THE AORANGI

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22018, 26 January 1935, Page 11

THE AORANGI

SMALLPOX CASE STEWARD AT SYDNEY PASSENGERS' ORDEAL STAY IN QUARANTINE CREW ALSO DETAINED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received January 25, 8.5 p.m.) SYDNEY. Jan. 25 Upon the arrival of the Aorangi at Sydney last night, doctors of the port health staff discovered a suspicious case of illness on board and decided to remain on the ship all night. The Aorangi anchored in Watson's Bay and moved to quarantine this morning. The doctors at first did not indicate the" nature £>f the illness, or whether tie suspect was a passenger or a member of the crew. The Aorangi carried 139 passengers from Vancouver and 181 from New Zealand. Later it transpired that a steward was suffering from smallpox. Preparations were made throughout the night to receive the 320 passengers and the crew of 300 men at tho quarantine station, and they were all landed there this afternoon. Drs. Birmingham and Metcalfe are still on the vessel examining the vaccination history of all on board. Those who are compelled to remain in quarantine for the full period will have complete facilities for reading, recreation and communication by telephone with friends in the metropolitan area. The customary period of quarantine for smallpox is 14 days, although persons who have been vaccinated at a sufficiently recent time before the outbreak may be released earlier. As the 6hip was cleared by the medical authorities at Auckland, symptoms of the disease could not have been in an advanced stage at that time. BBK"ever, as the period of incubation is regarded as being about 10 days, the infection must have been contracted before the Aorangi reached New Zealand.

The mail bags have been unloaded into one of the Navigation Department's launches for delivery to-day. The vessel ■null be fumigated and is expscted to. beirth at Darling Harbour to-morrow forenoon. The Union Steam Ship Company announces that the Aorangi's sailing date —next Thursday—will be adhered to. TO BE RELEASED TO-DAY SEVENTY-SIX PASSENGERS MAJORITY OF CREW ALSO (Received January 26 12.35 a.m.) SYDNEY. Jan. 25 S«venty-six of the Aorangi's passengers, including 28 Indians who will Teturn by the. Moldavia to their home country, are to be released from quarantine to-morrow. The majority of the crew, all of whom hare been vaccinated within recent years, will be released "also and will rejoin the Aorangi after the vessel hau been fumig;ated on Sunday. It is expected that another group of passengers will be freed five days hence, but the remainder, with a small percentage of the crew, will be detained for the full quarantine period.

The Aorangi was placed under quarantine on arrival at Auckland from Vancouver on February 23, 1930, owing: to a case of smallpox on board, the victim being a married woman, aged 30. Mo?t of the passengers-were detained on Motuihi Island for a few days only and were released after vaccination. The vessel 'sailed for Sydney two days after her arrival here, passengers for Australia being placed in quarantine at Sydney for various periods. The Aorangi was the first vessel to be quarantined at since December 1, 1918, when the liner Makura arrived from Vancouver with five cases of influenza among the crew. The ship was anchored ou Motuihi for seven davs, all passengers except the influenza patients remaining on board. Later in the week further passengers contracted the disease, it b'eing then decided to place all Auckland passenger ashore.'' The Makura sailed for Sydney on December 6.