The Portland daily press., 1898-05-13
INFECTION FOLLOWS FEAR.
Panic Is the surest Way to Start an Epi
demic.
Washington Post. }

"The liability Of men to the infection
of plaques is largely matter of nerve
in my opinion" said naval officer to a
POST man. There is reasonable physio-
logical ground for this belief. The man
who possesses no sand and gives way to
craven fear in the teeth OF rampant
plague, like cholera or yellow jack, for
instance, devitalizes himself to large
extent, permits worrinent to sap his
nervous strength and energy, and conse
quently renders himself an easy prey to
the contagion or infection. In the sum-
mer of 1895 the .Asiatic cholera stole
aboard number of Japanese warships
on the home station, and it pretty nearly
licked up the crews of all of these JAP
men -of-war. At the same time the ohol.
era got aboard the United States steamer
Bennington at Honolulu, and it took of
one man, or boy, ,rather-a Washington
lad, by the way, named Goebel.
IL feel perfectly certain that the nerve
displayed by the men on the Bennington
was largely accountable for their com
paratively easy escape from a heavy visi
tation. Cholera is not indigenous tc
the Hawaiian Islands, but on this occa
sion the plague was brought to Honolulu
by cargo Of Chinese coolies shipped or
the steamer Belgic for work ON the
Hawaiian sugar plantations. Cholera
broke out among these coolies ten Oh
twelve days before the Belg1o arrived al
Honolulu, but no report of the visitation
was made by the ships officers when she
got there. Consequently the coolies were
permitted to land, and In a day or sc
Honolulu awoke to the realization thai
the town was in tor bad cholera siege.
The Bennington moved her anchorage
to distance Of about 800 yards from the
Honolulu docks when the presence OF the
cholera was announced, and all hands
were strictly quarantined The preoau
ton, however, was overlooked Of not per
Knitting the men forward from going in
swimming from the ship, and that's the
reason we got the cholera aboard and lost
the boy Goebel.
About week after the plague broke
out in Honolulu hundred Or SO Of the
men aboard the Bennington jumped ovel
yeung Goebel among them. The LAD
probably swallowed a lnouthful Of water
contaminated by a creek that passes
through the Chinese quarter of Honolulu
where the cholera stricken ChinameI
were quarantined-and empties into the
harbor. A couple of hours after the boy
left the water he began to complain o.
cramps, and when he was taken aft tx
the sick bay and examined by the sur
geon it was found that he had Asiatit
cholera. The surgeon and the ship
apothecary worked over the lad all night
showing no fear whatsoever Of the disease
but they couldn't save him, and he dice
| early the following morning. The mel
knew all about what was going on In thu
sick bay, but there wasn't q one Of then
that gave the slightest Indication O
showing the yellow. They smoked their
pipes and talked about pay day. TIT
apothecary who had attended the dyins
lad all night moved freely among thu
| men forward and they made no effoJ
whatever to give him plenty of sea room
'When the boys body was disposed o
the skipper had the men mustered, told
them all about cholera and the precau
tions necessary to stave it OF, If possible
and, the men went about their business
when they were dismissed from quarters
The ship was thoroughly disinfected. ant
we had no more cholera aboard, although
the health authorities Of the islands KEEP
us quarantined on board ship for ovel
three months. If the Bennington's crew
had been men Of mercurial disposition
and had collapsed from fear when it wa
announced that we had cholera alongsid,
us as shipmate, it is ten to one tina
there would have been an epidemic"