Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-03-12
TYPHUS
BY Frederic J. Haskin
n FEW YORK CITY, March THE Ty-


is one European product that must be
kept out of the well-Worn melting-pot; one
danger which cannot be accepted and absorb
ed even by such an undiscriminating nation as
ours. Immigrants may be compelled to suf
fer hardship; travellers be Inconvenience;
and steamship companies lose money, but the
typhus cootie must be prevented from enter
ing this country.
Everybody is agreed as to this only there
are various disagreements as to how it is to
be done, and the nation as whole seems to
be painfully slow in making up its mind.
Already 40 cases of typhus have occurred
in New York City and its harbor, with sew
eral deaths as a result. Nearly every ship
arriving from foreign port carries infected
immigrants, while thousands of others, sus-
pected OF the same condition, will continue
to sail for this country as fast as there is
steerage space to accommodate them.
Yet the New York City Health Depart
ment has been severely criticized in some
quarters for adopting prompt and rigorous
measures to bar typhus vermin, and only in
the past few days have the Federal health
authorities been given permission to act in
the matter
"The Importance of the typhus danger can
not be overestimated," DR.. Royal S. Copeland,
Health Commissioner of New York City, told
the reporter in a brief interview the other
afternoon. Some people are inclined to
think that we have raised a rather needless
'quafnted with typhus. They do not know that
it is one of the deadliest scourges to which
mankind is victim. They do not know that
more men died of typhus m Serbia during
the war than were killed in battle. They
do not realize that one infected immigrant,
released In this city, might spread a plague
that would cause a million deaths in the
space Of a few weeks"
Dr. Copeland was the first person to rec
ognize the fact that typhus emergency ex-
listed. AS soon as the first cases were dis
covered, he notified the immigration author
tiles and stationed fumigating squads at the
Battery to inspect immigrants arriving in
the city from Ellis Island Many were found
to be vermin-infected and had to be put
through the delOusng process. Others car
ried bundles and suitcases containing infect
cd clothing.
Chaos at Port
This caused a great deal of CONSERVATION
at both Ellis Island and Hoffmans Island,
the quarantine station, where the immigrants
had been passed without question. The
health authorities at both of these places i'm
medlately started making special inspections
for typhus infection, which naturally re-
CURED much more time than the ordinary
health inspections. They were delayed in
their work by the lack of proper facilities
Ships, with steerage passengers who had to
be examined, began to pile up in the har-
Dor, and thus arose the present congested
condition.
The Federal authorities have recently
taken over the state quarantine station at
Hoffmans Island, but inasmuch as the IA
cilities have not been increased conditions
are not noticeably improved. Reporters are
not permitted to add to the general chaos
at Hoffmans Island, but from the stories
OF returned travellers, one learn that the i'm
migrants have sad time there.
"It was early morning and frightfully cold
when they came for the immigrants on our
-hO9t narrated
can woman who arrived on Frensh ship the
other day. "They began to transfer the in
fected or suspected immigrants at once, but
not without fight, because the French Off
Gals objected saying that the immigrants
were perfectly clean. The poor people, hav-
ing come from Italy and the south of France,
were not prepared for cold climate. Their
clothing was distressingly scanty and they
trembled with cold. Those who did not get
typhus probably got pneumonia later. Moth
ers were dragged away from their children
and all bundled into the tug. Many of them
could not speak English and did not under
stand what it was all about. They kept them
over there at Hoffmans Island all day, wait
ing for examinations, and during all that
time they did not have thing to eat OF
course, / suppose the government cannot help
it, but I do think something ought to be
done"
This woman's ship was fortunate, however,
to be held up only "a hours Others have
days while the quarantine office caught up
with its work. On one of these detained
ships, the immigrants recently staged rebel
lion, threatening in the choicest words of sew
eral different languages to do some damage
If they were not permitted to leave the boat
Then, as they were not released, they carried
out their threat. They broke some furniture
and incidentally the water pipes. Neverthe-
less, they had to remain there the rest of
the day, and the ships stewards got even by
charging them so cents per cup for drinking
water.
Hard on Ship Companies
The immigrants, moreover, are not the
only ones who are not enjoying the present
situation. The steamship companies find it
equally difficult Every day they are held
up in the harbor means a large money loss
for not only must they lose valuable time,
but they must continue feeding their pas
Sengers. One large steamship company has
placed one of it's vessels at the disposal of
the quarantine officials as a detention ship
Tor immigrants, who are transferred to it
for examination while the ship that brought
them continues on it's way. Under the emer-
gency ruling, no craft from a foreign port
can approach within 800 yards of New York
pier without permit, granted only after the
most rigid inspection.
One hears vague rumOrs that the steamship
companies are establishing their own delous-
ing plants on the European side, but no def
mite information seems to be available on this
point. Many people feel that it is up to the
foreign governments to take the necessary
precautions against the spread of typhus,
and to prevent any but clean emigrants from
embarking for this country. The foreign gov
ernments, however, do not seem to agree with
this view. The Italian government, in fact
has even resented the charge that anv in