Iron County register., 1899-08-03
A VERY SERIOUS MATTER.
The Outbreak of Yellow Fever at.
the National Soldiers Home
at Hampton, Va.
SIX DEATHS ARE THUS FAR RECORDED.
The Conditions Serious. as There
Have Been Many Visitors at she
Home and the COntagion May he
More Widespread than Appears at
Present.

More Widespread than Appears at
Present.
Washington, Aug. 1.-Surgeon-Gen--
eral Sternberg has received the follow
ing from Lieut.-Col. Dewitt. at Fort
Monroe, regarding the outbreak OF
yellow fever at the soldiers home at
Hampton, Va:
Official Report.
Fort Monroe, Va, July 31,-Surgeon
General, U. S. A, Washington: AT
four O'Clock. yesterday, Surgeon Pet
tus. United States marine hospital
service, quarantine officer, officially
stated that yellow fever was at ma
ticnaI soldiers home, Hampton; "a
case with six deaths.
"The commanding officer took imme--
diate measures for quarantine.
Sturgeon Pettus states that the sur
gcon general of the marine hospitals
service was notified yesterday after
neon. DE WITT, Surgeon"
The Condition Serious.
Adit.-Gen. Corbin and Maj. Johnston,
assistant adjutant general, were at
Fort Monroe Sunday and were present
when Surgeon Pettus made his report
to Lieut.-Col. Dewitt regarding the
outbreak of yellow fever at the SOL
diers' home. Gen. Corbin says that
from all accounts there is little doubt
that the conditions are serious, and
there is no telling how far the lnfec-
ton may have reached. There is
trolley road along the beach for dis
tance of more than six miles, and eX-
cursion parties have been coming to-
Old Point and adjacent places and have
taken the trolley to Newport News
and to the soldiers home.
One Theory of the Cause.
Gen Corbin says that one theory OF
the way in which fever might have
been brought to the home is that one
OF the soldiers recently visited SAN
tiaco. He returned some time since,
suffering with what the physicians
thought to be dengue. 1t seems it was
not until the inmates of the home be-
! gan to die that the disease was dis
covered to be yellow fever.
No Question About the Disease.
Gen. Corbin says there is not the
least question about the character of
the disease, physicians who were pres
| eut at the post mortem on some OF the
victims declaring that yellow fever
was surely present.
According to advices received at
the war department there have been
| total of 10 cases, six of whom have
! died.
Concerned fer Fort Monroe.
! The soldiers home has no connec-
| ton with the war department. 1t is
under board of managers created by
| congress, which mana. .~s all the SOL
diers' homes throughout the country.
! The men admitted are soldiers of the
war of the rebellion. Officers of the
| war department are very much con-
cerned on the part of the military post
! at Fort Monroe, which is within six
miles of the home.
/ Held "A Conference.
Adit.-Gen. Corbin and Surgeon-Gen-
eral Sternberg had conference, and it
| was determined to hold everything in.
readiness to take care of yellow fever
should it appear among the troops.
! Surgeon Pettus, through Gen. Cor
! bin, has requested Surgeon-General
| Srernberg to send him such expert inn
mLne yellow fever surgeons as he can
i firc.
Hospital officers Astounded.
The marine hospital officers are as
/ tCnished at the presence of yellow
! fever in that locality. The last epi-
demic of the disease occurred at Nor
! folk in 1855, having been brought into,
port on the steamer Ben Franklin on
June of that year, and in the epi-
demic which followed there were 1907
| deaths.