The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-05

cases reported here are traceable to peo-
pie who have slept in these old houses,
/ and no on case has yet been reported
Gunieras. who Is in charge OF the yellow
fever patients. says that so far there are
no malignant cases, and that only two
| deaths have occurred. He is inclined
to take an optimistic and conservative
view Of the situation. Major La Garde.
Parker, of New Orleans, are alarmed at
] the outbreak, and look upon the situation
with apprehension. The later says: 81
consider the fever situa ton serious one.
AL precautions are being taken, and the
fever camp is well isolated. However,
there viii probably de more cases" DR..
Parker left today to assist DR.. Guiteras
at the fever hospital. and Will make a
special report on che outbreak.
To every one who has resided here
since the troops disembarked, the great
wonder is that the outbreak has not oc-
Cured before, and great indignation is
expressed that so great a delay occurred
before the torch was put to hundreds Of
old buildings here which, from the I'M
memorial, have been infested with yellow
fever. Heaps of decaying garbage and
ala sorts of filth and denominations abound.
The troops disembarked on the 18th of last
month, and the first attempt at any sani-
tary Improvement took place only two or
three days ago. Who is TO blame for this
lack If intelligent supervision is difficult
to say. DR.. La Garde and his staff have
worked night and day attending to the
LOCO cases from the front which have
passed through their hands. Their hos
pital tents and surroundings have been
kept in excellent condition. But beyond
this there has been no attempt to main
tain even common decency. Thousands OF
Cubans, ragged. dirty, and iIl-conditoned.
from all parts of the adjacent country.
have poured in here seeking shelter and
food. Many of these have squatted, any
where they could find an abiding place,
and left behind them all kinds of nasti-
ness. Latrines which have existed for
years still polute the air with Presidential
gases, and the low-lying and swampy
ground TO the east tends to make this a
perfect hotbed for the development and
spread of disease.
Could the American public look upon
this sink-hde of contagion, and compre-
bend the utter lack of executive ability
Of everyday common sense-whlch has
characterised the mana cement OF affairs
here, exposing as it does the lives of so
many brave men. with what a shout of
ind gnation the situa ton would be re-
ceived. Everyone here admits that in
place OF guarding against toe mis- takes
which the Spaniards made, and by which
they lost so many of their men. we nave
fallen even more deeply into the uire,
and viii consequently have 70 pay the pen
atty in proportion. We nave utilized old
infected buildings for posts and signal
Offices and storenouses: we were nearly
using an infected building as an army
clothing store, and we have already paid
the penalty in the case Of che postot5ce
by having our efficient postmaster, Eoen
Brewer. a patient IN the hospital. Gle mas
since died.. Gen. Dufield ard some Of
his staff nave been similarly exp1sed. {
while many ~ paper correspondents /
who occupied an Old building known as
Newspaper Row are attacked. In fact, /
cais place appears 20 DC 50 thoroughly 4
saturated with contagsoa tiat many Cub i
ans, including a cousin Of en- Garcia. are 1
81. All CHS bas had d most depressing 1
effect or toe troops. and AL are eager for !
a speedy termination % the campaign, i
and 10 be Ig5erated from service n Cuba /
\ newspaper man Rfo mas just been dis
charged from the yellow fever s0sp.ta Al
tels me that many cases are beginning 70 4
arrive from the trenches siucs <he heavy 4
rams of tte last few days. Tness nnea
say TIE trenches now a1says taTs tao
o. three iuc:es 81 wafer. The ground s.
becoming sodten. ard eIaaies q heavy
affairs IS sech that unless our troops are
speedily relieved from ssls trenches the
rr Probabilities are fhas Fever wsE claim -
many Victims as SPANISH bGIIstS-
When ore sits ters under rs canvas.
vitn broIlng sun overhead and a s3tcsn
soG BENEATH. be = forced - recall ~lfh
az1azement. Z TO. WITH nd xEzt5o-. tsse
D.. n5ors of sxPerss 80 El3e.y paolvz@3
"a the press aefoEe ;iE.s Wa Aaa been De-
-s6sd uQo1- tzat cur troops rsa - ss<
y yellow fever II Cuba Woe13 thzt Eozne
y these professional gentleue1.zere naEs
% sscare ONE order ozi of ts.-a cisaF1er.
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