Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-05-07
0Ieh veaszusIaa Families lo,v.
log Country d Great taste.
IN, H;loEsoF 1lwl Ola GuMal
American Consul and Doctor Would
Not Hide EpIden,le-Castro Locks
10 Or. Peraxa Because Of His
Course, but Releases Him Later.
wlLL.EMsTED. CURACo, May s.

WIlL.EMSTED. CURACO, May g.
Advices from Caracas say:
The plague-stricken port OF La Guai-
ra, shut of from the world by land
and by sea. has two heroes today
the American consul. Thomas p. MOI
fat. and a Venezuelan physician. DR..
Gemez Peraza. Mr.. Moffat was the
only consul In La Guiara who had
backbone enough not to sign the doc
ument drawn up a month ago by the
board OF health stating that the san
itary condition Of La Guaira Is per-
feet" The other consuls bowed to
the wish OF the powers which rule
and signed the certifcation. although
there were deaths almost daily from
the dread disease.
DR.. Gomez Peraza assisted the irst
cases OF tMbonic plague. and report
ed to the government that several
deaths had resulted. DR.. Peraza was
Immediately arrested and thrown IN
to jail. and Dr. Rangel. bacteriologist
of the Vargas Hospital. at Caracas.
was sent down to La Guaira to re-
port. The latter. after examining the
cases of sickness in La Guaira, re-
ported that they were not plague. but
DIR. Peraza Insisted that his diagno-
sis had been correct and that he could
prove 1t by the exhumation OF the
bodies. This was not done. and DR..
Rangel returned to Caracas.
People began to die mysteriously
and rumors circulated as to how the
sick persons lived only twenty-four
hours. Then in April. after nearly .
month, 1t became known that DR.. Ran.
gel had gone to La Guaira again: that
DR.. Gomez Peraza had been suddenly
liberated from prison. and that no
steamers were stopping at La Guaira.
This was the beginning Of the end.
Two weeks later President Castro Is
sued his decree declaring the port iso-
lated by sea and by land for fifteen
days, until DR.. Rangel could again re-
port on. the true nature Of the cpl
demic. Trains on the La Guaira Rail-
road stopped running. q troop OF SOL
diers we1t MP the mountain to estaD-
lish the sanitary Gordon. and the siege
Of La Guaira had begun. =
When. DR.. PeraEa returned to la
Guaira from the Caracas jail he was
met at the station by q great multi
tude and was paraded about the city
on his friends shoulders.
Following Castro's decree, the
stricken patents were hurried out 10
the Cabo Blanca Leper Hospital. TO-
gether with their families. and the
houses where cases had developed
were burned to the ground. Every
measure Is now being taken In Ia
Guaira to stamp out the tubonic
plague.
Streets Afire With Oil.
The 500 stevedores who work on
the breakwater have been put to work
cleaning up the city. Centers OF In
lection are burned. the streets are
flooded with oil. which is set afire.
lumbe, piles are thrown into the sea.
and, In short. La Guaira Is receiving
the cleaning which Is very mucn
needed and which 1t has never mad.
However. n there Is no work and no
business OF any kind, distress 10 be-
coming general. and provisions are
becoming very scaIcc. -
All steamers with merchandise for
La Guaira unload at Puerto CabeIlo,
from where the goods are hauled 70
Caracas by the German Railroad 1t
a greatly increased rate. The Cara
cas- newspapers arc publishing scam
ing articles against the business
houses here. which have already
greatly Increased the price OF Prov
sions. Flour Is now SIS q barrel.
The plague in La Gusira is costing
the government hundreds OF thou
sand Of dollars In loss Of customs
revenues. and II the port OF Puerto
CabeIlo should be closed later the
revenue Of the country would be prac
ticaIIy destroyed. THIS would bring
IS q consequence. the temporary sus
pension Of payment Of the Vcnezue'an
foreign debts. snd perhaps even Oh
the regular government budget
Every precautioa Is being taken IN
Puerto CsbeIlo to prevent the spreso
OF the epidemic to that port. ava
steamers are still stopping there WIZ
the exception Of those coming from
Europe which leave their cargoes tor
Venezuelan ports st the neishboftss
island Of Curacao.
There has been . great rush OF per
sons Of means 70 take their families
10 Eusope While there ID still cssece
to get away. The French psekss
GuaGsloupe and the Red d liner Phi
adeiphia carried many wealthy emf
grants.
Treoes 70 SSpprsss Might h'osrs
COLUMBUS. O.. May s.-Troop B.
the mounted troop from Columbus. Of
the Ohio Natiiusi Guard. Iefi today
on q special train over the Nor'o.A
& Western road for Portsmouth
xhcrr they viii Be Transferred 20