The New York Herald Newspaper, August 6, 1875, Page 5

\ THE HAYDEN SURVEY, Passing the Last Vestige of Civilization. THE SULTAN MOUNTAIN. Camping at Castle Springs and Animas City. _BULVEB ORE IN THE SAN JUAN MINING COUNTRY. Cairornia District or rHe SAN JUAN MINES, CoLonano, July 19, 1875. In the Rocky Mountains the winters are invart- bly severe and travelling is rendered extremely @ificult by the heavy falls of suow whick fill up the valleys and passes and cover the hills and alter the whole appearance of whe country to such an extent that the oldest residents are un- able to pursue their ways by the aid efonce familiar landmarks, But we were informed by one of the miners that Baker’s Park was an ex- eeption to the rule and during the winter months there were rarely more than sour feet of snow on @levelin the valley, However, when the snows Bet in, it is Impossible to cross the mountain boundaries of the Park except by snowshoes, nud those generally used in cases of emergency are what are designated the Norwegian shoes, consisting of two strips of thin wood, irom nine to twelve feet in length and four-or five inclies wide, turned up at the front ends, and Just bebind the centre are straps for the toes and small blocks of wood agaist which the heels rest, They are used very muen In the manner of skates, by pushing or sliding one foot ahead of the other, and it may be tmaginea what labor 1s required in | thus gliding up a steep mountain. In leaving Baker's Park wo were unavoidably delayed un- til alate hour inthe morning oy the disappear- ance of two of our beasts of burden, which had Strayed off from the herd during the night, To add to this misfortune an old horse had entered our camp while we all slept and strewn our last sack Of four over the ground, eaten all the meat we had prepared for our preakfast, turned over several of our recently stuied aparejoes (a kind Of pack saddie) and devoured much of the hay with which they were filled, besides doing coasid- erable other ‘damage to our cargo. The valley and guiches were searched for some time, but with no avail, for the missing mules, until at length one of them was discovered far up Can- Bingham Creek; but little Mexico was still ab- went, We deelded, therefore, to pack up and staft on our journey, while one of the men returned to the head of tne gulen to find her. It was @ most unpleasant day and we were constantly deluged by heavy showers of rain. Before leaving the SanJuan mining country it may be wellto mention that the whole seetion, 80 called, 18 divided into districts, the principal and best known being—Lake, which includes the upper part of tne lake fort of the Gunnison River and its tributaries, Uncompahgre, Adams, Eureka, Animas—taking in most of Baker’s Park, all of which contain lode mines, and the La Plata, or, ag 1t18 locally called, the Califernia Piacer district, to the south of the others, Leay- ing Howardville and Silverton, the fartnest pio- neer towns on our route, the last vest{ge of Civilization which we pass on the roadis the Baker’s Park milk team, returning from the lat- ter city, where tt has peen dispensing its daily milk, inthe form of jackass laden with two kega of the liquid, which js drawn like beer from spigots. THE SULTAN MOUNTAIN, The little rock martens or marmots sat at thatr, rocky thresholds and chirped at us as we passed, or frisked their small tailiess bodies and aisap- peared from view. Our trail irom Baker’s Park to the Animas Valley lay along the east side of Sultan Mountain, and, although we had been frequently advised of its almost impassapie condition, ‘we were unprepared for what we found itto be. From Silverton it ascended ab- ruptly for several hundreds of teet amid dense timber, where the sun never penetrates, and the late heavy rains had besten the black soll into a soft bog, in which the feet of the animals sunk deeply and were withdrawn with a loud smack. For a time every step of advance made the trav- elling more dificult, and after sliding over our mules’ tails repeatedly, saddies and ali, we had shortly to dismount and pick our ways as best we could over the steep, siippery rocks and through the slimy mud. In several spots were perpendicular stones two or three feet high, up which we had te scramble oa bands and knees, .and im one place the trail passed over a sliding, slippery rock, walled up On one side by @ cliff’ and falling of tor untold * hundreds of feet on the other, and it was scarcely two feet wide. How the packs ever passed by Without some one or more of them falling over secmed to us # miracle, and, indeed, one of them | slipped outward and was on the point of going, but very fortunately ail crossed in safety. ‘*Biim- key,” whose eyes are somewhat damaged, one of them being entirely obliterated and the other ratier hazy, crowded up to the cliff, having ts shady side to the wall, and the moment his pack touched it he imagined he was being pushed by some Invisible power, wsich occasioned him to lean the harder, and he rubbed past at an tnelina- tion of thirty degrees. Then the way grew easier for a time, and we commenced to get into the Devenian limestones, whose fossils were percep- Uble to as we rode over and through them. Thus far the trail was without exception the worst we had ever experienced, and, indeed, 1t could not have been any worse and at the same time passable for animals, Between cach shower the sun shone out respiendentiy and cast bril- Mant bows across the canyon of the Animas far below us. The sharp, jagged, barren quartzite peaks penetrated the azure across the gulf, and a little above us on the otaer Bide stood the extreme summit of Sultan, We made our twentieth camp that night by the siaé of an Alpine lake, more than ten thousand feet above tidewater, in a grove ol spruce trees, beautifully festooned with long, gracetully dreop- ing, pale green moss. The next day the trail was abominable and we were detained in severa) places for hours. Once half the train tumbied down @ high hill, ang each animal had to be led up repeatedly betore the whole party reached the summit. A short distance from this spot three or four of the muleg mired so deeply tuat, alter work- ing with them an hour, we were compelled to un- pack and dig the soil away from their legs for two Jeet before they could be extricated, After we were well through the thickest of the timber, however, the path grew better, and in a few | fever seems to have set in now in the absence of | | combinations. The chloride of silver predoml- | | equal to that ef 1849 may be the result. hours of steady traveiling we came out ona hard, | welt beaten track, which lay through beautiful | e@reen grass, amid which the most gorgeous flowers wasted their sweetness. After we had crossed Cascade Oreek we passed through some of the richest and most besuti{ul country in Coio- rado. CAMP AT CASTLE SPRINGS, Behind us stood Engineer Mountain, 13,000 fect high, and forms of perfeetly horizontal layers of beautilully colored trachytes, lime and sandstone. Before us lay great piles of custie cliffs of the same character, Our tratl passea through lovely Open parks covered with thick, juxurtant Dunch- grass, in which our animais waved up to their knees and lingered at aimost every step to crop some inviting morsel, in spite of threats, blows or oaths, Charming groves of evergreen stood on either side amd extended up the mountatn ides to the timber line. Our camp at Castle Springs was picturesque and comlortabie, with plenty of- wood, ice-cold Water and spienaid grass for the mules, The mosquitoes, however, were Humerous and ferocious. We laid our blankets y Out on the grouna and relied in, but were an- noyed to such an extent by these insects that we could not sleep, At length we covered our heads over with our bedding, leaving merely an opening Jor our Roses through WAACR +O broMthe; DUS we | COMP AGN FEDOKI OMK MARORA UL ONE vx FIV . | and, although they are entitiea to certain regular | could hear the pests singing and darting about us | and could almost feel them light and sink their | beaks deep into our coverings, In the | morning the exposed portions of our bodies were in & pitiful plignt, amd our noses were tn luxuri- ant bloom, devolopod by those industrious little husbandmen, From nere to the La Plata River, a distance of thirty-five miles or thereabouts, the trail was excellent, and we travelled steadily all day, starting six o’clock, As we descended gradually and a)most tmperceptibly, our path led us through some of the finest parts of Colorado. This was unexceptionably the paradise of the | West. The succession of loveiyievel parks opened at length into the noted Animas Valley or Park. ANIMAS CITY, i At the nead of this we passed through the elty, which will be On most of tue maps now pud- lished, under the name of Animas City. It 1s com- posed of three log huts, one of which is deserted. The valley comprises the richest agricultural land in the Territory and is settled by some twenty- five wen, who have built cabins ana fenced in garden lots for cultivation. We saw some of the finest crops we have observed during our whole trip; Wheat, corn, oats, onions, potatoes and so forth | thriving all along both banks of the riyer. The park proper extends perhaps six or eight mil down the Animas and rolls out im some places to | amilein width, Numerous warm soda springs bubble up along the hillsides and river banks, and their waters are pleasant and healthful. The only drawback to the complete cultivation and settlement of this valley is the tribe of Indians (Utes) who infest it at certain seasons. Both whites and Indians claim the land, althoug’ there is little doubt that it lies outside of the reserva- tion, Last summer the Utes invaded it and arove Out all the settlers just ag thetr crops of grain, | vegetables and melons were ripe, and they fear | that the savages are watting the maturity of their crops fora repetition of the outrage, From the Anurmas Valley the trall bends to the west and winds through the hills of red sandstone and lime to the La Plata River, We arrived at sunset on the banks of this beautiful stream, some twelve or fifteen miles from its rise, and camped on the Tierra Amarillo wagon road, a few hundred yards from the La Plata mining settlement called Par- rot City. At this point we had expected to find our supply camp, as our provision teams were due kere several weeks ago; but they had not yet arrived and nothing was to be heard of them. We were out of provisions, a long distance from civilization, with no prospect of our supplies ar- riving for weeks. lt was therefore decided to send two men down to Tierra Amarillo, a dis- vance of a hundred miles, through which the teams were to pass, to try to gain some informa- tion relative to them, Mr. Holmes? division of the survey was camped on the Mancos River, fourteen miles west of us, and we aiscovered that they were also short of provisions and impatiently awaiting developments. MINE PROSPECTING. There are at present about seventy-fveé miners in the California district, and from appearances this will prove without doubt the richest part of | the San Juan mining country. Three years agoa man by the name of Moss, from the California mines, came into this country prospecting, and the indications of rich mineral resources were se encouraging that he returned for good about a year and a half ago with a party Oo! original California “Forty-niners.” The dis- trict was supposed to contain gold placers only, until a few mouths ago, when some prospectors discovered some very promising lodes in the sides of the mountains, and upto this date there have been over a hundred claims located. ‘The silver We visited several of | material tor gold mining. | | the priucipai lodes and were more favorably im- pressed by the appearance of the ores tnan any | we have yet examined. In the eapyon of the La | Plata, through the sides of the mountains, the veins crop out for miles. There is aseries of veins, from six inches to several feet in width, whicn run paralie] trom east to west in the “Silver Mountain,” on the east side of the river, Twenty-two have thus far been discovered, lying from fifteen (minimum distance) to two hundred aud fifty feet (maximum distance) apart, and every Gay new lodes are being located. On the west side of the stream lies the Comstock lode, in which a shaft has been sunk some twelve feet, being the furthest developed lode in the district, | ‘The ore gives a fair average assay of $1,200, and contains heavy percentages of silver in different | nates, and this metal, in combination with cop- per, yields sixty per cent, It is by far one of the rienest mines in the whole San Joan range of country, and doubtless many more, when they | are sufficiently developed, will prove slmostas | good. Some of the other most valued lodes are | the Maid ef Monterey, Princess, California and Bay State, In addition to the great proportions of silver in the La Plata Mountains the ore shows rich deposits ef geld, tellurium, copper and galena. An extensive ditch 1s being con- structed for obtaining water convenient for gold mining, two miles of which is com- pleted, and by mext season it is to be finished, when it will reach a length of five miles, winding around the sides of the | mountains a few hundred feet above the river. Very little guich mining has been done yet on ac- count of the lack of a ditch and hydraulic pres- | sure, Dut nevertheless @ quantity of nugge: have been found in prospecting, the largest being | one ounce and @ half in weight, of pure gold, and | valued at $19 03 per ounce. We were shown | several pieces, the size of a half doliar, besides a quantity of coarse. dust, and there is not the | shade of a doubt that great quantities of the pre- cious metal le on the bed rock a few feet below the suriace, Among the miners tnere are a dozen old ‘orty-miners,’’ besides Captain Moss, who are very sanguine of success in the near future, and they predict that masses of gold will be taken | up @ pound or more in weight. It 1s certain that | there is gold tn the district, and the probabilities are that In @ very few years this will be the min- | ing camp of the whole country, and a stampede | DEALING WITH THE INDIANS, Captain Moss treated privately with the Indians for this section of country some time ago, and as he is very upright and conscientious ia all bis dealings with them and speaks their language as fluently as they do themselves, he is held in great esteem by them, and in the neglect of the govera- | ment in furnishing them with their stipulated an. | nuities they draw largely upon his generosity for | supplies, in addition to the gifts he is constantly lavishing among them. But their grievances seem to be reaching a climax, The survey in charge of a Mr. Miller which has been sent out to ran the réservation line has been stopped by the Weemi- nache band of these Utes, and he and his party, uumbering about twelve men, have been tagen in charge by a delegation of Indians. They claim | that for the country they sold avout Baker’s Park | they have never received acent, and now all the | section south of Cascade Creek, to whicn line tne | reservation is understood to run, through the | Antmas Valley, 1s about to be wrested from them; but they are determined to stop the survey of the line and hold this traet of country, Tae poor creatures are suffering trom hunger, | supplies, receive agency at Tierra rae and it {3 only a matter | of surprise that they do not take: more decided | measures to avenge thelr Wrongs. , A grand coun- cil has been called of all the neighboring war, riors, and they are now on their way to the Ani- mas, where the surveying party have been imter- rapted, The troudle seems to be in the stupidity of the race, They cannot be made to believe in the validity of broken centracts and the justice of unrecognized rights, and until these foolish ideas are dispelled they will always be a souroe of trouble to tite government which so munificently protects them, We are now bat a day's drive from the interest- Ing ancient ruins, but We may be detained for several days by the absence of our supply train ere We cam move toward them, Since writing the above the boys have very un- expectediy returned in company with Mr. 0, B Aldrich, Quartermaster of the United States Geo. logical Survey, and there was groat rejoicing in ttle or notaing from the | | the Neptune House and near Barren Island, | killed elsewhere NEW .YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1875.-TRIPLE SHEET. days’ journey behing. They were detained by high water in the rivers, but have new reached | the Animas, } THE POOR INDIANS. A STORY OF MISMANAGEMENT AND FRAUD BY AN BYER-WITNESS—HOW INDIAN WARS ORIGIN- ATE—HORRIBLE REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR WITH THE SAVAGES—-THE REYORMS NEEDED. PHILADELPHIA, August 6, 1875, In a controversy like the present, involving the mismanagement—or worse—of the "Indian Cem- mission, the testimony of an impartial and in- telligent observer becomes of value, the more so from the fact that the Indian country 1s so remote from our Eastern civilization that trastworthy in- formation regarding it 13 not so easily obtained, a condition of affairs whieh has doubtless been taken every advantage of by the men who have been guilty of such gross frauds on the Indians and the general government. Their distance from the East has bee the security of the thieves of the Inaian Ring for a long while, and it is only Since railroads have made the Western wilds more accessible that the testimony of honest witnesses has been obtained. One of those who have an tn- timate personal knowledge of the great country between the Missouri River and the Roeky Mountains and of the manner tn which tne Indians are treated by the agents of the govern- Ment is Mr. R. 7. Ackley, @ well known Walnut street Merchant of this city. Heis a gentleman of intelligence and observation, and, being a man of refinement and humanity, came back from a residence of nine years on the frontier disgusted and indignant at the eorruption and cruelty of our | Indian policy. Mr. Ackley left the West in 1863. He Was ou several expeditions under tne govern- ment against the Indians. He spent a year and a half in Arizona wita Kit Carson against the | Navajo Indians, and has been more or less with most of the tribes frequenting the country from Nebraska to Mexico, ONE CAUSE OF TROUBLE, He does not consider, from what ne himself saw as superintendent for a great trading firm, that the charges made against tne Indian agents are im the least exaggerated, Im the first place, he 8, the whole system on which appointments to these positions are made should be denounced, Indian agencies should not be given to men fresh from the East who have never before seen an Indian in their lives, propably, merely because they have a certain amount of political influence. ven if such men are honesi—and the chances are that they are nor— mismanagement and coxsiusion, 11 not fraud, 1s the almost inevitable resalt of their ignorance, ven when tney conscientiously try to do their uty they cannot be expected to make out very Well with @ peopie of waom they know nothing, whose habits aud wants whey are ignorant of and whose language they do not understand, sur- rounded as they are by shrewd traders and con- tractors whe are anything but scrupulous in their methods and whe do not find it ditiicuit to deceive both the government and the Indians. On tae cobtrary, ll the agents were appolused irom among men who have spent years among the Indians, and who would not have to talk to tnem through interpreters, there would be a bet~ ter understanding and better treatment of the Indians. ‘These men might de rough in their manner, but with their knowledge of the Indians ana tue love of fair play which many of them bave them services would be valuable. UNFULFILLED PROMISES, Another mistake on the par of the govern- ment Mr. Ackicy tainks to be this:—in making treaties with the Indians or in other dealings With them on the part of the government agents 1% 18 the Custom to promise to jurnish them sup- plies, &c., or to carry out other pledges at a cer- Vala fixed date. Experience shows that indif- ference, ineiiciency or red tape causes deiays, and that the government is generally behind ume in fulfilling these engagements, so tnat it oiten happens that when the indians assemble at a certain time and place the government is nots ready. Now, the indians think tae waite man’s power to be witndnr limit, that he can command the elements almost; and they regard these failures Lo keep pledges as intentional. It is no wonder that they are dissatisiled, therefore, eould be avoided by merely explaining matters to the Iudians, They would be just as woll satisfied if RO eXact date Was fixed in these matters, HOW INDIAN WARS ORIGINATE, = Many of the alarming stories of indian ‘out- breaks and murders originate from tne cupidity of unscrupulous White men, traders usuaily, Mr, Ackley says he known instances wuere a party of mischievous Indiuns have made a raid on somebedy’s herd and stampeded a Jew head of cattle. trike somebody might be killed also in the assault, The traders and sterekeepers would them raise @ clamor about “Indian atroeities,” “horrible outrages,” &c., Knowing very well that they were serving their own iuteresis thereby; because if they could induce the goverament to order @ large command of soldiers to the “seat of ay it would be bringing busmess into their ands. CRUELTIES TOWARD THE INDIANS, In May, 1803, Mr. Ackley accompanied the military expedition against the Navajo In- dians “in jew Mexico with Kit Carson, the soldiers being under the eommand of General Carleton. The reasons Justifying this war he has yet to learm, The Navajos were indus- trious, peaceable, friendly to the writes, and were 19 pane | civilized and engaged in the cultivation of the soll and the manufacturing of blankets and other work, There were avout 900 to 1,000 soidiers (many of them Mexicans) in this expedi- tion, and Mr. Ackley draws a@ terribie picture of their cruelty. At frst they took no prisoners and killed the wounded, even massacreing the women and children in the most terrible manner. At Fort Defiance au old Indian surrendered him- self and was taken ito the guardhouse. The next morning he was (ound dead, put the soldiers whe had Killed him during the night were never pumisned. On another eccasion five Indians of this same tribe, the Navajos, whose extermina- tion was taking place jor no just rea- n, came inte Fors Defiance and gave themselves up as_ prisoners. Four of them Were old men and one was @ young In- dian of powerful build. They were kept im the guardhouse for two days and then were taken Outside the fort ana set at work digging five holies in the earth. When the holes, deep enougn for shallow graves, bad been made, tue prisoners Were told, with an oath, by the officer com- manding the guard to run for their lives. As they ran four of them were shot dewn, killed and thrown into the graves they bad dug for them- selves, ‘Ihe only One who eaca| was the young man. Later on in this eXterminatiag watfare prigoners were waken by tne United States troops and sent to a reservatioa, When they were ca; tured and brought into-camp they Were near! a starvea. ‘Tuey were allowed to ¢@ the horses and mules that haa dies and when they were given beef it was that ef animal that had died of disease or short foaaér. Very ofien beef was scarce with the troops because of U aiMmculty of obtaining forage for the herds; but this was mot sufficient excuse, Mr. Ackiey thinks, for the eruel troat- meat of Indian prisoners. When any prisoners re 8 were in the havit ol experimenting on them ‘for the benels of science,” eituer with poisons or somé other similar Way, a8 pleased them bess. ‘DIAN SUPPLIES. As to the supplies iurnisbed the Indians on the reservations, Mr. ckiey could testify to ther wretcked quality. He was aware of the most disgraceful irauds in the contracts, but preferred not to do inore than confirm generally tne testt- mony of others on this point, being unwilling to Mention names. In brief, all this gentleman's statements go to show % there is the most crimioal mismanagement on the part of the In- dian Burea that there is urgent, pressing need lor iy ation aad retor A DEAD WHALE AT. ROCKAWAY, The body of a whale, minus the head, was washed ashore during the storm of Wednesday nigut at Rockaway Beach, about two miles below The body is forty-five feet long, and fishermen who profess to KnOW Say that at least fifteen feet of 15 pas been eaten off or rotted away, as the body is badly decayed. As soon as it was known that a whaie’s vody was on the beach all sorts of rumors gained currency, and peopie from all’ parts of the isiand came flocking to see it, including @ goodly number of New Yorkers. Many people were inclined to believe tt was motthe body ofa whale at all, but such it cer- tainly is, although even those who projess to know the habits of this ieviathan are st a loss to account for tts. being found on this coast, The supposition 18 saat this whale must have been md has been drifted to our shores by the currents. It was so much decom- posed that only part of tts outlines couid ve distiactly made out, and bo one cared to hazara 40 opinion a8 to what species it belonged to. A TURKISH PORT CEDED TO THE KHEDIVE. (from the London Globe, Jaly 23.) The Ottoman government always considered the port Zellah as forming part of the district of Hodeidah, im the province of Yemen, although situated on the Alrican coast of the Red Sea, The revenues of the town only amounted to about £600 per annum, and.in am autograph setter sent by the Sultan to the Knedive by hia ald-de- camp, Khaill Pasha, His Majesty allows the Kne- dive to take possession of tue place on condition of increasing the Egyptian tribute by £15,000, The Vouyourouldow ow the subject has been issued by the Forte. One of. tne conditions of this docu- ment is that the sume already received by the Minister of Finance irom the port in question shall be placed to she creait of the Egyptian goy- QJ CCRC Rip This | THE YELLOW FEVER. eda Ae SS The Mysterious Character of the Disease and Its Effect on the Community. | THE COMPARATIVE DEATH RATE History of the Last Epidemic in the United States. THE QUESTION OF CONTAGION | History and Origin of the Disease by a Practitioner. Wasuineton, D. 0., August 5, 1875. The Secretary of the Treasury having instructed the Supervising Surgeon of the Marine Hospital Service (Jonn M, Woodworth), im accvraance with @ resolution of the Senate, to prepare or cause to be Prepared a brief and succinct uistory of the yellow fever as it prevailed in the various ports of the United States, that gentleman sub- mitted @ report of Dr, Frank Reilly, who was de- tailed for the purpose. Dr. Reilly says:— REPORT OF DR. REILLY. ‘The year 1873 waa characterized in the United States by the conjvint occurrence of two diseases which are invested—by tradition, by a certain mystery which surrounds them, by the futility of medical skill in their presence—with a signifi. cance out O! all proportion to the actual mortality waick they occasion, From the 9th day of Feoru- ary, 1873, Until the 2lst of November in the same. year, toe dates of the first and. last cases of the disease, tnere occurred 3,769 deaths from malignant or epidemic cholera. During the same perioa eaco year there occurred, im round numbers, 21,000 deaths from diurrhwa, dysentery and cholera in- fantnm, From the dave or the first case, May 23, to the date of the last case, Novemper 29, 1873, there occurred 3,349 deatas from specific or epi- demic yellow fever. During the same period ea year there occurred from the group of malari: fevers an aggregate Of 8,500 deatus. The last pre- ceding epicemic of yellow fever was in 1867, and irom its subsidence ap to the close of 1872 e have been am aggregate of 970 deaths from tnis cause; but during the same period tnere had been aa aggregate of over 50,000 deaths irom malarial levers, There bad been no epidemic cholera in She country for six years previous; bas during that. period the group of dis- eases most resembling it carried of not less than 125,000 persons. And, year by year, such more or less preventable disease as small- pex, scarlet lever, typus, enteric fever and consumption, are the causes of @ tolerapiy con- Stant average of over 100,000 deaths per annum, (These figures, except for yellow fever and cholera, are based upon the special tables of mor- tality in tae vital statistics of the ninth census, ‘Ehey do not pretend to absolute accuracy, in fact are known to be understatements, but are sufi | clently correct for the illustration, and tneir source is readily accessible.) it is not intended to urge from tnis that the comparative indifference to the causes of this greater and constant mortality, or the interest, the concern, the unreasoning fear, with which & Tare access of cholera or an occasional visitation of yellow fever 1s aiways regarded, 1s, im the one case, misplaced, or, in the other, groundless and inexplicabie—certaimly not the latter, for it is the unusual which arouses attention, the mysterious which excites awe, the unknown be- fore which reason apdicates, And precisely be- cause the occurrence o! these diseases is unusual; because thelr origin, Mature and progress are Still largely veiled in mystery; because some of the most tinportant laws which govern them are yet unknown—ié ts through these attributes that they inspire terror, throw communities into panic, give birth to commissions and conferences, reports aud investigations, quarantiue iaws and unnumbered other fruitiess, and not always uarm- less, olgpring. But such a comparison serves to point out and empuasize she only lesson taught by the history of the iave epidemic of yellow fever. Absolutely nothing has been jearned of the cause Ol the disease. ‘Ihe question of its autochthonous origin, or of its tmportation into tae Guif States from adjacent counties im the same latitude and ander tae same climatic conditions 1s stil unsettled; specific modes of prevention and of limitation remain as vague as night; | Medical opinion Is confused and conficting, and medical skill as baffled as before, The questions propounded by the Supervising Surgeon in bis | anoual report are yet uuanswered. How far the | Carbolic disiaieetion may be credited with the jJugulation of the tnreavened epidemic at New ‘Orleans and Mobile; to What extent thorough or elective sanitary measures affect the progress of the disease in the light of experience o! these cities as compared with Memphis and shreveport; what is proper quarantine for yellow lever at Various ports, and what is the true scope, function and value of quarantine; can a quarantine be | effective which does notembrace “commerce With | foreign nations and among the several Siates,” by land as weil as by water—to none ol these ave satisfactory answers been returned, and in default thereof we are forced to turn to the | game agencies for the prevention and control of | this disease that we know are eficient, to a greater or less extent, im the contro! aud limita- tion Of the causes of that other immensely greater loss of life above shows. Such agencies are summed up in two Words, “general sauitauou,” in Which are included tnorvugh cleaniiness, em- cient disinfection, tie air, unpoliuted water, wholesome ivod and individaal hygiene. THE HISTORY OF THE EPIDEMIC, In the toliewing brief history Of the epidemic the disease is followed step by step {rom its lirst ap- pearance in the Untted States until its close, pre- serving the chronological rather tham the geo- graphical oréer, for the purpose of showing, if possible, the spread of the disease. To this, how- ever, the porter New York may be Mace an ex- ception, because, although tne disease was re- peatedly introduced both inio the harpor and the be fortunately it gained no feotnold. nig port may, therefore, be disposed of at the outset. There were in all sixty-two cases at jarantine, removed from vessels arriving. The it occurred May 23. Seven other cases, tae last a refugee from Memphis, who died in ambulance on his way to hospital, October 30, completed tae total of sixty-nine cases, of Which eiguteen died. Of these latier cases one arrived: by the steamer Yazoo, trem New Orleans, at Philadelphia, May 29, Sickness had appeared on the ship May 27%. The vessel] was not quarantined, rhe patient, a waiter on the steamer, went to New York, arrived May 31, sick on his ar- rival; Was taken to No. 7 Kldridge street and died Juve 2 ‘Three cases, of which two died, arrived on & schooner trom New Or- leans and were treated by the Marine Hospital vice, a3 Wag also the last of this yroup oi ¢: engineer of the steamer Metropolis, who been sick in New Orleans, disease not | determined, arrived at New York septem- ber 22, entered uspital same day and died on the 27th of undoubted yellow fever, prob- ably & relapse of the aisease trom which ne sui- fered in New Oricans. voncerning the cases which reached New York, despite the thorough | and enlightened sanitary administration of the port, Surgeon Hever Smith, of the Marine Hos- pital service, remarks:—‘‘So long as quaran- Une is &@ matter controlled by State caprice or fear there is nothing to prevent the introduction of this or any @ther disease into a community, no matter how rigid or periect the quarantine of such community may be made, and its present auministration at New York 18 both, Tuat yellow fever failed to become epidemic in New York the past season, that it 18 not epidemic every season, is due propably, Ost, to the want of favoring | conditions in the season itself, and, second, to tue | | emciency of its Beard ot Healtn; but certainly not | to the want of a supply of fomites iurmsued vy land [rom other ports.’? THE DISEASE IN PENSACOLA, On the 10ta of June, 1873, the Britisn merchant ship Golden Dream arrived at the port of Ps cola from Havana, and was placed in quarai ‘This vessel had lost eleven men while im the pors of Havana, three tn (ransitu from shence hituer, and ber entire crew are said to have been nipped | irom @ yellow fever hospital, she had several convalescing cases on boara when she arrived here; but no Case is reported as occurring walle She remained im quarantine, which was until the 3d of July, & period of twenty-tluree days. W. released she came to Oommandancia street wharf, and discharged some coal; aud it is also stated that some of ker remaining was doposited at the shore end of wharf, Sue afterward dropped down for anout | half @ mule below the city, and lay from 600 to 600 yards from the shore, at the end of the Yerdido Ratiroad wharf, At this point she was loaded and from thence went to sea on the 16th of August, @ad was lost the Juth of the same month. first reported case of yellow fever in the city was that of Mrs. Pfeffer, who died of black vomit on tae 14th of August, and whose case was that eveaing reportea to the Mayor by the attending plysiciam, Mra, Pfeffer’s residence | Was about 300 feet distant from the foot of we wharl at which the Golden Stream had landed her coal and left a part of her ballast. Im a house two blocks northeast of the one occupied by Mrs. PHheffer had died on the ith of August a Mrs. Nasite, after an illness of seven days. Thig case Mra, } asite w ed as “pernicious fever.” had removed from New Orleans to Pensacola on the 22d of July, and she and Mrs, Pfeffer are said to have visited. Before either of the above ases—Viz., ON the Sth of Augusi—a sailor died on the Golden Stream, He was from the revenue cutter Petrel, Mad been on beard the former Vessel eight days and was taken sick on the 2a of August. At the request of the Captain an inquest Was heid on board, and alter an examination by the astending pnysician o verdics of “death from intemperance and exposure” was rendered; but sowe of the crew subsequently stated that the man had thrown up black vomit, On the 18th of August the second ackaowleaged | went through the ship who resided on tne hill in the extreme northeast- ern portion of the city, On the day mentioned ne died of black vomit and Peery, contrac: the disease in the course of his missiona: among the seamen tn the lower part of On the 18th of the same month | was called in oy Dr. F. N, Blount to see a suspicious case at the Marine Hospital. 1! man, Otel Anderson, had entered the Buspital on the 14th, I found him with con: § Biccough, which Dr. Blount tn- formed me hi had for the three days previous, and though Person was y These symptoms Were ac- | companied by @ quite frequent spitting, or ratner ejection, of blood from tue mouis. I pronounced this @ case of yellow fever and recommen boat the cot, together witn its occupant, id be immediately removed to 4 separate ward, and & certain course of treatment adopted. This advice was pomptly acted and resulted 0 hemorrhage i patient. This the Marine Rospital; thougn ¢ admittance of Oxel, anotner Anae: tered the building—viz., OB the aiternoon 17ta—and had died during the following did not see him as the in had be fore [ entered the hospital on the 18: date until the night of the 27tn to ‘The majority of citizens wer ir homes by this ing event, and as ee ally predicted, the spread of the disease ‘was [rom that period rapid and extensive, The tirst yellow fever death was reported in Pevsacola om the 146h of August and the last on the lvcn of November. ist numbers sixty- one, but it is highly probable that eight or nine other deatis imputed to various causes, including those of the seaman on the Gol ream, Au ao Mrs, Nasite, August 14, wi due to yellow ver. In Montgomery, Ala., the first cases were re- beep on the 17th of August, the first death on be 27tn of that month and the last on the loth of November. The total number of yellow fever ‘3, deaths given in the Board of Healta report is eighty; but Dr, Michel thinks there were at least 100 gentne, and gives the names of twenty-two othérs who were, he considers, ita victims, and he estimates the total number of cases at 600. At the junction there are said to have been twenty- Swo Cases, almost the whole settlement, and the mortality was fourteen, At Bluff Springs, a place of abeut two hun- dred inhabitants, there were nine deaths, and at Oakileld, Of seven cases, six had protessional aid and recovered, The one that proved fatal had no medical attendance. The above is a mere history ofthe epidemic as itoecurred. it may now be interesting to consider other facts cou- nected therewith, Immediately on the breaking out of the lever in Pensacola @ rigia quarantine was established by the military and naval authori- ties of Fort Barrancas, the Navy Yard and the vil- lagesof Warrington and Woolsey. A similar one was algo mamtained by the civil ausmori- tes of Miliville, a village eigat miles distant, built at tue terminus of the Perdido Railroad, With the exception of Barrancas, where the fever manifested itself on the 23d of September, ail of the above Mentioned places escaped. The troops of Barrancas were, with the exception of about a dozen, instantly removed to Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island, aNd not a case occurred among them. This corroborates the testimony of the medical officer at the Navy Yara during tae epidemic of 1867, in which he says :— While the tever was raging at the Navy Yard and in the vicimity the troops were removed irom Marrancas to Pickens, the latter im tall view and only a mile dis- tant, but, the men being completely isolated, not a case occurred there, In this connection tt will be well to mention some facts which appear to prove the iniectious nature of the disease and that itcan be communi- ‘cated or introduced by clothing. On the 16th of November 1 was cailed in to see a young lady suffering {rom @ Violent attack of yellow iever. She had come to from the country about a week previous te that date, and two quite heavy frosts had occurred seven or eight days before she came to town. Alter reaching here she had assisted atthe opening.of @ truok containing the clo thing of a man woo had died of a very malignant atsack of jever at an early period of the epidemic. Hers was the last death; it occurrea during cold weather on the 19¢h of November. A similar case has been related to me by Mrs. C. L. Le Baron, of this Clty, concerning the epidemic of 1522, Her father, Mr. Fitzsimmons, of Claiborne, Ala., hear- ing Of the deatn of his brother at Pensacola, came here by private conveyance—at that time the only mode of transpertatien—and proceeded to administer on his estate, Among the eifects was a trunk of clothes, sai@ not to have been wora: but upon openimg if some ariicies the de- ceased had had on when tbe fatal illness seized him were found int, and although two heavy ‘rosi# had eccurred before Mr. Fitzsimmons’ arrival, he contracted the ever ana died after an iulness of four days, and from him the disease broke out atresh. A still mero remarkable in- Stance of the length of time the disease may lie dermant is one which was given me by te late br. John J. Huise. It is that during the yellow fever cpanel of 1853 a young man died in the town of Milton, thirty miles above our city, and that two years later his trunk, which in the meantime nad been in @ warehouse and covered with old sails and sacks, Was removed from Milton to Bristol, # small place forty-five miles distant, and was opened ina house there, Soon alter five or six of tne tnmates siokened, and some of them died of Diack vomit. 1 sold this to Dr. Harvey Brown, United States Army, @$ vouched for by Dr. Hulse, and he has mentioned it in ais work on quarantine, Vor further evidence as to the infectious mature of clotaing, beading, &c., used by yellow fever cases, see report of surgeon J. F. Hammond, United States army, to tue Surgeon General im 1854 en the yellow tever at Barrancas im the summer of 1853, and the circumstance of tae mattress thrown over- board from toe United States steamer Vixen and picked ap and Gsed by a negre man, who shortly alterward died of Diack vomit, and the subsequent spreading of the disease from the negro quurters 1n which it took place. refer to the above mentioned facts in conse- quence of their having been demonstrated in this Vicinage. From tue first yellow fever epidemic at this place to that of 1873 We have, om each occa- sion, direct evidence of its introduction by aa tn- fected ship. From the time the United States op- tained possession of Florida to the present date yellow iever appears live times to have assumed an epidemic form in shis port, aud durtug that period it hag also several times been vrought here, bus Jailed to spread. I spali first enumerate the former cases, In 1822 it was brought here by a schooner sailing from the north of Cuba and from there to Pensacola with a load of spoiied coddsn, which was discharged at the whar(, hauled through the town and thrown eut en @ common, In 1853 14 Was introduced by the United States steamer Virgin; im 1863, by the Unied States storeship Relief; im 1867, by the ship Fatr Wind aud the schooner Texana, the for- Mer ‘rom Jamaica and the latter !rom New Orleans, and finally, in 1873, tue Britiso ship Goleen Dream, trom Havana, Navy Yard, in 1863, as a boy. With regard to the imstances when it was introduced here, but did not become epidemic, the most marked appears to be thas of the French steam frigateMGomer, in the summer of 1343, Surgeon 8. P, Moore, United States arfay, writing trom Fort Browa, Vexas, in 1853, to the Surgeon General, “THE QUESTION OF CONTAGION is a very important ome and has occupied the at- tention of piys! § and phusnthropists ior long period without definitely setting it, There d | cam be no hesitation tn giving @ decided opinion that it 1s not. The divease ts of domestic origin, The arguments for contagion are opposed by facts. ‘These are weil known and need not ve stated. | may mention an instance, in 1842 or 1843, while stationed at Barranca: the French steam frigate Gomer arrived in rbor of Pensacola, from a West Ladia cruise, w the yel- low fever om board. Permission was granted to Uhe surgeon of the ship to occupy one end of the jospital. All the sick and convalescent sferred to the hospital, and the other cases as they urred on snip! . The disease rew, yet not @ single case appeared om )aud, although the nospital con- tained iwany pa! ts from vue homo squadron. Our troops were encamped within 100 yards of these sick, aud the inhaoitants of the Barrancas living witimn striking distance. No effort was made to establish « system of quarantine with the Sick On the ship. vent communication took place between tue sailors and the landsmen.” Lhave given this extract because it relates to this port, and also in order to correct some errors which, from the lapse of time, Dr. Moore has fallen into. In the first piace he is undecided as to date. The Gomer was here with the fever on board in 1843; and, secondly, he states that the sick from the frigate were put im \d of the Naval Hos- pital. Evidenee here shows b they were lodged ia 4 ballding on th ground as the Nava! Hospi- tal, but 160 feet northwest ol tt, and were attended solely by their own physician from the irigate. They were tanded by boats of the G at the Hospital wharf and taken up the road om the east side of the hospital grounds an gate directly to the quarters assigned them. A dense wood, @f more tham kalfa mile tn length, separated the hospital from the Navy Yard, a Ss and @ similar rove, ®& quarter mile im length, inter A tween the above mentioned rosa Barrancas. ven until pital wall, on t could not see tl gs side ther xcept a amali gate ie ing to tm ters, through whic none bat forced set ir gentle! on & visit to permitted to land, but were made to return the ral they had come. tae respect eaten ae y r yal reserye, if m ota gu ay ond ash ay Husbachie (‘5 Lege Nite the ‘¥a- ip, end & most effectual Uk hey Difference of language, a full knowledge of the presence of a malignant disease. coupied with the fact that the frencn- men were in a building 200 feet at its nearest point from the Iigh fence which surrounded tt, and thatthe gates of the latver were guarded night and day by vigilant watchmen, woaid pre- ventin most cases, if noc im all, any attempis at intimacy. Jn concid@ion I will state thas my ideas in re- gard to the nature and origin of yeliow fever have cane occurred iu the Wersonof the Rey, Mr. Lundy, atthe north | p observe that while this 5 Stermberg, United States Army, that! wil simply ° copy them:— Fira. — ow fever poison ts not e 7 es ee Sener Sure cine with the tenses et? I must interrupt - thls point to 18 may possibly be correct, [ am Dot prepared to assért itasa fact, but im all of the following opinions I fully concur, And now to resume :— Second.—It {s mot generated by atmospheric or tellario influeuees. A certain elevation of temperature is, how. ever, mecessary for the multiplication, and its rapid incréase is proinoted by a moist atmosphe and prob c ba ¢ by the presence of Le nay ors hird.—Ihe poison is portable in ships, ing. &c., and a minute quantity is capa! fo an extensive epidemic, Fourth.—ixposure to temperatare of 32 deg. Fahren- heit completely destroys it Fith.—It ay remain tor an anknown length of time im a quiescent state, when not subjected to @ freezing temperature. or exposed to the condition necessary to its multiplicatiom, and may again become active and ingreace tudeilniiely when these conditions prevail, goods, clot! of giving mse sx, also depend to a great extent uy) centration of the dese the greater t greater its severity. In coinciding with this statement I wish it um derstood that I have only reference to the disease occurs in the United States. the impression that it originatea in New Orleans until the contrary was proved, during the occu- pancy of that city by the United Svates troops during the late war. There is, I twink, indabita- ble evidence to prove that yellow lever is @ nativ tropic, and that its importation into the Unt States could be prevented by a strict quarantine—that is, total isolation. I consider t most reliable method of disiniecting a ia to batten down her batches and re- duce the temperature of her hold to 30 deg. Fahrenheit, and to keep her in that condition for four or five days, so that thebilge water may remain frozen for toat length of time. No turther danger need aiter that be apprenended and any subsequent appearance o! fever on board must arise from irosk exposure to its influences. Wedo not find that vessels remaining here alll summer, 10 matver how dirty they may be, ever generate yellow feyer. This only occurs with ships from latitudes below tne regions of frosts, and where this disease prevails for nearly the entire year. im regard to THE TREATMENT Ihave very little to add to what has already been written; but as | have been quite successful in tao ice it may eause some slight de- d. 1b is the sim- is seen in the fever (im the first twelve to @ mot mustard olsonaanat ie to aay poasibility of I was under Pi we during the possibie) I resort th—either a full bath or oniy to the knees— according to circumstances, The patient is then ut to bed and well wrapped or cevered wish lankets and supplicd with ice water, and per- mitted to drink it ad libitum, If there be any irritability of \me stomach, a mustard pilaster, about the size o/ the paim of the hand, is applied tothe cardiac portion of the stomach, and as 16 becomes uncomfortable moved to another place, and so on around thas organ, thus keeping up the @otion for an indefinite length of time. When the stomach 19 not too irritable, castor oll or the oleum ricint capsules are given by the mout otherwise an enema of olewmn ricini, xij.; oleum teredinthine, gitwe XX. ; vuel, unius ovl; aqua Serr, oj., to be used and repeated till the actions are tree. 1 generally fina, however, that the oleum ricint # 19 well borne by ‘the stomach, ana.when the dose ts large acts differently. if there be suppression of urine, # cloth (flannel is referable) well soaked with olewmn terebuntnti pplied over the region of the kidneys, and this application is repeaved wntil the flow of urine 1s copious. Itis usually brought on by this means in two or three hours, if not sooner. The hot bath is repeated if at any time the perspiration be- comes checked, SO also are mustard plasters if required for irritability of the stomach, or to act as revulsives or counterirritanis. The doors and windows are to be Kept closed, and all draughts are to be ature are to be guarded against, Surgeon Gibbs, United States Navy, that a sudden change of temperature—he says of five degrees, I twink of eight or ‘<en—will prove fatai. Draughts produce equally serious results when the patient is sweating pro- fusely. When there 16 only one sick person in vhe room | consider ample Ventilation 1s aiforded by toe cracks of the door and windows, and, when there 1g one in the room, ly the fireplace; and I believe that the word “ventilation” has, in this disease, Killed more persons toan anything else, as ali bere understand It ve mean that doors and windows are to be kept open, or partly so, day and night, south wind or norther, atient is seen at one time Sweating profusely and much improved, and the next, after taese “ventila- tons,” with a dry skin, delirious, trying to get up, or complaining bitterly of areturn oi pains apa aches, With a suppression of uring, or else comatose and in a state of congestion. I give, as before stated, lce Water a3 cold ag it can be made, and without stint, or small pieces of ice, as ire- quently as desired—that 1s, after the hot bath. [t causes the perspiration to flow freely, besides pro- ducing it in muca less time than when hot drinks are resorted to, It is, moreover, infinitely more grateful to the patient and is a much more ra- tional mode O1 treating and suvduing inflamma. tion, in Winch State the stomach is kuown to be. It 1s also well known to be acceptuble in all fevers and to have & tendency to alleviate them; 1t like- wise sootues the irritability of the stomach and bas a tendency to check hemorrhage and vomit- ing, while Warm drinks frequently sicken. produce vomiting and are notagreeabie to the patient, and Iam coniident are the almost tnvariable cause of the patient's attempting to rise and go out into the air, What does be almost invariably actempc to do under the treatment? To rise and rusa to the water pitcuer or ice, if there is any in the heuse; or, if ke be delirious, to seek to reach the bay or auy other water that can be found. I have never had a@ patient attempt so get out of bed sinoe—after the second case 1m 1867—1 adopted this treatment, and they do not become delirious, Though they complain bitterly of lying so long in bed and ask to have their clothing cuanged, I never allowed 1 till the eighth day, and then It must be done carefully, With ail the doors close and the fresh clotaing mast be careiully dried. permit them to turn freely on the bed, providing the covering is kept om and the perspira- tion is kept freely flowing, whica is usually the cage when the patient is well wrapped up and supplied with tce water. The patient is given no food while the fever is om, aud, in fact, seldom has any inclination for it. lce water suflices, and afterward 4 little lemonade, mint water or claret sangaree, ail of them iced, are agreeabie, or else @ little sea and soda cracker may be given. I give the latter because tt 1s light and go dry that they Will seldom eat muca of it. On the jourch or fifth day light chicken soup may be given, and d; degrees hey bg soups and better diet, as se! bolied eggs, &c. 1 would dwell particularly on the necessity of keeping the patient in a recum- bent position for at least seven or eight days, the perspiration freely dowing thr days, and a gentle sweating kept up for two mere, or longer, as tue case may require. and in no case te allow it to be suddenly checked, and to see that the urine ts passed freely and tuat tue bow- e@open. On the seventh or eighta day, if tne r be favorabie, open one of the soutnern doors or windows, and aiterward by degrees the otners, seeing tuat the patient ts not in a dranght. On the seveuth, eight, ointh or teatn day, as the case may be, the patiens, if otherwise doing . well, 1s allowed to sit up. Tusnaily visit him or her for a day or So longer, then dismiss tie case. Atonic of quinine and iron is givea after some of these cases, but the fermer ia not prescribed atany time, and calomel not at all. will also é that it ls important to relieve the patient's ind of all anxiety, to assure him of the very. probable favoraole. termination of the disease, ‘whticn will result on strict adherence to directions, p 3 that although they s ed trifling they were im reality most impertant, and that every- thing depended on their strict observation. The doctor snould sit down and talk to the sick per- ind his irieuds, and ibit no alarm or ¢on- ane patient become frightened. 1 usu. em. “You are doing very well, and I shall almost certainly have you np in » woek or cignt days, if you will lie quietly and do what you are toid.” I, however, never trust them, but have always some one with them—a relative if possidle—as they are the best and most reliavie nurses. Frie: re too apt to consult their own comiort Instead the patient’s weifare, and to open the doors and windows, and to indulge in all sorts of imprudent gossip im stage whispers to eacn other concerning the progress of the epidemic, the last case of viack yomit, and the similarity of symptoms between some person who bus just died and the one they nursing, And if you Temoustrate with them they answer, “O, he cannot be Irigatened, You don’t know him, doctor.’’ Then they are frequently oMfctous; and as svon as your back is turned, if you have prescribed cold drinka they substitute hot lemena be- a friend of use! perhaps throw ail the doora and windows, bi they n the cold drinks again, and everythin; is fixed your way. It ts important to tr ni possibie, only one person in ® room, as the pressing induence of a aeath tn the same depal ment is terrible. In Cases, cot and above has practice. The case worse type, the surreunding cir ing to Make them so, Teey are and paupers, and co! drunkards, or no history, congestion ona co are ty, itavs mortal ail human ald, ‘all Separate wards that. they can be reful attention and chi By for yei- treatea singly. by ring them ap, { think many might pe saved who are how loft. 5 TING le, GOOD NURS! is nearly {f not hait tae battle, and that ts wh have devoted so much space to minut patient should never be told dirvetly what he has yellow fever. I usually say:—‘Well, you have some fever; but if you follow @irections aii will go well,” &c., and on being asked by some ii sae; had dengue, I replied :—"*Weil, yes, it will pass fol that,” and tuen privately told the relatives or Rurses to recoliect that the patient had just #0 long as they lay there and followed ry tions: but if they got up or committed any omer’ imprudence, it wonid instantiy Become yellow fever, aud death the prooable result. ‘his 1s been #0 well cxosessed hY Durkeon George M. | usuuliy edectua