The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-27
NAIL SERVICE DEADLOCK.
ARISES FROM SMALLPOX INFECTION
IN EASTERN WASHINGTON.
All Mail Into British CoIumbia Held
IT Northport for Fumfgation,
which IL Not Done Because of
Contention ~ to who shall no II.

Special Dispatch to the Post-Intelligencer
ROSSLAND, b. c., Jan. 26.--T0day only
fifteen passengers arrived on the Red
Mountain train from the south. The av-
erage number has hitherto been forty-fve,
and this reveals that the quarantine
against smallpox is iessening the passenger
traffic. There Is a deadlock on at North
port.
Provincial Health officer Labau today
telegraphed to Perry Wright to stop all
mails, except that which only passed
through the infected districts. In accor-
dance with the Instructions Mr.. Wright
asked that the mall at Northport be fumi-
gated. He was told that there was no one
there to do 1t. and that no one had au-
thority there to open the mail sacks. as
the railway mail clerk had returned to Spo-
kane. Mr.. Wright had no means of seq
regating the mail and In accordance with
the instructions he held 1t all. As con-
sequence, there was no mail received from
the south this evening except rev letters
from Sheep creek. which is on TINS side
e. w Hun. agent Of the Red Mountain
railway. telegraphed to Northport this ev-
ening regarding the mail. and received
reply that the mail was being held for the
purpose of fumigation, and 1t was not
known when the deadlock at Northport
would be broken. 1t will take two or three
men to fumigate the mail. as II has to be
taken out of the sacks and the packages
separated in order that the operation may
The Americans think that the Canadian
health. officers should do this, and the lat
ter consider that the task should be per-
formed by the Americans It was suggest
ed by Mayor Goodeve that the mall be
brought here In sacks and that fumi-
eating tank large enough to hold sack
be constructed and that, In this way. the
letters could be rendered innocuous in case
they contained anything of a contagious
nature.
1t is understood here that superintendent
Elwell, the chief clerk of the United States
Northwest mail service, has teiegraphed
to Washington and the matter VIII, there
fore. be brought to the attention of the
postal authorities at Ottawa and Washing
ton.
Canada Must Do the Disinfecting.
WASHINGTON. Jan. N.-Superintend-
ent White, of the railway mail service,
said today that the United States officials,
when they learned of the prevalence of
smallpox at Spokane, had directed that all
mail leaving that place should be disin-
fected, but as the disease has not appear
ed between Spokane and the Canadian
border 1t is not deemed necessary to flu
mfgate the mail after 1t leaves the in
fected city. But few postoffces on the
Coast are permanently provided with dis
injecting apparatus, so the order could not
be put into immediate effect 1t was also
left Spokane for British Columbia which
IS suspected Of being infected snail be res
turned to Spokane for fumigation.
.PoSt0ffice officials here are of the opin-
ion that II the British Columbia officials
desire to have the mails disinfected at the
border, they should attend to that duty
themselves
All the mail in question is addressed to
residents of British Columbia, and some of
it originated in Canada. 1t has been the
custom of this government to disinfect
mails from infected countries as soon as
they cross our borders.