Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-08-04
government ASKED
TO down .SC0URCE
PETITION CIRCULATED IN NEW
ORLEANS WITH THAT PUR-
POSE IN VIEW.
TEXAS TIGHTENs
ITS QUARANTINE
Business Prospects in Louisiana Me-
tropois Are Gloomy-Deaths to
Date Number 63-All Manner Of
Precautions Against Plague.

New Orleans, Aug. PA petition Is
being quietly circulated among the
railroad companies, steamship agencies
and large business concerns of the
city, asking the United States govern
ment at Washington to assume charge
of the yellow fever situation here
and handle it as it did the scourge in
Havana, Santiago and other places.
While no one will discuss the sig
nifcance of this petition it is ana
lyzed as meaning that the people Of
the city would feel safer in the hands
of the federal authorities than in the
care of the state and city authorities.
The marine hospital service is all
ready here, but it is not in absolute
power. 1t is giving every assistance,
but is not directing the war against
infection. Whether the element dis
satisfied with existing conditions will
be sufficiently strong to bring enough
pressure on the government to justify
it to step in is doubted. That many
here wish to see the government in
control is certain.
Twenty-one new cases and five
deaths are reported. The mortuary
report issued by the board of health
showed that 20 persons had died of
yellow fever during the week. This
brings the death total to GO and the
total number of cases to 307. The total
number of spots in the city where fever
exists is 46.
Little change characterized the yell
low fever situation Tuesday. OF the
five new foci mentioned in the off,
cial report OF the city board of health
in the preceding "a hours only three
are above Canal street, in widely sep
arated districts and traceable to the
original zone of infection. Tuesdays
reports Of convalescents Is especially
encouraging, and it is becoming evil
dent that with careful treatment the
| present visitation Of the fever will be
| shorn of many of its terrors Reports
| from the bedsides of those other than
| Italians were to the effect that the dis.
ease was steadily yielding to treat.
| ment.
Texas Rules Against State.
The announcement by DR.. Tabor, OF
Texas, of a quarantine against the
4 whole state of Louisiana promises to
again throw traffic on the west side
of the river out Of Joint. Under this
order no one can enter the state of
Texas coming from this city without
first having gone into q camp Of de-
tention for six days. The effect will
| be practically to prevent all passenger
| traffic into Texas from New Orleans.
The hope here is that Dr. Tabor will
not still further extend his restric-
tions so as to include freight.
Report Branded as False.
Many stories are being told by refu-
gees who are finally reaching their
homes in Louisiana after running the
gauntlet of guards and guarantees.
In some cases they have Travelled
scores Of miles in teams or on foot
in order to avoid interrogation and i'm
prisonment. DR.. Charles LIE Baron, in
charge Of the detention camp at Lum-
berton, Miss, has wired here that the
report that five Italians were shot or
killed by the guards there was abso-
1utely false and that not shot was
fired by either guards or Italians.
Says Freight Service Is Safe.
Thousands Of circulars are to be
sent through the south by the business
men of New Orleans containing an
emphatic declaration by DIR. ]. H.
White, of the United States marine
hospital service, that freight cannot
carry yellow fever infection. DR..
White has written the letter to Presi-
dent Kohnke, Of the board Of trade.
DR.. White says: There is no possible
way in which yellow fever may be
transmitted other than by the mos
quito, and freight cannot under any
circumstances be infected In this way,
but only in so far as 1t might become
the residence of an infected mosquito.
1t is not likely to become the residence
OF any kind Of mosquito, much less
the infected mosquito, whose presence
In business and manufacturing estab-
lishments would in the nature of
things be very remote contingency"
Must Fumigate Cars.
! Gov. Blanchard has arranged with the
authorities here for the fumigation of
! passenger coaches that run between
points in Louisiana. Many medical
men in the interior think that the
stegomyia can be carried by cars and
that there is danger of transmission
OF the fever unless disinfection of the
coaches is resorted to. Lafayette has
| decided to take no freight from New
Orleans unless the cars are disinfected.
At Alexander notice has been given
that no boats from New Orleans will
be permitted to land. Port Gibson,
Miss, has appointed vigilance COM
mittee to guard against the entry of
strangers Pass Christian, Miss.
which formerly wanted daylight COM
| niunication with New Orleans, has
| changed her mind because of the nnn,