The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-25
NO DANGER FROM YEMASSEE.
THE DISEASE THERE IS NOT VEL
LOW FEVER.


Health Officer Drummer, After Making
an Investigation of the Cases, Re-
ports That the Disease Is HemOr-
rhngic MaiariaI Fever-COnditiOns
at Miami, Fla, and jackson, Miss,
Not Improved-The Miami Refugee
Train Expected 10 start To-day.
Plant system Surgeons Report on
the Yemassee Case.
The announcement in yesterdays Morn
ing News that two deaths had occurred
az Yemassee from what was believed 60
be yellow fever was serious news on the
face Of ii. Yemassee Is My hfty-six miles
from Savannah and about sixty-fve from
Charleston, on the Charleston and Savan-
nah Railroad, and is altogether too close
to both cities to be regarded with compla-
cency as the yellow fever center Had
it been a month earlier, the announcement
would have caused considerable apprehen-
sion.
Health officer Drummer was inclined TO
discount the report, but he thought it well
to investigate promptly, and after confer
the Carolina town. He found that the re-
port was unwarranted, and that there was
no cause for alarm. Two deaths had oc-
CURED at Yemassee, but both were from
hemorrhagic fever. One of the decedents
had been in Florida some time ago and re-
manned there for a month, but had not
been exposed to yellow fever. The fact
that he had recently returned from Flori-
da, however, gave rise to the report that
the disease was yellow fever.
DR.. Drummer wired Surgeon General Wy
man of the circums tances and then re-
turned to Savannah. He found several tel
egrams awaiting him from the health Of
ficers of Augusta, Brunswick and other
places, asking for the facts about Yem-
assoc. Savannah is now looked to as head
quarters for sanitary information.
''The cases We're not at Yemassee," said
DR.. Drummer, when seen last night, "but
about two and one-haIf miles out in the
country. Yemassee is only a railroad
crossing, and there did not seem TO be
any one living there. 1t is not good
place to stay at night and the people
who work there in the day usually sleep
elsewhere. 1 had the good fortune to
meet DR.. E. c. r. Mole, the resident physi-
clan, who rendered me considerable as
sistance and facilitated my work. He al
ready had an intelligent idea of the situa-
ton. We found that there had been two
deaths from hemorrhagic fever, and that
there were two other cases. There was
no evidence on which to base a theory of
yellow fever"
So far as hemorrhagic fever is concerned
DR.. Drummer said, it is even more to be
feared than yellow fever, so far as the ia
tally Of the disease is concerned. The
hemorrhagic is the most virulent type
of the malaral feVers which prevail in
some sections of Georgia and South Car
DINA. Like other malarial fevers Ii Is
local in its origin. The Southern Railway
has been making extensive excavations
in the vicinity of Yemassee in preparing
for its connection with the Plant System
at that point, and this, taken in connec-
ton with the naturally malarial charac-
ter of the country, DR.. Drummer thinks
accounts for the disease. The yellow
fever epidemics at Miami, Fla, and Jack
son, Miss, appear to be on the increase
and this means that rigid quarantine will
have to be continued for some time long
er. Miami is so far down the Florida
coast that Dr. Drummer has little expec
tation that the first cod weather in this
latitude will affect the disease there.
He regards The disease as likely
TO continue at both Key West and Miami
until the material is exhausted. For this
reason he approves of DIR. J. Y. POrter's
advice for the depopulation of Miami
The train of refugees Is expected to leave
Miami to-day. In accordance with ar
Tangements already made, the officers of
the marine hospital service will take
charge of the train and will see that
no one disembarks in Lower Georgia or
Florida II is likely that most of the resi-
denis of Miami of means were already at
the North when the fever made its ap-
pearance, and that those now remaining
are for the most part people of small
means or none at all In this case the
| exodus is likely to work some hardship
upon the refugees by forcing them to go
! so far from home:
A copy Of the following telegram from
Or. Mole TO Supt C. S. Gadsden at
| Charleston was furnished the Morning
| News by Col. b. w. Wrenn traffic pas
! senger manager of the Plant System:
1T is hemorrhagic malarial fever Ste
! vens had. Came from Jacksonville twelve
| days before he was taken sick His was
not the first case. He contracted it sleep
| ing in the low country The first case
! originated here almost month before Ste
| vens returned"
| DR.. Mole is the local surgeon of the
| Plant System at Yemassee