The evening times., 1898-10-18
MANY DEATHS IN HAVANA
Five Hundred and Thirty-SiX
Reported in One Week.
MARKED FOR ALL TIME
Sanitary Inspector w. #. Drummer I'm
His Report Says That About so
Per Cent of the Recommendation
Are Permanent Physical Wrecks.
The Cost OF Living.

Sanitary Inspector w. +. Drummer, ma
rine hospital service, who was stationed
at Havana prior to the war. has made his
first report to the Marine Hospital Bu-
reau since the lifting of the blockade
at that port. 1t is for the week ending
October G. The deaths i'm Havana in that
period numbered $50, a greater mortality
than during any week of the year pre-
vious
Nine deaths were due TO yellow fever
and three from starvation.
Referring to the condition of the recon-
centrados he says it is appalling, con-
servative estimate placing nearly fifty
per cent Of their number as permanent
physical wrecks.
THE cost Of living" the report contin-
ues, exceeds that of the period imme-
diately before the war. Work is not OBJ
tainable and people are in the last stages
of elimination by want of food. Malarial
fevers in fatal forms exist to marked
extent; the natives seem TO suffer very
much and furnish the greatest number
of deaths. Enteric fever and enteritis
furnish over one-fifth of the total deaths
for the week. There has been no death
from smallpox in over two weeks and
there are but few caes here.
The city is even dirtier than ever, If
such thing could be possible. The rains
continue to fail in the afternoon about
four DAYS in each week. Yellow fever
does not exist to the same extent as il
has existed during the past two years,
the reason being that during the past
eight or ten months but little material
has been present on which the fever
could feed. But few Spanish soldiers
were brought here between January II
and April q, the latter day being the date
when this port was closed to the outside
world Since the opening Of the block
ade probably two hundred Americans
have arrived here, of which number
abut one-half remain. -Four deaths from
yellow fever have occurred among these
Americans during the past two months.
THE American bark Maryland. former
~ Spanish vessel and an old Cuban
trader was bought by two Americans
at Key West, Fla, stocked with meat
and other provisions, and sailed for this
port arriving here about the middle of
August The vessel brought a crew of
eight, discharged her cargo at Caballerta
wharf, on the Havana side Of the harbor,
and after remaining there for several
weeks, during which time the owners and
crew slept aboard the vessel, she was
taken out and anchored in the open
bay.
yellow fever first developed in the per-
sons of the owners. both of whom died.
The master was then taken sick and died
October 5; two Of the crew were then
taken sick and removed to the hospital.
] boarded the vessel yesterday October
g. and found two more Of the crew sick
The first day of their illness one man, in
my opinion. did not have yellow fever;
the other probably had the disease out
OF the original complement of ten persons
but three remain well. Efforts are being
made to obtain a new crew TO take the
vessel to Baltimore.
Il have advised, and my advice will be
fully acted upon, that the vessel go to the
Tortugas quarantine station for disinfec-
ton. this course being the only prudent
one. as the vessel is undoubtedly infected
and ten or ffteen-day trip to Baltimore
would develop other cases"