SMALLPOX ON AORANGI

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20960, 25 February 1930, Page 10

SMALLPOX ON AORANGI

PROMPT MEASURES TAKEN. THE SHIP FUMIGATED. VACCINATION OF PASSENGERS. \ (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, February 24, When the Aorangi arrived at 5.30 p.m yesterday, she was boarded by Dr Boyd, of the Health Department, who took the place of Dr Russell, the port health officer, who is indisposed. After an inspection occupying half an hour, Dr Boyd summoned Dr Hughes, who arrived at the ship’s side within 20 minutes, and they - had a consultation lasting over an hour, ’] At 8 p.m., more than two hours after the vessel's arrival, the doctors returned to the shore, the liner hoisted her anchorage lights, and ’ it was announced that she "would remain in the stream until this morning. Simultaneously the launch conveying the Customs officers who had not been permitted on board, returned to the< Queen's wharf; Dr Hughes meanwhile obtained confirmation of his action from the Directorgeneral of Health (Dr T. H. A. Valin- ; tine), and at 9.3 Q p.m. paid a second visit to the ship in company with Dr ■ Gunson, consulting physician. They returned at 10 o'clock, when Dr Hughes • announced that the vessel was under quarantine, and she would have to go to the quarantine station at Motuihi, where the passengers would be landed and the vessel quarantined. " “ The patient is suffering from a mild form of smallpox/' Dr Hughes said. “ She contracted the disease before joining the Aorangi at Vancouver. The period of - incubation must have ended about. the time the vessel was at Suva, for it was a , day after leaving that port that the smallpox symptoms were observed.” The young woman had been isolated on the ship, and every possible precaution had been taken. She, would be landed at Motuihi and placed m isolation. "The passengers will be vaccinated while, on the island, and the ship thoroughly fumigated,” said Dr Hughes. “Ah passengers booked for New Zealand will nave to remain on the island in the mean time. The accommodation in the quarantine quarters there is good, and there is ample room for all who will be, obliged to remain there. The victualling of the passengers during their enforced stay, which may extend for from two or three weeks, will be a matter for arrangement between the Health Department and the Union Company.” It is likely that passengers joining at* Auckland will be obliged to undergo vaccination. On behalf of the Union Com-

pany it is stated that any persona de- ■- siring not. to travel by the Vessel may transfer to 1 the Maunganui, which will leave for Sydnejy on Friday.' It wasstated by the Union Company’s officials that it was not intended to discharge the New Zealand cargo on the Aorangi. Instead it would be taken to, Sydney and there transhipped to the Dominion. Unloading while' the liner; is at Motuihi would involve transhipment into lighters, and without the usual port facilities the operation would take too long. . The prohibition against landing has come as an unpalatable surprise to the passengers, among whom are the noted golfers Walter Hagen and J. H. Kirkwood, who were to play a match at Titirangi to-morrow, and the Canadian members of the Empire farmers,; who are to jtour the Dominion, Kirkwood and' Eagan will remain on board the vessel. . The Nbw Zealand- matches have been abandoned. v As it is the end of the tourist season in New Zealand and Australia, the passenger list is a light one, numbering approximately 200. - *. The Aorangi brought 1700 bags of English and American mail for New Zealand. After the vessel anchored 1 a launch hired by the Postal Department brought ashore 201 bags of letter mail, of which 161 bags were despatched south' by the Main Trunk express last evening, the other 40 bags being for Auckland.

THE PASSENGER LIST.

(Peb United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Feberuary 24. The passengers by the Aorangi are:— First class: Messrs Atkin, Benton, Bland, Vocher, Bunting, Boal, Chapman, Chaplin, Dunwoody, Jftmonds, Hagen, Hawthorn (2), Houchen, hidings, Inglis, Ingerson (2), Kirkwood, Levis, M'Tinley, MTaren, MTellan, Nash, Nelson, Reilly, Tight, Terry, Warner, Woodley, Wray , Dr Schlemm, Master' Eeilley, Mesdames Bunting, Boal, Cave, Cummings,HJlunie, Chapman, Dunwoodie, Edgar. Edmonds, Horspool) Hawthorn, Houchin, Levis, M'Tinley, MTiaren, Nash, Riley, Tight, Von Binzer, Wilson, Warner, Woodley, Wray, Misses Chapman (3), Clunie, Greenslade, Hatton, Hawthorn, Harper, Langford, MTaren, Murdoch, Reilley, Stone, Wilkie. Second class: Messrs Bain (2), Berry, Biddoes, Burn, Cockburn, Ducker, Hartley, Hathaway, Jenkins, Lee, M'Neil, Michael, Nichols, Parke, Ross (2),-Webb, Thereby, Turner, Mesdames Burn,- Calkin, Edgar, Hathaway, Jenkins, Lee, Maclean, Ross, Shove, Wright, Whittaker, Dr Calkin,-.Masters Vurn, Lee, Scudamore, WhittakeiT Misses Ayers, Cremcr, Chapman, Dunsmote, Frost, Gray, Hathaway, Kinnear, JVlenzies, Maclean, Norris, ;• Paynemis, QuitOeh, Ross, Shove, ■ Taylor. Whittaker, Zander. . y ’ Third class: Messrs Sevan, Eusack, Diplock, Ellis, Fulton, Giddings, M'Clarey, Mmniharn, M'Kenzie (2),' Ritchie (2), Young, Wells, C. John, Master Newton, Mesdames Diplock, Gillott, Giddings Miss Diplock.

PASSENGERS IN’ QUARANTINE. % ■ . THE VACCINATION PARADE. POSSIBILITY OF RELEASE. . (Special to Daily Times.) AUCKLAND, February 24. The prospect of three weeks' isolation on Motuihi for the quarantined passengers on the Aorangi appears to be dispelled by a statement made in a tele-'' gram received from thel Director-general of Health (Dr Valintine)'by the Minister Health (Mr A. J. stallworthy); Dr Valintine stated that the in quarantine would be discharged after ■vaccination in accordance with modern practice. Detailing the precautionary steps to be taken. Dr Valintine said the vesseel would not make contact with the shore except to take in water. After the removal of the patient and the New Zealand passengers_ to quarantine, the disinfection of the infected part of the ship and the vacj cination of all the people on board, the ship would be permitted to proceed to Sydney, the Federal authorities being fully advised of the action taken . *? r T. M'Kibbin, Director of the DiviB / orl , or Public Hygiene, will arrive in Auckland from Wellington to-morrow to investigate the position which falls under his division. Dr T. Hughes and Dr J. Boyd, medical officers of the Health Department, left for Motuihi Island to-day to superintend the removal of the patient and the transfer of the other passengers to quarantine. Dr Boyd was accompanied by several inspectors, who will carry out the work of of disinfecting the vessel'with formalin. r A 1 1," bustle and activity on Motuihi Island this afternoon and at the quarantine anchorage off its western shore. Large oversea steamers call there occasionally to unload explosives, but never before has a liner of Aorangi’s size been seen in tuo.se waters. Weighing anchor at 7.20 tun., she reached the island at 9 o’clock Ilia passengers lined the rails after breaklast, eagerljr looking for signs of the launch containing the doctors who were to come aboard* and vaccinate them. The medical party arrived n little after 10 o clock, armed with vessels of lymph and all the necessary apparatus.' The vaccination parade lasted until well after lunch time, for it was half-past 1 when the first passengers left the ship. The passengers came down The gangway and took their seats in the lifeboats with good ■humour. They seemed to regard the half- ' mile journey to the wharf as a novel kind . excursion. The boats made a'number an tour and n-haif all the second and third class passengers had been landed. The first class passengers remained mi board until after . dinner.

' It was quite evident that the vaccine had taken effect promptly in some cases, for passengers could be seen ashore wearing a white handkerchief tied round one arm, a rather unnecessary reminder, seeing that everyone else was presumably in a like case. Meanwhile, other craft were plying a busy traffic. Fully half a dozen launches came from the city under engagement to the Union Steam Ship Company. One was laden with men who had been taken on as cooks, waiters, and in other capacities to attend to the needs of the quarantined passengers. Several others brought loads of stores, including sacks of potatoes, cases of fruit, and similar large packages. A small steamer arrived with a cargo of coal for the kitchens. With all this traffic in passengers and goods the long wharf below the quarantine station was busier than it had been for years. Various other boats, including press launches, cruised about ,in the neighbourhood. As the afternoon drew in the comings and goings ceased. There was every reason to suppose that the passengers were_ making themselves comfortable in their rather novel quarters ashore, but naturally it was impossible to find out just what they felt about the experience.

TH$ VESSEL FUMIGATED

DEPARTURE FOR SYDNEY TO-DAY. SPREAD OF INFECTION UNLIKELY. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, February 24. The smallpox patient is a : married, woman, aged 30, who booked at Vancouver for Sydney, An examination, of the ease to-day confirms the original opinion that the disease had been contracted in a mild form, and the possibility of a spread of. infection is considered remote. One day out from Suva the woman became ill, and the ship’s doctor, becoming suspicious of a serious infectious disease, at mce isolated the patient, who was travelling alone, _ and was the sole occupant pf a cabin in the second class. From there till Auckland was reached the strictest isolation was observed. To-day the patient was removed to the quarantine station. All the passengers and the crew of the Aorangi were vaccinated to-day. All except tne- first-class travellers bound for Sydney were landed on tbe quarantine station, and a thorough fumigation of the ship was carried out,. With the rthrpugh passengers aboard, the Aorangi will leave Motuihi to-morrow morning and return to Auckland, but will not berth here. About 200 passengers for Sydney will embark, only about 30 of those who had booked having cancelled their passages. All these new passengers, if they wish to avoid the risk of detention in Sydney, will have to, be vaccinated before they -board the ship,' The remainder of the Aorangi’s English and American mail for New Zealand will be landed to-morrow, .but no cargo will be discharged. This will be carried on to Sydney and later brought to New Zealand in another steamer.

There is some doubt' to-night how Jong the passengers in quarantine will have to remain there. The Director-general of Health (Dr, valintine) has advised 'that all those ‘who have been vaccinated can be released, but when they will be released is not known Vet, The ship will leave to-morrow under quarantine, and what will be done at Sydney is a matter for the’ Australian authorities, but it is stated that those vaccinatea will be release'd in Sydney on surveillance.

The Union Steam Ship Company received a cablegram to-day from the health authorities in Sydney stating that any passenger who had been successfully, vaccinated withing the past seven years might be released under surveillance after arrival there.

Telephone advice from Motuihi to-night was to the effect that the quarantined passengers were comfortably housed and were receiving the best of attention from the staff appointed to look after them. A case of dysentery found on board the ship was disembarked and placed under treatment.

AREANGEMENTS IN SYEN!

AORANGI TO BE QUAEAN:, .i)

(United Press Association.)

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) SYDNEY, February 24. (Received Feb. 24, at 11.30 p.m.) The health authorities in Sydney are preparing fof the. arrival of the Aorangi from Auckland- next Friday. They will order her into quarantine for 24 hours, after which, if there are no further cases, she will be allowed to go. to her berth, with nil who are elegible for release under surveillance. '

The chief. quarantine doctor here said that the ■ American, type of smallpox closely resembled severe-chickenpox; and, unlike, the Asiatic type, was rarely fatal.