The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-05-25

Now 10 begin whore I left off in my
last Letter: After taking in the s:ghis
at Magnolia cemetery, we returne7 on
the electric cars DIVA Meeting street
10 The c!e:;ri: railway car house,
VIII .:e, a,vlnt 5;aiu.i transfer lick.
els, W. changsl cars and Welt elst-
ward till near tn, C,o2:c RjSssff and and
thsa ran southszFsrd along in sight Of
the water to East Bay street, then
d,wn il plst the .. 5. Custom HoaSe
to the old postoffi e * the foot OF
Broad, where we lef, the car and
walked q short dista ice to B,5ce's
wharf, d alter procuring tickets
emblr o. tn, ferry boat S.ppho,
8 fiae side.wheel ste.mer, which was
soou luosed from her m>orings, aud
turning with her prov t. tn: so4th-
ward. N >ved GU a,ross 'ha m>uIn of
Ashley r vsr, passing the Raleigh
lying Al anchor, aud lessing:, castle
Pinckaey, the Fort Ripley-L!ght-
House aud Fort Sumter Oh our left,
We advanced oa Fort Johnson at the
point Of J.l,, Isa |, AID after a de-
lightful ssil with fAe sea breeze
flaming us. we hallsd up alongside
ths wharf, AMI seeing NJ hostile
demonstrations Of defense, lashed our
vessel to the pier, larde,, aad took
psace4b p,sse'si,r rhi' Vas my
first stop q. cd Fort Johnson. [ had
often p .ssed il sight Of It hut never
landsd there before. TIL r. is nQ~feIt
there now, oaly the rsmaias Of what
oncs WAS. 1t is noH ussslss qraran-
tine station, o., ssesiically, mara.
time sauitstio1: Bsiny so,n,what of
an inqoisisve tu-u, occupied the
fifteen Of tw.l,y inmates we wece
allowed there in asking q1estions as
to tn, modus operaali of microhe de-
strucsiou, and lesrAed little a5out
what I knew nothing about before.
For my Information I am indebted to
Or. Lobby, who is now and his been
for about twenty Years in charge Of
the station. 1t is s3 follows: When 8
vessel comes into port k1oTn t. be or
suspected of being infe;;el, say with
smallpox or yellow fever, she is taken
to the station. lashei to the pier and
d,taiued there Until she is considered
no longer infected; lst bidding aud
the clothing of sll ~ bard are carried
into til, sanitation bull ng and placed
on q large " rods fra H., Ish>uld say
twenty fee: long, which frame with
its contents il then rolled en- wise into
an enormous steam cylinder, saw about
ten feat in diameter inside, the ot5er
OF which is closad al tn, time, ths
rack and its contents being well into
the cylinder, large esp handled with
crane is then put in position and
screwed on with numerous iron bolts,
very much in the same way that
cglender head is fastened t. an
ordinary stesm;engiue, p" f"cty steam
tight; this large cylinde. fle4 or
steam pipes RAINING tar" u 1t not
from end to eud IS in al orlinarv
engine boiler, but round and round in
pairs, say about every foot of space,
these circular pipes communicate OF
course with main steam pipe from
the engine boiler. When the prepara-
tons are all complete the steam is
turned on; the whole inside of this
huge cylinder is heated to;a degree 80
high that no germ can live in it. l
forget just the limit, bu; it is all done
with dry steam, and yet the fabrics
are not in the lesst injured, and even
q fresh laundried snir;f: ont would |
come out just as stiff and glossy a. it
went 10. am not vouching for this |
myself, but the doctor told me so and |
I am prepared to believe it.
So much for the disinfecting Of the |
clothes and bedding. Now for the |
ship or vessel. In this Same building |
is furnace in which is burned ordi- !
nary birthstone or stick sulphur; from |
this furnace runs large iron pipe to |
the vessel lying at the wharf about one
hundred yards aws7; the vessel is |
securely closed, so that it i. air light
or as nearly 80 as practicable, aud the
hot sulphur fumes are turned into il
until the officer in charge is satisfied
no live germ is left. This is the whole
operation in a nut shell, and while
science had to develop it, yet it is
like all oiher scientific demonstrations,
when understood it is just plain, prac-
tical, common sense, and we wonder
We had not known it before. DR..
Lebby told ma be was in College
with Maj. Woodward and Mr.. G Il.
McMaster.
A word more ab:ut Fort johnson
Is it was): Gen. Ellison Capers Cow
Bishop Gays in vol. 5, p. Is, Con.
tederste Military History, just issued
hon the press: "The shell Which
opened the momensous bombardmcnt
OF Fort Sumter was fred from a
mortar located at Fort johnson on
James Island, at SO on the morning
Of the 18th" (April, 1861. % page
II, he says: 'sThe three mortars ia
battery at Fort johnson were CON-
msnded by Capt G. S. james,
This Capt. James was the same l..