The facts with respect to Asiatic!
Cholera appear to he as follows: Two
vessels, on board of which Cholera un
questionably existed at the time of!
their arrival, or had occurred during I
the course of the voyage, reached New \
York in September and October. The
passengers by these vessels, the Alesia
and Britannia, were detained by the
quarantine authorities of New York,
and sent to Hoff man and Swinburne
Islands, where subsequently other eases
of I In* disease were developed among
them. At a somewhat later date a
third steamer, the Independente, at
rived, having, according to the New j
York authorities, a clean Dill of health,
and with no eases of sickness of any!
kind on board, and still a fourth ship j
from Mediterronean ports, the I’ow
hattan, reached the same port, and
was suffered to land her passengers!
after examination. Concerning this
Inst vessel no controversy lias arisen
so far as I am informed, hut it has j
been said both of her and the Inde
pendente, that the examination to
which they were subjected was of a
very cursory character; the Indepen
dente, it is said, touched at Palermo, a i
city at which many cases of cholera!
existed at the time of tier landing
(acre, and took on board a number of
passengers at that place; it is said
moreover, that some of these people
having sussed the quarantine at New
York, went directly to Chicago, where
they were traced out by a health com- \
missioncr of that city, and their bag- j
gage was carefully disinfected under!
bis directions. * * * *
It will thus appear that the danger j
of the introduction of Asiatic Cholera
is hy no means a trilling one, or one to
be overlooked by our local health'
authorities, and it is with them that
the responsibility of preparation chiefly
rests.
