The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-27

The man in charge Of the yellow fever hospital
Is an rasoible little volunteer surgeon from In
diana who came 70 Cuba with Gen Skaters ar,
and has been here ever since. Major Carr seems
mover 70 sleep, but u husuing about all the tina
In spite Of his quickness OF temper. and tho violent
explosions OF wrath 70 which no N subject he IN q
kind -heartod man. and with the sick he IL ton
| der a. q woman Men who have been under his
care say that il Is almost pleasure 70 have yellow
fever II one eau 60 10 Major Cars hospital Major
Carr has only visited Santiago couple OF times
since be won't 10 the island more than six weeks
ago, and both OF his visits were brief One or two
Of his assistants have boon prisoners since the out
break Of the fever
Cuban yellow fever has its peculiarities The
general symptoms are tho same as In yellow fever
else here, but the results vary. The victims
temperature climbs 70 prodigious heights, but the
fever does not last long. A temperature Of liz
degrees Fahrenheit In not uncommon Tho fever
either burns out its victim lie quickly. tleavos
him When IL breaks the victim Is absolutely
prostrated He is 700 weak 10 move and generally
docs not caro- whether school keeps or not Hence
he becomes an easy prey 10 other diseases, especi
ally IL he be a North American, unacoustomed to
tho climate the water and the food. Many Of tho
deaths among tie American troops and civilians
last year. put down TO dysentcry and diarrhooa,
originated in yellow fever the patient In his weak
and disordcrsd state, becoming infected with the
disease which was ultimately 70 cause his death
after tho fever itself had left him
Physicians find the diagnos OF Cuban yellow
fever dfhcult because Of similarity between It's
symptoms and the symptoms of calentura, as
Cuban malsha Il called In tho beginning OF
either kind tho patient Is likely TO have the same
dull headache, the Same pains across the small OF
the back, and the same weakness in the knees
Often in calontura he has a iaundicc very much
like the iaundice which gives yellow fever It's name
These pccuiarities led physicians unfamiliar with
this particular type Of the disease astray last year
and was the cause Of their calling many ordinary
attacks Of malaria yellow, fever Sometimes
young contract surgeons were not as particular
about getting at tho true state OF things as they
might have been. They were not at all adverse
10 tho idea Of posing before their friends heroes
OF yellow fever epidemic, and |, was not diflcult
TO make their patients share In tho deceit
While any ono Of these patients would have been
frightened almost out OF his wits had he been told
while he was sick that he had yellow fever such
WOW OF the situation after the danger was passed
was not an altogether unattractivo one The
patient realized too, that to have passed through
such dangers gave him certain distinction also
The Fifth Regiment brought some yellow fever
here from Tampa last year -Four eases were
found on the first transport which arrived under
the command Of Col freeman about the middle OF
August and an entire battalion was isolated until
the danger period had been passed The matter
was kept pretty quiet because there was no fever
in town OF home make then but a quarantine was
established gains, Tampa and the next battalion
OF the Fifth which arrived a few days later was
regularly detained.
After its arrival the Fifth had deal Of hard luck
II had recently been filled with recruits unused to
the hardships Of soldering, and they fell sick
almost Immediately. All through September
and October Col. Freeman's daily sick report was
greater than that OF any other regiment on the Is.
land. This was nothing new. Hard luck has
been the lot Of the Fifth almost since II became
a part of the regular establishment Although
the first regiment ordered to Tampa when the war
with Spain became imminent. 1t missed the Sant-
ago campaign. Instead of sending II along with
the Fifth Army Corps, Secretary Algcr broke il
UP into companies which had TO perform garrison
duty at Tampa, Key West Mobile and Galveston,
while the other regular regiments earning
fame and having fun al Las Guasmas San Juan
and FL Caney. When one says anything about
hard luck TO officer OF the Fifth, the officer
smiles grimiy and says, That's U.S." Officers
and men call themselves the Rugbys, because OF
the way they have been kicked about
NO DRAINAGE IN SANTIAGO.
INC cause o' TOSt OF tne SlckncSS Ia santiago.
is the absolute lack OF a sewerage or drainage
81 stem Neither sewerage, drainage nor street
cleaning, the terms understood in the States
ever had place in the Spanish scheme Of munich
pal management Up to the time Gen Wood
took command Of the town the custom OF the in
habtants was TO dump the refuse OF their kitchens
and yards out into the streets where II was left TO
rot In the brong sun until the afternoon showers
fell These showers convert the streets into small
swift rivers and the refuse washed down the
hills 10 the bay, passing under the Alameda
through two big sewer pipes, which empticd their
contents on either side OF the main pier The
harbor at this place, originally. twenty five
or thirty feet deep but the filth and accumulation
Of three centuries has formed peninsuas on either
side OF II which extend half way out TO the end
At high tide these peninsulas are only covered by
about eighteen inches OF water and when the tide
Is out parts OF them are exposed TO the sun II Is
to these conditions that Gen. Wood attributes the
epidemics OF typhus, typhoid and yellow fevers
which have been common during the last cen
fury Tho water has become so shallow from
these discharges that even at the extreme end OF
tho pier only vessels OF light draught can take
or discharge carg0es The smallest tramp
steamers have to anchor in the middle OF the bay
and load and unload by lighters
Another source OF trouble Ia in the lack OF an
adequate water supply. Although Santiago Is
normally town OF 20, 900 inhabitants its water
supply is insufficient for hall as many people and
were u not Tor the hermcricay sealed cisterns
with which some of the places equipped there
would always be a shortage As II is during the
dry season the poor have 10 buy their water by the
barrel The reservoirs and scheme OF piping are the
crudest arrangement imaginable Fifty or sixty
years ago Spanish engineer built a dam across
the gorge through which Boniato creek flows in the
about six miles northeast OF the town
Tn" dam is thirty-6ve ieet high and WAS substan-
TALLY constructed The creek quickly filled up the
gorge, forming lake about two hundred yards
wide and quarter OF mile long. This little lake
is about 800 ieet above the level OF Cathedral Hill
the highest place in Santiago
Alter he had built the dam the Spania rds knock
ed ahoe in II two and hall eet IRON the top and
stuck nine inch main in the hole Why he did
not mako the hole somewhere near the bottom is
not clear Other sections ot pipe Joined to the
original piece the limo Of pipe striking the ground
about hity feet from the dam Masonry supports