The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-13
CHINATOWN is
IN QUARANTINE
-4=-
Health Officers Discover 0iph-
liberia in Plum Alley.
-4-
POLICE WATCH JOSS HOUSE
MoNGoLIAN PHYSICIANS DOWN
WITH THE DISEASE.
POLICE WATCH JOSS HOUSE


THINATOwN is under police quar-
| antine as a result Of the discov-
cry Of diphtherfa in the Celestial
quarters OF Plum alley. This condition
exists because the residents Of the Sec
ton refused to sable" the yellow
flags of the health department and
persisted in visiting the infected quar-
tiers.
The quarantine officers tried in vain
II enforce an observance Of health reg
ulatiOns, but they didn't have brass
buttons enough 10 satisfy the Chinese
boys as to their authority, and the po-
lice were called upon 10 see that quar-
antine rules were observed.
Owing to the secretive nature Of the
Cinnamon. the case was not discovered
until after il had fully developed, and
il is feared the greater part Of the
residents of the alley have already been
exposed. As a consequence, the alley
viii be closely watched and some
wholesome fumigating VIII be done i'm
mediately.
Chinese Doctor Stricken.
The victim of the disease is the Chi
Orient, who also holds the ecclesiasti-
cal position of high priest in the tenn
pie of Joss. and acts as a fortune teller
and seer for the worshipers of the war
god.
The sick man was discovered in the
dingy, smoke-hIled recesses Of one of
the dives yesterday and the matter was
Immediately reported to the health de-
partment An examination showed that
diphtheria was Enthusiastically the ma
ture Of the disease, and from appear
ances the old man had been sick for
some days Where he contracted the
disease Is not known TO the health au-
thorities as yet, but it is supposed that
he must have been exposed to it In
some way. as such contagion is seldom
found in Chinatown.
As soon as the nature Of the disease
was discovered a flag was placed on
each door Of the house and the China
men were instructed to keep away from
the place, but the Celestials refused to
understand the instructions Of the in
spectOrs, and when one of the latter re-
turned to the place later he found other
Cinnamon going in and out as if no
sign were there.
Police Called Upon.
ExpOstulations and threats were in
vain, for the Cinnamon had to be
shown. The quarantine officer flashed
his star of authority. but still the Ce-
lestials were not convinced. The pO-
lice were then called upon to assist in
carrying out the quarantine regulations
and the officer on that beat now has
the added duty of seeing that no China
boy slips in or out of the infected house.
The presence Of an officer had due
effect, but it Is feared the denizens viii
md some means Of getting into the
place unobserYed and spgead the dis
ease 1t is the religious duty, it is said,
of all followers Of Joss to care for his
high priest when the latter is sick, and
the authorities do not anticipate any
easy time in keeping the quarantine
regulations unviOlated.
How many have been exposed TO the
disease is unknown to the health au-
thorities, but they fear that the greater
part of the inhabitants of the alley
have benin the house. For this reason
a strict watch viii be kept on the place
and all the dives it is said viii be thor
oughly fumigated.
Health Of City Improving.
Aside from this threatened outbreak
Of disease the health of the city is ex-
ceptionally good, according to the re-
ports for the past week. The cOntag-
ious diseases in other portions of the
city are on the decrease and have been
ever since the Nth crusade was inaug-
urated.
One cause Of the prevalence of con-
tagiOn, according to the claim of the
health authorities, is the persistence
with which so many residents crowd
large families into small houses. The
reports Of the inspectors show that in
numerous small houses there are fam
lies of fifteen and eighteen persons liv-
ing One report showed that in a house
of three rooms q family of fifteen was
living When so many are crowded in
to such small places insufficient venti-
lation is secured, it is claimed, and the
contaminated air becomes a breeder
and dissemination Of disease germs.