The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-15
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN. Director.
washington, d. @.
TYPHUS.

| typhus germ cannot be Americanized.
1t is one European product that must
/ be kept out of the well-worn melting
pot; one danger which cannot be ac-
cepted and absorbed even by such an
Understanding naucn as ours. I'm
migrants may be compelled to suffer
hardship; travellers be inconvenienced;
and steamship companies lose money,
| but the typhus cootie must be pre-
vented from entering this country.
Everybody is agreed to this; only
there are various disagreements as tc
how it is to be done, and the nation
as whole seems to be painfully slow
| in making up its mind.
| Already forty cases of typhus have
| occurred in New York City and it's
| harbor, with several deaths as a re-
, suit. Nearly every ship arriving from
a foreign port carries infected immi-
grants, while thousands of others, sus-
pected of het same condition, will con-
| tinue to sail for this country as fast
as there is steerage space to accom-
| modate them.
Yet the New York City health de-
partment has been severely criticised
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
matter.
THE importance of the typhus
danger cannot be overestimated." DR..
Royal s. Copeland. health commits
sioner of New York City, told the re-
porter in brief interview the other
afternoon. Some people are inclined
| to think that we have raised a rather
| needless scare, but that is because they
are unacquainted with typhus. They
| do not know that it is one OF the dead
hest scourges to which mankind is
victim. They do not know that more
men died of typhus in 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"
Doctor Copeland was the first per-
son to recognize the fact that a typhus
emergency existed. AS soon as the
flrst cases were discovered, he noti-
ned the immigration authorities and
stationed fumigating squads at the
Battery to inspect immigrants arriv-
| ing in the city from Ellis Island. MANY
were found to be vermin-infested and
| had to be put thru the delousing proc
ess. Others carried bundles and suit
cases containing infected clothing.
Chaos at Port.
This caused a great deal of conster-
nation at both Ellis Island and Hoff-
mans Island, the quarantine station,
"here the Immigrants had been
| passed without question. The health
authorities at both of these places inn
mediately started making special in
spectfons for typhus infection, which
naturally required much more time
| than the ordinary health inspections
They were delayed in their work bv
the lack of proper facilities. Ships
with steerage passengers who had to
pc examined, began to pile UP in the
narpor. ana thus arose the present
| congested condition.
The federal authorities have recan+-
| ~ taken over the state quarantine sta
| tion at Hoffman's Island, but mas
| much as the facilities have not been
increased. conditions are not notice.
| ABLY improved. Reporters are NOT
permitted to add to the general chaos
at Hoffman's Island, but from the
stories of returned travellers. one
| learns that the immigrants have a sad
| time there.
Iuily cold when they came for the i'm
migrants on our ship in a small tug
boat, narrated an American woman
VINO arrived on French ship the
otner DAY. They began to transfer
the injected or suspected immiera nts
at once, but not without a fight, be-
cause the French officials objected,
saying that the migrants were per-
1ectly clean. The poor people, having
come from Italy and the south of
france, were not prepared for a cold
climate. Their clothing was distress
ingly scanty and they trembled with
tcold. Those who did not get typhus
probably got pneumonia later. Mothers
We're dragged away from their children
and all bundled into the tug. Many of
them could not speak English and did
not understand what it was all about.
They kept them over there at Hoff-
mans Island all day, waiting for ex-
am1nations, and during all that time
they did not have a thing to eat. OF
coure, I suppose the government can
not help it. but I do think something
| ought to be done"
This woman's ship was fortunate,
however. to be held up only twenty
four hours Others have had to lie in
the harbor for two or three days while
the quarantine office caught up with
its work. On one of these detained
ships, the immigrants recently staged
a rebellion. threatening in the choicest
words of several different languages to
do some damage if they were not per-
mitted to leave the boat. Then, as
out their threat. They broke some
furniture and incidentally the water
pipes Nevertheless, they had to re-
main 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 COM
panies find it equally difficult Every
day they are held up in the harbor
meanssa large money loss, for not only
must they lose valuable time, but they
must continue feeding their passen-
gers One large steamship company
has placed one of its vessels at the
| disposal of the quarantine officials as
a detention ship for immigrants, who
are transferred to 1t for examination
while the ship that brought them con-
tinues on its way. Under the
Emergency ruling, no craft from for
| eign port can approach within 900
/ 20 rdS Of NaU York Ilier without a