Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05
Memories of the Last Outbreak of
Yellow Fever.
kORPOLK'S FEAR OF TIE SCOURGE
Heroes Who Died in NURSING
Sick and Buying the Dead
PEST CLAIMED 1907 VICTIMS

| Written for The Evening Star.
The sudden reign of terror that possessed
| Norfolk at the beginning OF this week, when
| 1t was announced that yellow fever had
broken out in the Hampton Soldiers Home.
across the bay from the city. may have APP
| peared unnatural and exaggerated to those
| not acquainted with Norfolk's history IL
| would seem to an outsider that, with mod
ern quarantine precautions and all the
| armament of modern medical science at
| command. such outbreak ten miles
| across an open roadstead would amount to
| nothing more than unpleasant incident
/ with no serious cause for alarm To the old
! resident of Norfolk, however, It was a diff
| ferent matter. The name of yellow fever
| brought with IL the memories and traditions
| of the last great outbreak of 1S55 when for
three months the cities of Norfolk and
Portsmouth Were swept as by fire, when
| business was suspended. when all who could
| had fled from the terrors of the scourre,
and when, during the height of the epidem-
ic, there were not enough able-bodied peo-
| pie in the town to nurse the sick and TO
| bury the dead.
The record Of this great epidemic which
| sprung from single infected ship is large
| ly forgotten history north of the Potomac
but to old residents of Norfolk IL is still a
| terrible memory. a costly monument there
bears witness to the faithful services of
tlEhItug and
the history OF the epidemic was embodied
| in modest volume. compiled at the re-
quest of the survivors, by Mr. William
Forrest of Norfolk, who had not only lived
through the season of terror. but carried on
at the time a journal in which the happen
| ings in the unfortunate community we're
chronicled from day to day.
His introduction to the chronicle Of the
epidemic gives vivid picture not only Of
Norfolk during the plague. but Of the in
efaceabie imprint that the visitation left on
those who witnessed and survived it. He
says in part:
Visitation of Horror.
'The mysterious and pestilential vista
| ton with which Portsmouth and Norfolk
were afflicted in 1853 is Justly classed
among the most terrible calamities that
ever visited any community
Some idea of the destructiveness Of the
pestilence may be formed by comparing it
with the great plague of London. In that
plague one in seventeen died. here one In
three. When the black plague afflicted
London in 1865 ii carried off 100000 souls
Although the total number of victims cf
the Norfolk epidemic not so great.
the mortality, will be seen, was much
higher.
with regard to the origin Of the chi
demic, there are. of course. different opin-
ions. Some contended the disease was Of
local origin. Some that it imported
by the Inflated steamer Ben Franklin:
others regarded il a scourge pesti-
lential visitation specially sent by the ALI
wise and Just Ruler and which has been
slowly passing along the Atlantic coast.
stopping at Pensacola in 1853 and travelling
thence northwardy, sweeping off multi
tudes in Charleston and Savannah in 1854
| and travelling on to devastate other cities
of the seaboard."
Fever-Laden Ship.
The local chronicler then goes on to make
out strong case against the steamer
Franklin, which, in tradition at least, is
| held in Norfolk to have been the sole and
| sufficient cause of the fever epidemic. The
history of the case at least shows a woeful
lack of acumen on the part of the port Off
Gals of that day as well as of deception on
the part of the vessels captain.
The Franklin was on her way north at
the time from St Thomas to New York.
The yellow fever was epidemic in st.
Thomas at the time and broke out among
the Franklin's crew the voyage The
vessel was old and leaky. and encountered
such severe weather that she was forced
to seek a port, and after some debate,
chose Norfolk. She came into the roads
on June black. weatherbeaten and for
bidding enough, but no one In the town
dreamed what a burden Of terror she was
bear under her tight-battened matches.
A Mr.. Harper and, as the chronicler puts
it, other esteemed. reputable and trust
worthy citizens" boarded the vessel in
search of tropical fruit, and We're Informed
by the crew that there was fever ON board.
Others from the shore saw one afternoon
coffin and mattress on the top OF one OF.
the matches The coffin was carried ashore
and buried off old Fort Norfolk. and the
mattress washed ashore near the same spot.
Then the body of man. his face and hands
the color of an orange. hoatcd ashore. He
was believed to have fallen overheard In his
delrium. He was buried near whore he
was found without an inquest.
TWO sailors swan ashore, saying they
preferred to take the chances of drowning
to death by fever on the ship. This would
have seemed enough warning for almost
any community, but when the captain of
the Franklin stoutly declared To the port
officials that he had no fever aboard the
ship was allowed to come UP To Page &
Aliens shipyard for repairs. Mr.. Harper
and others prophesied outbreak Of fever.
but the captain promised to keep his
matches down and not to break out his
cargo, so he tied up at The Gosport wharf.
Death CInimed Her Psrt.
Almost Immediately the fever broke out
among the shpwrights who wet to work
on the vessel. In two days boiler maker
was stricken and died. The ship yard was
deserted and all work suspended. Cases
broke out along the water front, and the
section was boarded off and put under
quarantine but it was too late. The refu-
gees from that section of the town had
spread il to all parts Of Portsmouth and 70
Rarry's Row. in Norfolk. where there were
several ca ses. The citizens became alarm
ed and Parry'g Row Was burned in hope of
purifying that section. but the disease
spread like wildfire to the utmost suburbs
Of both towns
There was panic and an exodus. A third
of the population left in a few days, but
the scouTge fed fat on those who were left
Then it was that the scenes described by
Mr. Forester were enacted, grass grew in
the sodden streets, and the silence was
broken by the bowling of ownerless dogs
and the hurried rumble of the dead cart.
Bodies were left without interment for
long as forty-eight hours in spite Of the
fact that putrefaction commenced almost
before the breath had passed. The town
was deserted by the birds. except the
wrens, and the loathsome plague fly, an in
sect hitherto unknown, made its appear
ance. Whole streets were deserted and
costly homes left for months without a
tenant. The Howard Relief Association did
noble work, not only in caring for the sick
and destitute but In governing the city,
for all other semblance of government save
the committee of safety was abandoned.
For a time it looked as though OF the few
remaining citizens of the town none would
survive the terrible ordeal. Deaths ran for
weeks at the rate of fifty day, and there
We're not enough hands to nurse and bury.