Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-29
FATAL YELLOW JACK"
A MEMORY OF THE TIME WHEN
NORFOLK WAS SCoURGED.

The recurrence of yellow fever in cpl
demic form at New Orleans brings to mind
the fact that this dreaded malady has never
approached this city, In a shape to cast ter
ror over any community, nearer than It did
about fifty years ago, when 1t had Norfolk
in a grasp that did not lose it's hold until 1t
had made SO appalling mark that the
dread memory of 1t will last forever in the
history Of that famous mart of the Old Do
minon.
At the time of this scourge hundreds Of
Norfolk citizens came to Washington seek
ing an asylum in which they could escape
yellow Jack" Those who could leave the
city fed in every direction. The mountain
regions In the northern part of Virginia
were full of refugees. Many went to parts
of Maryland. Pennsylvania and further
north. Never had there been such panic
In the great seaport, end never before such
an exodus Of its citizens, all from the same
cause
A representative of The Star was last
evening talking Of this frightful period to
lady who was among those who sought
shelter from the plague In Washington
She is now resident of this city and re-
sides on Rhode Island avenue. so far as
my recollection goes, said the lady, the
fever was brought to our city In steamer
from st. Thomas There had been one
death the ship before she reached the
harbor. 1t did not seem, at first; to create
any particular alarm. But the vessel was
impregnated with the disease through and
through. She anchored off Gosport. and It
was in that section at the first attack or
the malady that the greater number of IA
talities happened. There was little creek
separating the section Of the city where my
have an idea that the pes1lence would not
cross the creek, but 1t did, and then every
one who could prepared to get away.
Many people remained to nurse their own
ell yt~At Nh
one was favored by the scourge. Ministers
and clergymen, who In their sacred calling
declined to leave as long as they could COM
fort the stricken people; DOCTORS who ex-
hausted their skill in their endeavors to
save patients, and even the undertakers and
their men in scores of cases fell In quick sue
cession. There were some who, though not
immune from the disease and ever in tho
midst Of 1t, miraculously avoided 1t. know
of one case. There was gentleman.
well-known lawyer, who seemed to bear a
charmed life. Every member of his family
surrendered to the power of the contagion
He attended every burial, but he survived
There were no funerals. Collins were ready
and when one died there was no delay. Day
and night there were constant earrings to
graves. At midnight, when the disease got
well started, men were In constant readi-
ness to move away the dead and before my
folks left the fever-stricken place / had
often seen at midnight the CHASTITY work of
carrying away the dead that could not be
ing came.
Numerous young physicians, well as
elderly ones. came from all quarters to aid
the local doctors. They came from the
north well as from the south, and many
of these courageous hearts ceased to beat in
the performance of their volunteer duty at
the time of the Norfolk plague.
There was a multitude of citizens who
had the means to go away but would not
leave their posts of duty, and scores of them
fell victims to their devotion to the people.
Among these was the mayor of the city, a
gentleman named Woods, who worked I'M
ceasingly for his fellow-bengs The inflic
ton had nearly reached It's end when his
noble heart gave way. His memory yet
lives in the breasts of many of the people
of Norfolk.
What a change refugees saw when
we went back to our homes after the frost
came. Whole families had been decimated.
The remaining people were sad and seemed
chastened by their sufferings."
No such trial overcame Norfolk half
century ago Is ever likely to happen again,
is the opinion of an elderly Washington
physician. The disease Is better understood
and medical science is too far advanced to
permit it to get Roadway. There is no like
lihood ever of yellow fever getting foot
hold in Washington. The clean city, it's ex-
cellent municipal regulations and the active
and constant work of the health authori-
ties combined are sufficient guarantee that
if such an epidemic should spread about us
at any time it would be nipped in the bud
long before 1t had chance to blossom
forth