Outbreak of Small-pox.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7545, 19 May 1903, Page 2

Outbreak of Small-pox.

(Per Press Association ) Last night rio-n . i low seventy-two ! .L'.-tas and ten .Europeans are to be' landed from the steamer Gracchus at ! the quarantine station at (iuail ( Island. Tliis is being done in order to allow ol" the thorough cleaning and disinfection of the vessel. The cargo landed from the Gracchus— :i 8 trucks oi" cornsacks, bags and kapoe—was commandeered by Dr. Valentine and ordered to be as a preliminary measure, fumigated. The clothes worn by persons who had worked on board the steamer were collected during the day in a disinfected cart and burned at the borough rubbish heap under the direction of the district .sanitary inspector. Johnson, who died, was 21 years oi age and a native of Tasmania. He held an English certiiicate as master oi" a vessel. Bell is 24: years ol" age, and was born at South Shields. There is considerable feeling in Lyttelton. over the Gracchus having been allowed to pass the southern ports. It is stated that when she was at Port Chalmers the disease was not so developed as to be unmistakeable* but that when she arrived at Timaru the symptoms should have been such as to leave no doubt. The wharf labourers objected strongly to vaccination unless they received compensation for loss of time, pointing out that compensation was given for property destroyed by officers. There are several theories as to ,the cause of the outbreak. One is that the infection came from the cargo. Another possible cause is suggested from the fact that one of tlie crew, v Lascar, died a few days after the vessel left Calcutta though he did not exhibit any ov '- uption. Fifty-seven persons who had been on board the Gracchus were vaccinated to-day at the Lyttelton police station. Mr Kayc, the chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, was among the subjects, the last oi whom were two little newspaper runners who in their eagerness to push business had jumped on board the vessel as she came to the wharf to-day. Twenty-two houses in Lyttelton occupied by contacts were visited by the health authorities and disinfected. Some, of the lumpers live in Christchurch and suburbs and then- houses will also be. disinfectTIMARU, Last night. ■Dr.. Keid states that lie received a

wire from Dunedin that there were two .-cases, of German measles 011 board the boat, which arrived here on Wednesday night. Ho went aboard on Thursday morning, expecting German measles, and saw nothing in the appearance of the patients to suggest anything worse, lucre were no distinct signs of small-pox. Dr. Reid is familiar with these, having once had charge of a small-pox hospital. Tho captain was ashore at the time of his visit. He told the patients to continue the medicine supplied at Duncriin, and gave several instructions regarding the diet, and that the patients were to be kept isolated, and that when they reached Lyttelton they should be .quarantined and tho cabins fumigated. Nothing more could be done at Timaru as there was no place for quarantining tho patients. The men said they were jnuch better than they had been, and as nothing more could ho done on the supposition that the complaint was German measles, Dr. Reid did not see the men again. He told the steward to send for him if there was any need for doing so, but no message was Sent to him.

An advertisement requests that all persons employed on or visiting the Gracchus shall visit the Health Ofliccr to-morrow for vaccination.