The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-10-06
GUARANTEED.
BY OSCAR NNC DAVIS.

Cholera waited srlinlv OUTSIDE NcN
York-thc terrible Asiatic plague tha
II. rips a strong man in the morning
and sends him in the evening to
caick-lmed pit in the earth. Dnil.
and nightly the b'leagucred ci'.
sroye to perfect it's defences, an'
soon all infected or suspected ship
vere detained in the lower bay. On
vas a great liner, the palatial frs
cabin of which was filed with home
eomcrs from a summer in Europe
The others were slow going, fat fun
pellcd steamers, humming like hives
On a June day with their hundreds
If immigrants. They lay in bunch
4 IN the Horseshoe inside Of Sandy
Hook, and day by day the yellow
tagged quarantine boat steamed W
them, their only connection with
the shore.
1 On the liner the passengers pro
tstcd. pleaded, implored In vain. On
tie others immigrants hung over the
nil in mute. despairing patience. AT
Tile uuiIdutlUt StdtioA At hlS 40
Ind was bought, and the passengers
fpm the liner We're moved down to
Il
Then the Federal government inter-
ye,ed. On the dreary sandbar that
stretches out into the north Of the
highlands of the Navesink. Camp
Low was built, and there the hun.
drpds of poor wretches who had been
exposed to the scOurge in the immi-
Grant ships were sent ashore for de-
tention and observation. The surgeon
general of the United States army
took charge, and United States regu-
lar soldiers stood guard. as we'll
to keep the outsiders out as to keep
the suspects In.
The immigrants were sheltered in
long, fairly comfortable sheds, patti
toned off into what the reporters
called pens. A number Of newspaper
men lived in big tent pitched few
rods inland from the sheds. which
were almost at the waters edge. Be
II cuC tACIk lh6 tVAl was thSiA A1> 90
tent and not far off were the tents of
the surgeons.
Camp Low was plague-spOt shut
out from connection with the world.
man once In it must stay until he
died, or until the plague should be
vanquished and all danger ended. The
newspaper men knew this when they
took their assignments. but they were
oil clean, healthy men, accustomed to
simple right-liying, and they were not
afraid.
They got together In New York be-
for going down to their work. and ap
pointed committee to buy their camp
supplies, which were just such sup
plies as they would have taken on Il
hunting expedition, leaving out only
the guns
A telegraph cable had been laid
across Sandy Hook bay to connect with
The Staten Island wires, and the re-
ports sent over it by the newspaper
men on the first night in Camp Low
were taken largely with descriptions |
Of the camp.
In the morning the boys set about
The permanent arrangements Of their
camp. They elected president.
vhose business was to keep in mind
eonstantly the general welfare of the
camp; steward, and later a commit
zee OF amusements.
When they had settled the camp
.nd found that it was still forenoon,
pegan to dawn upon them that they
aad too little to do. Time was likely
drag. They wrote long letters
.ome' and We're surprised and grieved
because they could not send them.
NO scrap of paper, ruled the sur
s.Ons' could leave the camp. Commu-
ucatlon was limited to the telegraph.
lnen the reporters enlisted with the
ufsecns as clerks, and made out the
nrolment Of the immigrants. That
'ok q couple Of days. and while 1t
listed 1t had its spice of danger in
ne contact with persons who had
zen exposed to the plague.
before long the novelty Of camp
le Wore on. and the reporters We're
&c 70 face with the tedious business
simple waiting. Some read their
S'As' but not all men can keep stsadi-
at That sort Of diversion, and some
peht their days roaming about the
.as'ed. scrub grown tongue of sand.
nere they could see the blue smoke
vat up over Staten Island and the I
f.V beyond; or wandered down to :
f4e water and watched where
Inc keen blowing gales
| =, lore the flags and the sails ,
" Tue SHIPS that were plunging home.
~ night they stood in front of their
css tent and looked across the open
anlei !. on the twinkling merriment ,
oohey Island and Manhattan beach.
I.e ny one they saw the lamps Of I
|''rth 90 out and leave them without
L,.h The poor semblance Of compinion-
thousand immigrants We're shut t
u III Tie camp. Whether cholera Ii I'd $
saAd a hold among them or not only 0
Ile could tell. All had been landed a
sound. What might hap /