The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-01
ALL MISSISSIPPI
 IS QUARANT|N Entire State Put Under Ban by
 Alabama OR. SANDERS WAS HERE State Health Officer VIII Take Up Matter of Method of Quaran- tine at Decatur-Local
 Conditions.


 against the entire state of Mississippi yesterday. The announcement was made by Dr. w. H. Sanders, state health off, cer, who spent a portion of the day in Birmingham.
 Dr. Sanders arrived from Montgomery about noon on the L. and N. and went to Meridian yesterday afternoon on the Alabama Great Southern for the pur- pose of putting the new quarantine regu- lations into effect and making some nec- essary changes in the location of the office.
 Dr. Sanders received a. long distance telephone message from Mobile about l clock yesterday stating that telegram had been received by the quarantine au- thorities in Mobile that there was case of yellow fever in Scranton, Miss, which is about 50 miles from Mobile. An effort was made by Dr. Sanders to communicate with the health officers or Mississippi relative to the situation In that state, but the long distance teie- phone lines were not in working order' Rather than take any risk, pr. Sanders ordered the quarantine and also issued instructions that new affidavit blanks pc printed at once including Mississippi Tn the list of places against which there IS a state quarantine.
 In explaining the reason for establish ing the quarantine, Dr. Sanders said;
 Explains Reason.
 "The Marine Hospital service ofhcers says there Is yellow fever in Scrantoh' and if 1t is true, then 1t Is getting closer and closer to Alabama. That little town is only few miles from the Alabama line. and is but 50 miles from Mobile. We have to take additional precautions.
 ''The quarantine of the state of Mis- sissippi is not properly regulated, ana when fever breaks out sufficient precau- tions are not taken. The service Is loose' and the state quarantine is all mixed up with the Marine hospital service. Yellow fever has spread all over portions of the state of Mississippi and is apt to spread further. We have succeeded in keeping 1t out of Alabama by maintaining trs best quarantine in the south.
 We have had quarantine heaoquar- ters at Meridian since the quarantine was established, but this will have to De abolished now and the office VIII DC moved to York. It is for that purpose that I am going to Meridian this after noon.
 "There are two reasons for establish ing a quarantine One Is that piaee has yellow fever and Is effected. Ihe other Is because city or state IS not taking the proper precautions to quarah- tine against an effected place. It IS 10 some extent this last reason that IS caus- ing me to order the quarantine against Mississippi. The proper precautions are not being taken to prevent spread or the disease
 Relative to the date that the quaran- tine will be raised. It IS impossipie 'o determine that, as we cannot tell when killing frosts will occur.
 Decatur Conditions.
 "As soon as I return to my office am going to notify the Decatur officers that the illegal and absurd practices which they have been carrying on in regard to the quarantine service must cease, or that their local quarantine will be abol- ished
 ''The quarantine they have established at Decatur is not legal and can be abol- ished by the state board of health. Any citizen who will sign a Decatur affidavit that he has not been to an infected point can enter Decatur under the law, and the authorities there cannot prevent his doing so. The citizen does not need a health certificate. Any individual can take the matter into the court and have an injunction issued against Decatur
 .'I have tried to persuade the Decatur authorities that they were wrong and had foolish quarantine, and l have hoped that they would listen to me and change their regulations On account of that I have not taken any official ac- ton in the matter, but l intend doing so as soon as I return to Montgomery.
 Judging from the newspaper reports this morning the conditions in Missls- sippi are steadily growing worse instead of better, and the disease seems to be spreading.
 ."rhe authorities at Scranton want me to come down there and decide if there Is yellow fever in the city. Several or the Scranton physicians state that there is no yellow fever in the city, but the Marine Hospital physician who Is In charge of that portion of the state de- clares that yellow fever exists. I doubt whether I will have time to go to Scran- ton.
 T am we'll pleased with the quarantine service maintained by the Birmingham office. I do not have any complaints about the service now and all the trains which come under the jurisdiction of this office are properly handled by the off, cers"