The record-union., 1899-08-01
Regarding the Outbreak Of the Dread Dis
ease at the Soldiers Home.
There Were Thirty-Eour Cases and
Six Deaths Sunday-General
Corbin Reports the Conditions
as Serious, and That There IS
No Telling How Far the Intec-
ton May Have Reached.

WASHINGTON, July 31-Surgeon
General Sternberg has received the fol-
lowing from Lieutenant Colonel Dewitt
at Fort Monroe regar ding the outbreak
of yellow fever at the Soldiers Home
at Hampton, Va:
Fort Monroe, Va, July 31.-Surgeon
General, U. S. A, Washington: At
o'clock p. m. yesterday Surgeon Pettus,
United States Marine Hospital Service,
quarantine officer, officially stated that
yellow fever was at the National Sol
diers Home at Hampton-thirty-fo flour
cases with six deaths.
Commanding officer took immediate
measures for a quarantine.
Surgeon Pettus states that the sur
geon General of the Marine Hospltai
Service was notified yesterday after
noon. DEWITT, surgeon.
Adjutant General Corbin and Major
Johnson, Assistant Adjutant General,
were at Fort Monroe yesterday ana
We're present when Surgeon Pettus
made his report to Lieutenant Colonei
Dewitt. General Corbin says that the
conditions are serious and that there
is 10 telling how far the infection may
have reached. There is a trolley rodo
along the beach for a distance OF more
than six miles, and excursion parties
have been coming to Old Point ana
adjacent places and have taken the
trolley to Newport News and to the
Soldiers Home. Many of them nave
mingled with the soldiers.
General Corbin says that one theory
of the way in which the fever might
70 q homo that
one of the soldiers recently visited
Santiago. He returned some time since
suffering with what the physicians
thought to be dengue- 1t seems II was
not until the inmates of the home pc
gan to die that the disease was dis
covered to be yellow fever
General Corbin says there is not the
least question about the character OF
the disease, physicians who were pres-
ent at the postmortem on some OF the
victims declaring that yellow fever
was surely present. According to al
vices received at the War Department
to-day there have been a total of forty
cases. six of whom have died.
The Soldiers Home has no connec
ton with the War Department. 1t is
under a Board of Managers created by
Congress, which manages all the Sol
diers' Homes throughout the country.
The men admitted are soldiers OF the
War of the Rebellion. The officials OF
the War Department are very mucn
concerned on the part of the military
post at Fort Monroe, which is within
six miles Of the home.
Adjutant General Corbin and Surgeon
General Sternberg had a conference
early to-day and it was determined to
hold everything in readiness to take
care of the yellow fever should it ap-
pear among the troops.
Surgeon Pettus, through General Cor
bin, has requested Surgeon Generai
Sternberg to send him such expert I'M
mune yellow fever surgeons as he can
find.
The Marine Hospital officers are as
founded at the presence of yellow 1e-
yer in that locality. The last epidemic
of the disease occurred at Norfolk III
1870 having been brought into port
on the steamer Ben Franklin on June
18th of that year, and in the epidemic
which followed there were 1,S01 deaths
The steamer from Old Point arriving
this morning was crowded with pas
sengers.
orders have been issued by the War
Department removing the garrison al
Fort Monroe to some point on the
northern coast to be selected by Cen
eral Merritt A few officers and TWEEN
ty enlisted men will be detained al
Fort Monroe as guard
Surgeon General Sternberg expected
TO go to Fort Monroe tonight but has
learned that the boats will not stop
there. owing to the yellow fever at
Hampton.
Surgeon Wyman of the Marine Hos
nital Service had a conference with
Secretary Alger to-day concerning the
yellow fever situation at Hampton.
THE Secretary of War is ex-officic
President of the Board of Managers OF
the Soldiers Home, and his orders con
corning the home would govern IT,
Secretary Alger assured DR.. Wyman
that the War Department would ASSIST
In every manner possible to control the
epidemic. and that, as ex-ofi1clo presi-
dent of the Soldiers Home he would
issue such orders as are deemed nee
essary.
DIR. Wyman says that it may be nee
essarv to take many of the inmates OF
the home away.
Speaking of the situation, Genera
Sternberg said to-day:
1.-The matter of dealing with the cpl
demic will be entirely in the hands OF
the Marine Hospital service. OF course
we shall cooperate in every way pos
sible / shall ask to have yellow feve'
expert sent to Fortress Monroe for the
projections of the army interests
General Sternberg said he had no the
cries to advance as to the cause of tn,
outbreak.
General Sternberg has requested tina
Acting Assistant Surgeon Seaton Nor
man be detailed for service at Fortres.
Monroe. Surgeon General Van Rey-
pen of the Navy Department also de
clined to discuss the origin of the out
break. Asked if he did not think i
might be due to the presence of the ole
Spanish ship Reina Mercedes at th'
Norfolk navy yard, he replied emphat
ically in the negative.
DR.. Van Reypen also said that he die