The Yale expositor., 1899-08-04
Dreaded DISEASE IS HIRE.
Forty Cases of Yellow Fever at
Hampton Soldiers Home.
SIX ARE DEAD OF THE PEST.
Conditions Very Serious-Nature OF the
Plague Was Not Discovered Until
Victims Began to Die-wsr Depart
ment Active.

Washington, Aug. Surgeon Cen
eral Sternberg has received the follow
ing from Lieut-Col. Dewitt at Fort
Monroe regarding the outbreak OF yell
low fever at the Soldiers home at
Hampton, Va:
Fort Monroe, Va, July S1.-Surgeon
General, u. S. A, Washington: At
o'clock p. IN. yesterday Surgeon Pet
tus, United States marine hospital SER
vice, quarantine officer, officially states
that yellow fever was at National Sol
diers' home, Hampton; thirty-four
cases, with six deaths. Commanding
officer took measures for quarantine.
Surgeon Pettus states surgeon general
marine hospital service was notified
yesterday afternoon.
"DE WITT, Surgeon"
Adjt.-Gen. Corbin says that from all
accounts there is little doubt the con-
ditions are serious and there is no tell
ing how far the Infection may have
reached. One theory of the way in
which the fever might have been
brought to the home is that one Of the
soldiers recently visited Santiago. 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 began to die
that the disease was discovered to be
yellow fever.
Gen. Corbin says that there is not the
least question about the character of
the disease, physicians who were pres
ent 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 a to-
tai of forty cases, six OF whom have
died.
The Soldiers home has no connec-
ton with the war department. The
men admitted are soldiers of the war of
the rebellion.
Surgeon Pettus, through Gen. Cor
bin, has requested Surgeon General
Sternberg to send him such expert inn
mune yellow fever surgeons as he can
find.
Orders have been issued by the war
department to remove the garrison at
Fort Monroe to some point on the nor
thern coast to be selected by Gen. Mer-
rift. A few officers and twenty enlist
ed men will be detained at Fort Mon
roe as a guard.
Speaking of the situation Gen.
Sternberg said: THE matter of
dealing with the epidemic will be en-
tirely in the hands of the marine hos
pital service, but of course we shall
cooperate in any way possible.
shall ask to have yellow fever expert
sent to Fortress Monroe for the pro-
lection of army interests" Gen.
Sternberg said he had no theories to
advance as to the cause for the out
break.
Surgeon General Van Reypen OF the
navy, said he did not believe it would
be necessary to suspend operations at
the Norfolk navy yard. The yard will,
however, be quarantined.
The ironclad monitors Terror and
Puritan are the only naval vessels sta
toned at the Norfolk yard, and it is
understood that they will be removed
in case their crews should appear to
be endangered. 1t is also quite well
understood that in such an emergency
the navy department pays little heed
to quarantine regulations and would
not hesitate to send the ships out
bound for northern port.
The marine hospital officers are as
founded at the presence of yellow fe-
yer in that locality. The last epidem-
ic of the disease occurred in Norfolk
in 1885, being brought into port on the
steamer Ben Franklin, June Z of that
year, and in the epidemic which fol-
lowed there were 1907 deaths.