The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-04
MUCH SICKNESS At PONCE
DISEASE INCREASES ALARMISGLY
AMONG THE TROOPS.
Far the Worst Showing. the Reg
ulars Observing Sanitary Precau-


Copyrighted, lsaS. by the Associated Press.
PONCE. Porto RICO, sep. fit s ne
wsl-grouGdei ard almost uran NOUS oQin-
ION OF the nled-cat staff % ;he American
army IN Porto Rico that the condition Of
the volume forces here necessities their
reEnoys! no-th.
Sickness Is increasing and has been in
creaSing during the pas, Tree weeks at
AT Alarming rate. Today the sick report
SHOWS over 100 N Hospitals or n quar-
leIs, out Of total C mman1 Of Ia,l2o n. 4:
ta2t Is. over - yer cent II the tro3ps are
on the SEX list. This. however. does not
mean that there IS an ef1eC>ive strength
Of 80 men. Tee soldiers d4scaar. e. from
The hospitals as fl fer duty are n nine
eases out OF ten incapable OF s>rv:ce. and
II ordered on duty are alnsosi invariably
back n the hospitals wlIhia / few days.
The medical of, egs have found that the
eonvale. cents do not, and seemingly can
not Recover ID ig stIes ST.. In THIS climate,
am for this reason they are beng sent
north rapidly as poSs. b e. several hum
dred leaving every week. Tomorrow over
$50 VII so on the OLDHAM and the Relief.
II is a significant fact tina; there is a
disparity between the sickness n the vol
Unteers and regular commands In the
two regular infantry regiments, the Nine
ieenth and Eleventh. the SEX average is
only about y per cent, while IN the veiun-
tcGf tS4IiltukS-tle SIKH massachusetts.
First New York engineers Fourth Ohio
Third Illinois. First Kentucky. Third
Wisconsin and Sixteenth PennSy ivania--it
averages "a per cent. In the iast-naned
two. where the conditions are the worsl,
the SICK report today shows a percentage
OF 46 in the Sixteenth Pennsylvania and
4. IL the Third Wisconsin. Over half OF
these two regiments which, with the
First Kentucky. comprise Gen. Ernesi's
brigade. are UNFIT tci duty, and yester-
day. when Gen. Ernesl moved his head
quarters 20 Aihonito, en- the summit Of
the mountain range. il was found that II
follow. The command Is PROSTATE where
1t IS. Undoubtedly the wide disparity be-
tween the percentage OF Sickness in the
volunteers and regular organizations is
largely due t. the fact that the latter are
better able 10 take care of themselves.
Most OF them are veterans who under
their officers from the very outset have
enfor ed with unerr!us energy the sanitary
regulations SO necessary for the preser-
walton Of health. But. more than thai
the regulars are making soldering a bust
ness. They did not enlist foi me war
but for five years, and they look upon
their assignment for service n Porto Rico
PM graphically and make the best OF the
situation.
ne volunteers. on the other hand. en-
listed for two years. with the almost uni
.eFsai expectation that they would he mus
tered out When the war closed. Almost to
a man they desire 10 go home. and ever
since the protocol was signed they have
lived IN the daily hope OF being reca led
For days they have talked of nothing Else
Homes -ckness destroyed their spirits and
made them easy victme 10 the maiariaI
climatic conditions. II Is said that some OF
them who did fall sick actually exposed
themselves TO the wet or ate freely of trop-
ical fruits despite the regulations. that
they might become IL and be sent home
Some. / Is alleged, even fe!gned sickness,
and quite number OF these succeeded IN
their designs.
The other day number of men from one
OF the regiments who had been ordered
home as convasescenis came into Ponce
miles ahead Of their wagon train, singing
laughing and making merry at the pros
athletes, They appeared 10 be more capa-
bic OF service than hundreds of the sol
d.ers who remained. ard one of the regu-
ar army officers in Ponce, upon looking
them over, suggested ironically that they
should stop al New York on their way
home and pick up few prizes for throw
ing the hammer. putting the shot, etc. at
the CALIFORNIAN games.
The lily health report of a week ago
shows cases OF typhoid fever. $50 cases
OF malaria, one case OF smallpox and fsF1
cases of climatic Fever, darrhoea etc
The worst feature Of the situation is the
steady increase in the number OF TYPHOID
fever cases. which today reached over 40
For a time i appeared PROBABLE that the
typhoid fever in the army most OF which
is alleged 10 have come from Camp Thomas
and Camp Aiger. originally, would be
new cases began 10 appear al an alarming
rate.
4 few days ago the whole city of Ponce
Narrowly escaped being utterly depopuate1
by typhoid epidemic some Of the men
OF the First Kentucky, who are camped
near the aqueduct. which carries the water
supply OF the city. IN order to secure good
woter C'ose at hand. tapped the aqueduct
They broke through the masonry ana for
a whole day were no sting water In buckets
from the aqueduct Fortunately Mai
Snovden discovered the n<anhole while on
a tour Of inspection the next day. He was
Mortified at the discovery. Typhoid fever
existed In tire Firs Kentucky ard the water
supply OF the city m gh, have been con-
taminatcd with typhoid germs. lie ordered
the rlanhole stepped Immediately.