On September 5, the mayor of Hickman, Kentucky, a small western town along the Mississippi River, telegraphed the state board of health, informing them that yellow fever had reached epidemic levels in the city and requesting that Blackburn be sent to them as soon as possible.
9月5日，肯塔基州西部的密西西比河沿岸小镇希克曼的市长向州卫生委员会发去电报，告知他们镇上已经发展出黄热病疫情，请求布莱克本尽快前往。