Evening star., 1918-07-07
STRINGENT ORDER
/. HITS ALEXANDRIA
Camp Humphreys Soldiers
Forbidden to Patronize
! City's Eating Houses.
TO SAFEGUARD HEALTH
Special Disnatch to The Star

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ALEXANDRIA, Va, July 6.-This
place is on the forbidden list as far
as the engineers at Camp Hum
phreys are concerned. This afternoon
Camp Humphreys. issued orders plac-
ing the ban on Alexandria.
According to the orders, soldiers at
the camp are forbidden to patronize
fruit stands and restaurants where
food or eatables of any kind are
sold. and they are forbidden to in
dulge in Alexandria soda water or
other soft drinks-in brief. they
must not buy anything to eat or drink
at any stand or store in the city.
Unless the order Is revoked short
1y, it was asserted today. proprietors
of many larger and smaller business
places are face to face with bank
ruptcy.
Proprietors Notified.
Shortly after o'clock this after
noon men of the military police of
Camp Humphreys came to the city
and notified proprietors of all classes
of places under the ban of Lieut.. Col.
Parks orders. At once hundreds of
soldiers who visit this city every Sat
urday afternoon and evening proceed
ed to Washington. being unable to
buy anything to eat or drink here.
The order was issued. according to
Lieut.. Col. Park, to safeguard the
tracing typhoid fever, dysentery and
similar diseases. 1t reads:
Memorandum to provost guard. Alex
andria:
Until further orders from this Of
nee and to prevent any danger of
typhoid fever and dysentery in Alex
andria, these places in the city Of Alex
andria are hereby placed on-lmits for
this command:
"All stores. fruit stands. restau-
rants. etc. where food or edibles of
any kind are sold.
"All soda fountains and similar
places where beverages are dispensed.
Due to the probability of the spread
of the epidemic through the drinking
of Alexandria will not be used for
drinking purposes by the members
of this command. except when same
has first been boiled.
This order will be vigorously en-
forced"
Order Without Precedent.
Never before In the history Of the
city has such a drastic order been is
sued nor such rigid prohibition of the
purchase of articles of food and drink
imposed here. Thousands of dollars
were lost last night to merchants in
all parts of the city, and especially
to cafes and similar places, as each
northbound train carried capacity
crowds of soldiers to Washington.
At the vigorous demand of mer-
chants sweeping investigation is to
be made at once to determine the true
conditions here. A meeting of city
officials and others interested is to
be held at 4:30 O'Clock tomorrow aft
ernoon in the rooms of the Chamber
of Commerce. at which State Health
Commissioner Williams will be pres
ent, and it Is hoped quick action will
result, as otherwise. 1t is claimed,
serious injury will be done to the
business interests of the city.
$1,000 Soldiers at the Camp.
About $4,000 soldiers are in training
ut Camp Humphreys. several thou
sand of them being daily visitors
here, the number usually being
heavily augmented Saturdays. One
resh1t Of the order is that breakfasts
heretofore given to soldiers attend
ing church here Sunday mornings
will have to be discontinued