Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-08-01
Uncle Sam Tackles Yellow Jack
in Earnest.
MARINE HOSPITAL SERVICE
1t wiz Hav. Complete Charge OF tho
Tev.r Si'u>tion ut S ,lL,crs' Homo.
Troops to I"nve Fort Non ..
roe at Once.
ll:N rnlrUl;lllll.l

tl;y Telcsrapll.)
w .NSlll NGTON, July 3l.-'rhc latest
official auviccs received up to S O'Clock
tonight SHOW Il total OF 81 cases and
seven deaths !rom yellow fever at the
soldiers Home at Hampton. Va. One
new ease occurred ut The Homo today.
ThuS far the disease has been confined
TO the Home. but all surrounding, towns
are excited and q vigorous uu;,rantii:c
is being maintained. DR.. Waslin, Of
the Marine Hospital Service, is in
charge OF affairs ut Hampton and is
working in cooperation With the local
boards of health. He has strengthened
the Gordon about the town of I'hoebus.
which he reports is in Very bad sani-
tary condition. The fact that only one
new case appeared today is encourage
ing To the officials here, who are taking
every measure to prevent a spread OF
the disease. They feel that the fact that
the affected locality is in the hands OF
the government and under one man
aEemcnt Will be of great value in deaf
ing with the Scourge and enable better
results to be obtained than where cpl
denies break out in commercial places.
Already Il number of inquiries have
been received by DR.. Wyman from
quarantine officers throughout the Uni
ted states asking whether they shall
impose Il maritime quarantine against
Norfolk. He has replied that there APP
pears to be no necessity for such re
strction in the case Of either Norfolk
or Newport News.
DR.. Wasuin's Off ;cal report OF his
| examination Of existing conditions at
the Soldiers Home reached DR. Wyman
today. 1t is DATED yesterday and notes
the fact that the doctor has seen all the
cases Of suspects at the Homo. He
sums up the history of the contagion as
follows:
Early In July an old soldier entered
the Home for a short rest and soon at
terWaTd appeared at the dispensary,
where he informed the physician in
charge that he was but recently from
santiago, via san Francisco: beat his
way TO the Home on a freight train ana
entered with his baggage He com
planned OF dumb chillS and fever and
vas prescribed for. He mingled freely
with the inmates of the Home ana Il
Snort tune ago disappeared. From this
us Il possible cause the outbreak is as
follows: Preceding Friday the twenty
i1rst instant, there had been noticed
nothing of 4 suspicious nature The
weekly death rate was rs usual But
on the 2lSt and 22d there became i'll dur
ing the night with sharp. or less, chill.
ana hiSh fever, some eight or ten in
mates, men usually in good health.
hese seizures, although noted as pccll-
liar had occasicncd no alarm until
about Thursday, the eth, when q, death
occurred, the man becoming distinctly
yellow some time prior To death. On
or >pout the same day another one died
without having attracted particular at
tentlon. tie also turned quite yellow
Autcpsics were held on both by tn.
resident EltnoloSist
1T was then, or Il little later that the
telegram was sent you asking for an
expert. found there was $500 inmates
and that thirty five had been taken i'll
since the 2lst.'
DR.. WaSdin says he withheld a posi-
tive diagnosis in his first comnunira-
tlon because of the assertion of Sur
seon Flckcry AT the Home. that there
mates With any Cuban soldiers return
ca since last May or early in June
with the discovery of the probable nri-
SIN or the infection and the two autDp-
sizes today there can be no doubt, ne
says, about the disease being yellow fa-
yer. ara continues:
II have advised Major VicLcrv y,
empty the dormitorics Infected at once.
putting the men preferably in tents
me grounds are closed. There has
hcen \ very free ntcr-cOnlmunication
between the inmates and the people OF
lhochus' Il public house near thu
grounds having been freely visited un-
" last night. / have suggested TO ~.
iettus TO meet one or more of the local
poaIdS OF l'hocbuS and, informing thc,n
or the state of affairs ask their co-o,-
eratioh in watching the village These
inmates, as understand it, do not
mlnSlc much With people outside Of th,.
village FROM this fact it would seem
possible to confine it In the Home
some data furnished by the. surgeon
Seh"ra1 SHOWS the prompt manner la
which the authorities have taken tn,
situation in hand. Late Saturday DR..
Wyman received a telegram from SIR
q hn
an expert. Dr. Wasdin was ordered
there from Norfolk at once and last
night Il despatch came from him an
nouEcinS that the disease was grn,,in,.
yellow fever.
Surgeon White was sent from Wash
inston to take charge Of Marine Hospi-
Ia! affairs. He has had large cxpcr-
fence in yc!ln" fever cpide.nics. After
a Gordon had been established around
the soldiers Home. ncighboring cities
were warned and advised to hunt for
any inmates Of the Home who might he
visiting and TO keep them under close
observation. Dispatches to this effect
We're sent sunday to Norfolk. Pores
mouth, Newport News and Richmond
and the health officer at Washington
was notified. In Norfolk a housc-to-
house inspection is being made DR.
cd TO consult the health authorities
there and AT the adjoining town Of
l;crklcv and to assist in locating army
refugees. Past Assistant Surgeon Wcr-
tcnbakcr. who has been ordered from
Wilmington. N. c., to Hampton, is no,
an immune, but is Intimately scruain;-
cd with the locality and will serve on
he outside of the Gordon. Surgeon
Fickcry, at the Home, has been asked
To prepare list Of soldiers who haze
departed within a month, with Il view
TO tracing them Today Or. Wyman
ordered Assistant SURGEON Won Ed 1rf