The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-25
SQUIRRELS HAVE THE DREAD PLAGUE Disease Is Found In Animals
 In California SCIEN FISTS PLAN CRUSADE Health and Biological Survey Officials Worried by Discovery in Contra Costa County-lnocutated
 by Rats.
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
 Threatening to spead with it's death dealing ravages through the entire south western part of the United States, the bubonic plague has been discovered for the first time in history to be endemic in this country. Practically eradicated from San Francisco through the crusade waged there against the infected rats, the diag- nosis of a case discovered on September 27 in Contra, Costa county, Cal. across the bay fI8m San Francisco, is causing officials of the public health and marine hospital service and the biological sur vey considerable worry
 Considering that they are confronted with the most serious problem evolved since the discovery of the dread malady in San Francisco, some five or six years ago, both governmental bureaus are plan ming to fight the disease in Contra Costa county and vicinity. Already the several corps of men of the public health service are in the field waging war on a species of ground squirrels found to be infected with the plague. Working in conjunction with these men is a corps of experts from the biological survey.
 Scores of Squirrels lnocuated.
 Though San Francisco Is practically cleansed of the disease,' said Dr. c. Hart Merriam, chief of the biological survey
 
 what a serious problem confronts us. Of 300 squirrels, captured by our men in the locality, where the recent case of plague developed, PIP have been found to be inocuated with the bubonic plague. During the past two years we have had eight cases of plague in the counties ly- ing contiguous to Mount Diabolo. The first man claimed by the ,ravages of the plague in that vicinity was a blacksmith |. &, which he lived for several years.
 'tKnowing that he had not come into contact with any of the infected rats, which exist about the cities on the coast, the marine hospital service started an Investigation, and found that the dis ease had been taken from a squirrel which the man had shot several days before. Further investigation developed that many of those squirrels were in fected with the disease.
 Might Ravage Southwest.
 We hst found the the species of squirrel Infected inhabits a territory of more than 10000 acres. Now, If we can stop the plague in this region before this specie of the animal infects some other kind of animal or squirrel, the problem will not be so serious, but, on the other hand, if the plague gains any headway and reaches into other territory, then whether we ever will be able to eradicate it is doubtful.
 Tt would be an easy matter for the disease to spread throughout the south western extremity of the United States from California to the Texas boundary. The ravages 1t would cause If 1t reached this territory and the Mississippi valley would be appalling"
 Just how the disease reached the inland and became so firmly seated is explained by the fact that the squirrels live In the neighborhood of the coastwise towns, and by mingling with the rats here be- come inoculated with the disease