterday.
Last night four members OF the crow walked
into Bellevue Hospital and asked for treatment.
They are John Klcde. 80 years old; Henry
ouayle, SO years old; Michael Mottsen, 90 years
old, and John Wood, % years old. Mettson's
legs were swollen and his body was covered
with boils. Quayle's hands were swollen twice
their normal size. Wood was unable to use one
OF his legs. and he hoped along assisted BY
his companions. Klcde acted as spokesman
for the party. He said he was satisfied that all
were suffering from beriberi. Seven members
Of tho crew had been taken to the Marine Hos
pital on Staten Island on the day OF the bark's
arrival, and Assistant Health Officer LHomme-
dieu had stated that they were suffering from
the dreaded disease.
"Sixteen of us shipped on the Pactolus at
Shanghai" said Klede. land on May 80 we set
sail for the Philippine Islands. At Manila we
loaded with hemp. The bark was consigned to
Flint & Chapman. In this city. On Sept. 5 we
left Manila. The first member Of the crew to go
was John McCurtney, who hailed from Roches-
ter. N. Y. He committed suicide by jumping
overheard. It was about twenty days after lcav-
ing Manila that we were all stricken with this
disease which we called tho Java fever. The
skipper, Seymour Watt. refused to give us med
icine. and ordered as to 90 to work. although
spokesman for the sick men. and demanded
medicine. Then tho Captain said we should
always did that when he was before the mast.
Finally we managed to get hold OF some Rochelle
salts. and for a time we felt a little better. But
I'VE had nothing but salt beef, dirty rain
beans and vegetables on the Captains table.
H. s. had ab tS1a X si hs had sF nS v'E TSat ola but nut w wssn
for we got none. No man was allowed to retire
with fatigue. All had to work. Our arms and
bObp WIZ "OiiO oub Nov ~. ~
AS Wood could only use one Of his legs he was
unable to do duty. SO the Captain set him to
Klede said that he had friends who would take
care of him, SO he did not remain at Bellevue
bed. The Bellevue doctors diagnosed their
cases as scurvy. The symptoms OF beri.beri arc
'i The bark q iH0f Pa CT t sInsV & locked at Congress
Stores. Brooklyn. Capt, Watt said last night:
serins arr sn.i serieb thft T FL OF sb these % as sS sre 8 snfi
IN place of o crew who had been paid off there.
I believe they brought the disease with them
crew c4s low was s'fs served GA' with t fresh ne" at once aeo
only yee Ves sha eseSn We 0ff had ev witS a as were aas
beans and potatoes. As we. had a long
m Ss 4 oG story Py's goes. that iSn also also is ss untrue MIR a' The The
men had all the lime juice they wanted. had
my T food an as t fnsl9 haas aSoaf Our a Gbin aeS S cooK got iii II
here with the disease. but as Cinnamon are not
permitted to land 1 am compelled to treat him
about ,twenty.dys days out and in the java
gay gave him some som; m ned CINE. H was only MY EdG'e of
70 be affected the same way. until seven in all
showed signs of the disease. although two or
sntine: 1 don't know what n caused pai'1 the sa dis.
s sns so phe bee men we h SdupB Btle pdiato of soft 9, Ma S5eHd
potatoes and used them as long as they lasted.
There was plenty of lime Juice all the time. but
water. used to drink an earthen monkey full
Of # every day. and it didn't make me siGk;
thcre wasn't a blow struck on the voyage. Capt.
Watts Is as good a Captain as ever walked a
the ship was built. The second mate is a young
German from Portland; Ore. and has been with
three voyages and Wants to 60 again" mAuo
The Chinese cook Of tho vessel is in q sad
Ol0 leR being GREATLY RWOllen. he cannot lenva
the ship because of the Exclusion Act. An Of
a nes ss Is stationed S 2 don on the q GiGr to 0a see that III he does
ence. as the poor fellow could not walk ashore
Charles i. Flint. a member of the firm that
owns the bark. was surprised last night when
told the story OF the sailormen. II have been
"and I didn't even know that the Pactoius had
reached port, cant understand the story Of
with this end Of the business and do not come in
contact with the men who sail our vessels.
s Sas we'T men always Ss ySavi Sssn ou knG sailors sm%Sea|6i
fed. Our firm, has been sailing vessels
since 1897. and this is the first case OF the kind
Watt is n good Captain, and we have never bad
q complaint against him before. All OF our
we'll and to feed them, we'll OF course. on a
long voyage like that which the Pactolus made
However. I will have our Port Captain make
special inyestigation In this case to morrow,
said that he had diagnosed tho cases OF the men
beri.berl. a did not make a very careful dag.
nosis. said DIR. L'Hommedieu, "but depended
largely on the statement made to me by Capt.
suffering from scurvy. but the symptoms are
those Of beri.beri. In the acute form beri beri
proves rapidly fatal. The fact that two of the
bark's crow died 80 suddenly from the disease,
would seem TO mo to be an additional reason for
diagnosing IL as beri.beri."
Another member of the crew was admitted to
Gouverneur Hospital yesterday afternoon. This
makes two there now.