The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-03

a Nni.si .sippi Eauiiy EfrouEht tho Di,e,,.
from Guatemala,

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 1.-THE committee Of III.
Mississippi Legislature appointed to invest.
cato the yellow fever Of last summer has RI.
ported. Tho committee visited Ocean Sprn-,
Biloxi, and other coast towns where the feyc,
prevailed, and made q thorough Investigation.
Although IL could not solve some OF the mys.
tories OF the fever, IL was able to got a grc,,
deal Of valuablc information. II finds that thu
yellow foyer originated at Ocean Springs, Miss.
beyond all question, but not from tho United
States Marine Hospital quarantine station at
Ship Island, as was supposed, and II declares
that tho quarantine station Is not n menace or
a danger to the health OF the Gulf coast or ths
South.
Those who did not think that tho fever oriei.
mated Mt Ship Island and was communicated bv
tho quarantine officials to the mainland he'd
that IL was introduced by Cuban refugees, who
met ut Ocean Springs In June to arrange for A
1libusterinE expedition to Cuba, and one OF
whose member died Of q MYSTERIOUS disease
and was buried at Ocean Springs.
This theory, which was very generally no.
cepted. is disproved by the Mississippi lcgisla.
tive committee. which finds that tine yellow
supposed. as early, indeed, as the latter part Of
April, and came not from Cuba, but from
not discovered at Ocean Springs until sept. 4,
and the UTMOST researches hitherto. have not
traced II BACK beyond the end or July.
The committee finds that yellow fever pre.
vailed for four. months at Ocean Springs, tax.
self. It was introduced into this country by a
family, residents of Mississippi. who had been
temporarily staying in Guatemala and who
came to the United States on the Central Amer.
lean steamer Broakwator. Their baggage was
not fumigated or disinfccted. They went direct
| to Ocean Springs. where one of them was taken
sick. with foyer, Within a few days fever
started. In their immediate neighborhood, and
! from that time foyer Of some, character pro.
/ vailed In Ocean Springs all the summer, al.
though it WINS not diagnosed as yellow fever
until September.
The committee attributes the introduction
| of the yellow fever to the fact that the Quaran.
tines Of the Gulf States against the West In.
dies and Central America go into effect on May
], whereas the Breakwater brought the disease
tine service was put In operation. This will
nocessitate an carly quarantine in order to as.
sure protection.
country long before tho quarantine was put in
force, tho steamer bringing 1t here, the Emily
Il. Souder, arriving In March. The ommitte
was also authorized to Investigate the amount
found It to be greater than estimated. The
loss to business in the State during the preva.
lence OF the scare was from % to 40 per cent.
and property on Mississippi Sound has shrunk
80 per cent. In value because Of the fever. Tho
expense Of the various guarantees In vogue
was found to run up as high as $4,000 for many
of the counties
The committee recommends the removal Of
the Ship Island quarantine as injurious to prop.
erty on the Gulf coast, and. tho adoption ola
uniform system Of quarantine for all Of the
Gulf States,