The Grenada sentinel., 1905-09-02

| as other points on the Texas border
and coast. the citizens have armed
themselves with shotguns to reinforce
the quarantine regulations that the
Lone S,ar state has so far failed 10
! back up with the rifles and bayoletS
and cannons OF its militia. Border
towns in Alabama and Arkansas have
also met the refugees from Louisiana
With shotguns and turned them back
Or imprisoned them in quarantine
camps. Even as far north as Tennes-
see and southern Illinois the quaran-
tine is maintained to certain extent,
| but in these latter districts it is a
| modified quarantine and without the
meaacing adjunct of shotguns or bayo.
nets. Memphis, it may be recalled, has
| as much reason as any city in the
world to impose rigorous quarantine
in times of danger from yellow fever
as, with perhaps the exceptions of New
Orleans and Philadelphia no other city
in the world has been scourged so
dreadfully or so nearly depopulated
from yellow fever as has Memphis In
the yellow jack" epidemics OF a gen
Grafton ago, when the people of New
| Orleans were dying like flies, the pop
ulation of Memphis was being deci-
mated almost equally as fast. But that
was before science had come to the
rescue by stepping to the front and
showing that this greatest of yellow
I rerils might be controlled and elimi-
mated by simply controlling or eXter-
minating a certain fly-the female of a
certain mosquito family which science
discovered was the only possible prop
agator of the deadly. but as yet uni
Identified, germ of yellow fever
Draining of swamps contiguous to
this city and the raising of the grade
of its streets to height that would
permit drainage by underground sew
ers, to replace the present surface sew
ers, are advocated by many as desira-
! bic steps in the crusade against the
infectious Mrs. Mosquito. Indeed. there
are many Improvements of this sort
planned and portions of them are in
course of construction The pro-
gramme is for complete sanitary
| system Of water works and sewers. the
cost to be $16,000000 But it will take
three years or more before this sfeG.r
and much-needed improvement can be
finished.
May OIL All Swamps.
Whether any plan may be found foI
rendering the great swamps to tbs
southeast and south of this city unGe
sirable places as breeding grounds fol
the countless myriads of mosquitoes
that swarm into our streets and homes
and business houses when the wind is
blowing inland must be considered ore
Of the greatest problems that New Or
leans and the state of Louisiana will
nave to deal with il the near future
Outsiders may consider that we are
never immune SO long as we are ex
posed to these two things-the capri
ciOusresS Of the winds OF heaven and
the fecundity Of the mosquito tribe
that domiciles in the irreclaimable
Swamps of our coast. But our case
nevertheless. is not hopeless. tn.
great state will find way to meet al
difficulties. 1t is rich enough and en-
terprising enough to ell ali the swamp.
Of our coast every year and it may dc
that very thing if this years test OF
the mosquito theory" proves its en-
tire correctness.
Federal Government in CHARGE.
In response 20 tle apDeal OF the citz
Of New Orleans, the federal govern
ment promptly ;ook charge Of the lght
against the yellow fever. ard Surgeon
General Walter Weyman, head of tbs
United States marine hospital service
and his splendid corps of trained help
ers. are waging battle royal day and
night to stamp out the scourge. The
city authorities are lending the hearth
est cooperation and the defense fund OF
$150000 asked by the government to
exterminate the disease has been
raised.
Though generally people are willing
to submit to the regulations of the
health authorities, there are some whc
| refuse to believe in the mosquito
theory and wno oppose the oiling OF
their cisterns and the cleansing OF
their premises. The Era club members
who are women. have Volunteered tc
proselyte among this class of the com.
munity.
There is mosquito ordinance tha
requires landlords to screen cisterns
Fine or Imprisonment is the penalty
fer refusal to obey the ordinance. VerJ
few houses in The city are without els
terms, and 10000 to $4,000 of them will
be screened. The city is now spending
s16,000,000 upon water and sewerag,
system which, when completed, will
require the Abandonment of all els
terms. 1t will however, be two o.
three years before this system is il
1operation and Ill the interval the oil
ing and screening process will be es
sential if the breeding places of tn
fever-bearing mosquito are to b
wiped out.
Famous Investigation in Havana.
= The famous investigation made il
Havana in 1900 and 1901 by the Ameri
can military commission, composed o