New-York tribune., 1908-05-06
VENEZUELA'S PLAGUE
DIR. PER4Z4S TRIUMPH.
Heary Loss to Gorernment-Pre-
cautions IN Caracas.
Correspondence of The Associated Press


Caracas April 2s-The plague stricken port IF Ia
Cuavra shut of from the world by land ana by
sea has TWO heroes to-Cav. the American consul
Thomas P Moffat. and the Venezuelan physician
Dr. Gomez Feraza. The first has become famous
as the only consul La tIuayra who had back
hone enough not 10 sign the document drawn up
month ago by the Board Of Health saying that
the sanitary condition Of la Guayra Is perfect
The other cousus bowed TO the wish Of the powers
which rule and signed the certificate. although
there were deaths almost daily from the dread dis
case.
Dr Gomez Peraza sprung into great and un-
expecred prominence. It was he who treated the
first case of bubonic plague and reported to the
Government that several deaths had resulted Dr.
p-razt was Immediately arrested and thrown mo
isu and Dr RangeI. bacterioiogist OF the Vargas
rIosr7iral Al Caracas was sent down 10 Ia Guavra
10 report The latter. after examining the cases,
rennrrad that they We're not plague. but Dr- PeTaza
i,,sis4ad that his diagnosis had been correct. and
,na- re co,1fd prove il by the exhumaton of the
bodies This was not done, and Dr. Ransel re-
turned 10 Caracas.
E7aonI. began 10 die mysJeriously. and il was re-
ported that the sick persons lived only twenty-fouT
bo,,rs Last week il hecame' known that Dr-
2anreI had gone La Guayra again, that Dr-
-, I,araza had been suddenly liberated from
,-ison and THAI no steamers were stopping at La
C,,avra This was the beginning Of the end Two
ael,e later President Castro issued his decree de
1a-fne the port isolated fifteen days. until DR.
aDider,ic Train the La Guayra Railroad
stopped running. and troop Of soldiers went up
the mountain estsblish sanitary Gordon
When Dr. Peraza returned 10 La Guayra from
the Caracas iaiI met Al the station by
great multitude. and carried through the city
on his friends shoulders
Following Castros decree the stricken patients
were hurried 10 the leper hospital together
with their families. and the houses where cases
had daveIoned were burned 10 the ground. Every
l,s,rz al. in Lao = - 4
or,r the plague The nve hundred ~teved0res en-
ploved on the breakwaters have been put 70 work
cleaning up the city centres OF infection are
burned the streets are flooded with oil. which Is
sci afre lumber piles brown into the sea,
and in short La Guayra is receiving the much
needed cleaning which it never had before As
there is no business any kind. distress i becou
ing general and provisions are becoming scare
All steamers with merchandise for La Guayra
unload III Puerto CabelIo, from where the goods
are hauled to Caracas by the German railroad at
a greatly increased cost. The Caracas newspapers
are publishn= SC thinc articles against the bust
ness houses here which have already greatly in
creased the prices Of provisions Flour is now
S25 ii barrel
The plague in La Guayra IS costing the govern
rneut bundreds Of thousands of dollars III loss Of
customs revenues, and If the port Of Puerto Ca
beo should also be closed later the revenue OF
rEl. country would be practically destroyed IhIs
would bring as consequence the temporary sus-
penson of payment Of the Venezuelan foreign debts
and perhaps even OF the regular government bud
get Every precaution being taken in Puerto
,abaIIo IL prevent the spread of tee epidemic TO
that port and steamers still stopping there
with the exception Of those coming from Europe,
which leav. their cargoes for Venezuelan ports at
the neighborinS island Of CaTasa0
There mas been a great rush OF persons Of means
10 take their families Europe while there Is sl
chance 10 Get away The French packet Guada-
igupe and the Red d" liner Philadelphia carried
many wealthy emiSTants-
Every effort IS now being taken IN Caracas 20
prevent the spread of the plague here IN case II
breaks out The Academy of Medicine, the
oiIest of President Castro. has drawn up a police
sanitary code and the cleaning up OF the city be
gan to-day Buildings will be put up in the
suburbs 10 be used tempo AIRY hospitals for the
Isolation OF patents. a war decreed and
everything which science can do viii be invoked
cave lie ely.