The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-21
SULRUR DAY IN FEVER ZONE.
NEW ORLEANS SMELLS AS HELL
rs SUPPOSED TO SMELL.
Every Germ Bearing Mosquito Indoors
supposed 10 BE Dead-Much TrouDle
with Italians, VINO Think the DOCTORS
want Their Bodies for Disscc'f0h'

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 2o.-To-day was
sulfur day in New Orleans and In nearly
all the towns OF Southern louisiana.
Property owners, at the request OF the chiteu
States Marine Hospital Service, fumigateo
every room in their houses for the purpose
of killing off the mosquitoes. Inc Work
lasted in New Orleans from A. NJ, TO r. NJ
several hundred thousand pounds OF suliur
being used. This was given to the poorer
classes in most Of the wards, there being
distributing depots in the several precincts.
The work was wellnigh universal. Special
exception was made in the case OF drawing
rooms and parlors where the paintings,
furniture and carpets were likely to be
injured by the fumes Of sulfur, and in such
cases. by the advice of the Marine Hospital
Service, pyrethrum powder was burned
instead.
Tonight New Orleans smells like the
internal regions. Such inspection as has
been made shows that the work has been
well done and the great majority OF the
remaining mosquitoes have been killed on.
Baton Rouge and Louisiana towns that
could not fumigate to-day will celebrate
Tuesday as sulfur day.
There will be second general fumiga-
ton next Sunday, by which the Marine Hos
pital Service expects to catch those few
mosquitoes that escaped to-day. 1t is now
believed that the fever con be got rid
of in three weeks, in consequence OF the
drastic measures now being taken, and that
it will not be necessary to wait until frost,
as DR.. John Guiteras and other experts
thought at first. That the fever is at last
under control is recognized. The last two
10 A,,-,
mosquito weeks Of the year. The deaths
for these weeks in August, 1855, were 1,5OO
q week, and in 1873 the mortality increased
twevefold between the first and last week
of August. The last five days show only
twenty-six deaths, against forty-seven for
the previous five days and thirty-five for
the first five days Of the month, decrease
instead Of the usual increase.
Now that the disease is under control
the Italian question has come up as the
real difficulty of the situation. The disease
began among the Italians and still prevails
among them and was carried by them
through the surrounding country. 1t spread
from them to the Creole quarter Of New
Orleans and thence to various parts OF
the residential section Of the city. In all
these places it has been overcome. or is in
the way Of being overcome, but it sticks to
the Italians. and it seems almost hopeless,
In spite Of the terrible lessons they have
had, to teach them sense. Not only do they
refuse to report cases. to follow the in
structious Of the doctors or to take sanitary
precautions, but they have latterly been
growing very turbulent and ugly, threaten
ing the health officers and necessitating the
use of violence to enforce the sanitary
regulations.
1t has been found impossible to leave
sick Italians at home to the care OF their
families even when they are well to do,
and in future all Italians will be taken to the
Emergency Hospital. This will entail the
establishment Of another emergency hos
pital as the one now in operation Is not
large enough to accommodate all Of them.
In the case Of sick Italians, the family in
sists on removing the bars, taking down
the screens and feeding the convalescent,
with the result that dozens Of Italians have
died from overlooking, and the mortality
among them has been three times as great
as with any other race.
1t Is probable that the old St. Louis Hotel,
formerly the Louisiana State House, will be
sequestered and used as a detention camp
1900 1t is purposed when a case OF
yellow fever shows itself in an Italian family,
to send the patient TO the Emergency Hos
pital and the rest Of the family to the de-
tention hospital until it can be determined
whether or not any of them has the fever.
This seems to be the only possible way
of getting rid of'the disease in the Italian
quarter, many houses of which have been
fumigated and disinfected five and six
times but reinfected as often by families
moving in with the fever. II has become
necessary to arrest and lock up Italians
violating the sanitary laws and they are
the ca use Of most of the present difficulties.
In two cases trouble was encountered
with Italian colonies that have sought
. The trsk Gag. was that. on 1Flezeidi street,
where two Italians were discovered dead
of fever ten days ago, having received no
medical attention whatever. The settle
ment is In the swamps, and the health
officers had to march considerable dis
tance through the deep mud to reach it..
They found sixty to seventy Italians in
miserable shacks. The houses were fumi-
gated, the tanks oiled and such other sani-
tary precautions were ia ken as were deemed
colonists. In another Italian settlement,
back of the new canal, some fifty men,
women and children were found. When
an attempt was made to remove a sick
woman violent resistance was shown by
fifteen Italian men and the health party
was driven of. In both cases a large
police force will be required to enforce the
sanitary laws.
In the Italian farmers settlement scat
tered about New Orleans in jefferson and
st. Charles parishes the situation is still more
critical because Of the opposition Of the
Italians to inspection for sanitary precau-
tions.
In nearly all these settlements there are
cases Of fever or suspicious disease and fifty
cases have already been made public,
but the inspection is by no means thorough
or perfect At both kenner and Harvey,
in Jefferson parish, DR.. Corrupt of the
United States Marine Hospital Service
and the other inspection physicians were
followed by such large parties OF armed
and angry Italians that it was deemed
prudent to abandon further inspection,
as it was almost certain to cause riot.
The Italians think that the doctors kill
the patients for dissecting purposes. This
Italian opposition is now the only serious
obstacle in the way Of crushing out the fever
1t has become evident that drastic measures
will have to be taken to overcome this oppc-
sition. They will probably be taken in the
next few days, although the health officers
are loath to produce clash which may
cause bloodshed.
Armed with strong report. from DR..