USA > Georgia > Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. II > Part 17
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YELLOW FEVER IN AUGUSTA.
Augusta has been visited by two cpidemics of yellow fever, i. e., 1839 and 1854. She narrowly missed an epidemic in 1876, which will be detailed briefly, after considering the cpidemics of 1839 and 1854. Augusta is located on the western side of the Savannah river, at the head of steamboat navigation, 130 miles above Savannah by water course; 130 miles northwest of Savannah by the Central railroad, and 136 miles from Charleston, S. C., via the South Carolina railway. Elevation of the city, 165 feet above sea level. Augusta has four direct connections with seaports of Georgia and South Carolina, i. e., by steamboats from Savannah, by the Central railroad, by the South Carolina railway, and by the Port Royal & Augusta railway with Port Royal, S. C. This latter railway company by branches runs daily freight and passenger trains to Augusta from both Savannah and Charleston. The history of the epidemic of yellow fever in Augusta in 1839 is briefly as follows: The epidemic was preceded by a long season of heat and drought. From June 10 to August 30 the thermometer in the shade at 3 o'clock p. m. ranged from 76 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit. At one time during the summer there was not even a shower of rain for seventy consecutive days. The extent of the drought throughout the upper section of the state is
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made manifest by the fact that the Savannah river was so low at Augusta that drays and other vehicles were driven daily through the river to Hamburg, on the Carolina side. The water of the river was so extremely low that Mr. H. Shults of Hamburgh, a litigant against Augusta, planted a crop of turnips in a part of the bed of the river, thinking this would favor his law suit. The lowness of the stream continued so long that Mr. Schults' crop had nearly matured before it was covered with water at low water mark of the river. The first notice of the existence of an unusually grave form of fever among residents of Augusta is dated August 19, though the medical profession of Augusta unanimously reported to the mayor that the disease was not yellow fever, but, "unquestioned bilious remittent fever." As early as July 27 several refugees from Charleston had developed yellow fever immediately on arriving in Augusta. From August 6 to August 19 forty cases of yellow fever had occurred among residents of Augusta. From this time the disease spread rapidly over the entire city, attacking all classes, old and young, white and black, though few of the blacks died. The total mortality from yellow fever during this epidemic was 243, whites 206, colored 37. The following-named physicians contracted the disease while nobly serving their afflicted patients, and died: Dr. Milton Antony, Dr. John Dent, Dr. Griffith and Dr. Isaac Bowen.
The majority of the medical profession of Augusta, after the epidemic was recognized, centered upon the trash wharf as the cause of the disease, Dr. L. A. Dugas being the only one of the physicians of Augusta who dissented from this opinion. He maintained that the poison had been imported from Charleston, S. C., where yellow fever had been for some time previously prevailing. The trash wharf here referred to was an immense pile of garbage which had been from 1834 to 1839 daily carted from the streets to the northern side of the city and dumped into the river; this trash pile was estimated to contain 200,000 cubic feet. The garbage of the city was daily dumped from the carts into the river at this point, the lighter parts floating down the stream, the heavier sank to the bottoni of the river. The pile was so large that it finally reached above the surface of the river at low-water mark. As already noted, in the early part of the summer of 1839 the Savannah river at Augusta almost literally dried up, leaving a large part of the bed of the river so dry that a crop of turnips was planted therein. Thus, this immense pile of putrescent animal and vegetable matter was exposed to the direct rays of the burning sun in July and August. On Aug. 28 this trash pile was covered with earth to a depth of four feet. The condition of this seething mass of animal and vegetable matter until covered with earth is attested by the fact that when the city authorities, in May and June, 1839, decided to remove the trash pile, after the outer crust was removed, the heat of the mass was so great that "the workmen, although wearing heavy shoes, were compelled to quit work for several hours at a time in order to suffer the mass to cool." The stench from this putrid mass is described as unbearable, and called forth many and loud complaints from citizens living in its vicinity. While this trash pile was a flagrant violation of even the elemental principles of sanitation, and in this day it is difficult to conceive how a cleanly, decent people could have permitted it to exist, yet I do not hesi- tate an instant in saying it did not produce yellow fever in Augusta. Strange as it may seem this trash pile had practically no baneful effect upon the health of the city. It had been in existence five years prior to the appearance of yellow fever, yet Prof. Milton Antony says: "For three years previously the city had enjoyed unparalleled health."
The fact is that Augusta was unusually healthy two months after yellow fever was epidemic in Charleston, S. C., which two cities were connected by the South
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Carolina railway. Augusta prior to the outbreak of yellow fever was full of refugees who had fled from Charleston after the disease had been declared to be epidemic in the latter city. Dr. Strobel of Charleston properly claimed that the disease was imported into Augusta from Charleston, and asked of those claiming local origin of the malady the following pertinent questions: "Why did not yellow fever manifest itself in Augusta at the same time it made its appearance in Charleston; why was the epidemic in Augusta deferred until Charleston was almost deserted by her inhabitants? Did the arrival of the people from the infected city of Charleston excite the extrication of pestiferous miasm from local causes which had lain dormant up to the time?" To this day no rational answer has ever been made to Dr. Strobel's pertinent questions. He might have added another very pertinent one on this line, which I now propound: Why was it that Augusta never had yellow fever until 1839, notwithstanding the fact that the disease was epidemic in Charleston thirty-one different years prior to 1839? The answer is easily given: Augusta was connected with Charleston by railway only in 1836, and Charleston citizens in their hegira from her infected atmos- phere were, in the absence of railway facilities, forced to seek shelter in the country immediately adjacent; 1838 was the only year prior to 1839 in which yellow fever prevailed in Charleston after Augusta was connected with her by railway The facts show that prior to yellow fever making its appearance in. Augusta in 1839, not only was the city filled with refugees from Charleston, but Dr. Strobel cited the fact that the first cases of yellow fever in Augusta were among these refugees. Not only were infected persons and baggage from Charles- ton admitted into Augusta in 1839 without any restrictions of any kind whatso- ever, but enormous quantities of decayed West Indian fruit was likewise brought into Augusta. This latter fact is significant when it is known that the yellow fever epidemic in Charleston in 1839 was imported from the West Indies, thirty-six ves- sels from the West Indies laden with fruit having landed at the wharves of Charles- ton from May I to July 30. This fruit was brought to Augusta in crates. The first case reported as yellow fever in Augusta in 1839 was in the early part of September, though the meeting of physicians on August 19 stampeded the citizens. They became convinced that the disease was yellow fever and in a few days the majority of citizens had fled to the country. The second and last epidemic of yellow fever in Augusta occurred in 1854. This year, as in 1839, the appearance of the disease was preceded by prolonged high temperature and remarkable drought. Again the Savannah was nearly dried up, extensive portions of the bed of the river being perfectly dry. However, this condition of the river was observed twice during the period between 1839 and 1854, and about the same prolonged and heated term as in 1839 and 1854.
In 1854 Augusta was connected by railway with Savannah via the Augusta & Savannah railway, also by steamboats on the river, but the boats were for several months prior to the appearance of yellow fever unable to ply between the two cities in consequence of the low river.
The first case of yellow fever among the residents of Augusta in 1854 occurred Sept. 12, but prior to this case fourteen citizens of Charleston and Savannah developed yellow fever after reaching Augusta. As to the healthfulness of Augusta at the commencement of this epidemic, I cite the following from the "Augusta Constitutionalist:" "From Sept. I to 17 there have been only sixteen deaths in this city. There has been no year within our memory since we have been resident in Augusta that the bill of mortality in September, up to the same period, will bear any comparison for lightness." Yet such was the rapidity of development and extent of yellow fever in Augusta that during the last half of the month of
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September the deaths numbered sixty-six. Fifty of these sixty-six died of yellow fever. The total mortality for the month of September was eighty-two. The last case of yellow fever occurred November 20. Total mortality, 123,-whites IIO, colored 13. As to the origin of the epidemic of 1854 there is but one opinion among the medical profession of Augusta, i. e., that it was imported into the city from Charleston or Savannah-possibly both. Yellow fever had been in Savannah more than five weeks before it attacked Augusta, and more than seven weeks in Charleston earlier than in Augusta, and fourteen cases of yellow fever had occurred, among refugees from Savannah and Charleston before a single case occurred among residents of Augusta. Every possible source of local origin was closely examined, but the examination showed the city to be in exceptionally fine sanitary condition. There was no trash wharf or garbage pile in existence in the city, inasmuch as the garbage had for years been burned every day as it was dumped from the carts. There was only this one circumstance similar to that of 1839, i. e., yellow fever refugees with infected baggage, etc., were allowed to enter Augusta ad libitum. And thousands of these refugees availed themselves of the privilege. Augusta was literally full of the refugees from Charleston and Savan- nah. In 1854, as in 1839, scores upon scores of railway passengers and freight cars entered Augusta daily from the yellow fever infected cities of Charleston and Savannah. The freight cars were closed in the infected city, and opened only after arriving in Augusta, thus daily throwing into the atmosphere of Augusta the infected air of Charleston and Savannah. Under the fact of this epidemic there cannot be a shade of a shadow of doubt that the disease was imported into Augusta from Charleston and Savannah, and, furthermore, it cannot be doubted that if the policy of absolute non-intercourse quarantine had been operated against these cities, Augusta would not have been infected.
Yellow fever cases have on several occasions other than 1839 and 1854 been imported into Augusta from Charleston, S. C., Port Royal, S. C., and Savannah, Ga., but while a few of the citizens of Augusta developed yellow fever, the disease did not assume epidemic proportions. Augusta narrowly escaped an epidemic in 1876. Fourteen residents of the city contracted yellow fever-five of them died. In this instance the infection was undoubtedly brought from Savannah by infected baggage or railway freight cars. I believe the infection was brought in baggage or bedding of refugees from Savannah, though it may have been from infected freight cars. The first case in a resident of Augusta dates from September 19. Mr. H., living on Twiggs street, corner of Hale street. The next case occurred September 21, Mr. M., living three doors from the first case. Almost immediately on the opposite side of the street from where these two cases resided, was a family who had ten days previously refugeed from Savannah. Yellow fever had been in existence in Savannah for three weeks prior to the time this family left that city, coming from there directly to Augusta, and bringing with them furniture, bedding and clothing packed in Savannah. This family rented the vacant house above referred to, unpacked their household goods and went to housekeeping. In the latter part of September, 1876, I was informed that two members of this family had had yellow fever before leaving Savannah, though
this assertion was not proven. All of the cases of yellow fever in 1876 were located in the section of the city immediately adjacent to where this family of refugees resided. This infected section of the city was immediately west of the freight depot of the Central railroad, which directly connected Savannah with Augusta. The freight cars were loaded and closed in Savannah and opened only after arriving in Augusta. Although Savannah was infected with yellow fever as early as July 28, the fact was suppressed for several weeks, during which time numerous families of refugees, and scores of freight and passenger cars left the
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city coming directly to Augusta, before the latter city inaugurated a quarantine against Savannah. Local origin was suggested, and every effort made to trace these cases to insanitary conditions of Augusta, but the closest scrutiny of the entire city limits failed to bring to light any local cause for the disease. On this occasion, as on all others, the appearance of the malady in Augusta was subse- quent to infection of a seaport in direct communication with Augusta.
In July, 1877, several cases of yellow fever occurred among citizens of Augusta who had not been out of the city limits, but the disease was directly in traceable connection with importation from Fernandina, Fla., and Port Royal, S. C. In the latter part of September, just prior to the application of non-intercourse quarantine by Augusta against infected cities in 1877, a refugee from Fernandina arrived in Augusta and went to the home of a relative on upper Greene street, where he developed yellow fever within two days of his arrival. This patient died of black vomit forty-eight hours from the commencement of his disease. He brought with him two large trunks of clothing packed in the infected town of Fernandina. The day after his attack a relative unpacked his trunks to get out some of his wearing apparel. A number of days after unpacking this trunk the lady who did this service was attacked with yellow fever, and one after another of the members of the family fell ill with the disease, until it attacked every member of the household. By thorough isolation and disinfection the disease was confined to the house and household in which it appeared. I saw the first of these cases in consultation with Drs. W. H. Foster, Steiner, Campbell and Coleman. The subsequent cases were attended by Dr. H. H. Steiner, a yellow fever expert. Therefore there can be no doubt as to the nature of the disease. These cases established beyond controversy the portability of the yellow fever poison, as there was not another case in the city during the year among residents of Augusta. The only other cases of yellow fever in Augusta in 1877 (and there has never been another case to the present day) were among refugees from Port Royal, S. C., which place had a few years previously been directly connected with Augusta by the Port Royal & Augusta railway. In the latter part of Septem- ber a malignant fever appeared at Port Royal; the board of health fearing it was yellow fever sent an expert to Port Royal on Oct. I, to decide the nature of the disease. The representative of Augusta, after consultation with the physicians of Port Royal, reported that the disease was not yellow fever, but a high grade of malarial fever. Returning to Augusta the next day, the expert sent to Port Royal found on the same train one of the cases of fever he had seen the previous day in the latter town. There was also on the same train a number of refugees from Port Royal to Augusta, bringing with them in some instances household furniture, bedding, etc., and all of them brought trunks full of clothing. The next day Dr. L. D. Ford, president of the board of health, visited the sick refugee from Port Royal, and promptly pronounced it a case of yellow fever. The fact was immediately reported to the board of health, and non-intercourse quarantine against Port Royal was at once applied, but, as is usual in such cases, the quaran- tine was not applied until infected persons and materials had already reached the city. Several others of these refugees developed yellow fever after reaching Augusta, though under the restrictive measures promptly and faithfully applied, the disease did not spread.
MACON.
In 1854, sometime after yellow fever had been declared epidemic in Savannah, the disease appeared in Macon. The first cases were among refugees from Savannah. The first cases among the inhabitants of Macon were in those who
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came in contact with the cases imported from Savannah, or with railway freight cars loaded and closed in Savannah and opened after they arrived in Macon. In 1854 the railroad depot was located on the east side of the river, and the vast majority of the cases among citizens of Macon were among those who lived immediately adjacent to the freight depot. Dr. Mattauer cited this fact before the state board of health in 1876, and estimated the number of cases in 1854 to have reached 100.
There were about seventy cases of yellow fever in Macon in 1876, forty-nine of them being inhabitants who had not left the city for several months previous to contracting the disease. The first cases were among refugees from Savannah and Brunswick, in both of which cities the disease was prevailing as an epidemic. Dr. Magruder cited the case of two refugees arriving from Savannah and bringing trunks of clothing and unpacking them in the house of a citizen of Macon. Before either of these refugees developed the disease the hostess became alarmed and requested them to obtain quarters elsewhere, yet she took the fever and died. The two refugees went to the Rutherford house, when one of them developed the disease. Dr. Magruder, who had previously been a believer in the local origin theory recanted it and said before the state board of health in 1876: "From what I saw here this year, I have been compelled to believe that it was introduced here, and it was by means of the railroad cars running from Savannah, fastened up perfectly tight until they got here, and then thrown open, and this infected air spreading itself through the neighborhood. All these cases occurred in the neighborhood of the freight depot. I found that all the cases that occurred here were due to immediate communication with persons that came from Savannah." Dr. Magruder also cites the following case: "Mrs. H. came here from Savannah, and brought all her clothes; she developed yellow fever on her way here, and died at her mother's on Bridge road, this side of the river. Her mother took the disease in about two weeks and died. Her sister also contracted the disease but recovered. These cases were in the neighborhood of the Savannah cotton depot." Dr. Mason testified that the health of the city was unusually good prior to appear- ance of yellow fever. There had been very little malarial fever here prior to introduction of yellow fever. All the cases of yellow fever occurring in citizens of Macon occurred sometime after refugees from Savannah and Brunswick developed the disease on arrival here. About those cases at the factory, there were two parties that came here from Savannah; one of them had the yellow fever; previous to their taking it they carried their baggage to the factory house, so they came in direct contact with these parties. In the first case I saw (it was on Third street) the case of Mrs. Higgins. She left Savannah at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, arriving here about 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, and took the chill about 7 o'clock. She died on the third day with black vomit. Her mother, who nursed her, and had not been to Savannah, from nursing her daughter took it, and then another daughter took it; there were two cases originating in that house from nursing Mrs. H. Then there was a case on the hill on the line of Third street, that of Mr. Penog. He had been exposed to it in Savannah and took it. I treated him. His sister who visited him took the disease and died. I did not treat her; she died before he did. He lasted some two or three weeks. He didn't take the black vomit, but had hemorrhages." Question-Is it not likely that the infection came from the cars? Answer-Yes sir, it originated in that way, but others contracted it from visiting and nursing them. Mrs. Conrey, an old lady, took the disease from nursing those who had it. She was the worst case that I had to recover.
Dr. Mettauer testified: I treated twenty-five cases of yellow fever in 1876.
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Eighteen of these cases were citizens of Macon-the other five were refugees from Savannah and Brunswick. Question-Did you have any cases that you could trace to previously infected districts in Macon? Answer-I could not trace the origin of the disease to any other cause than by importation of atmosphere from Savannah. Question-Do you know that any of these cases were in communica- tion with the trains or any other means by which infection could occur? Answer -The eighteen cases which occurred among our citizens who did not visit Sa- vannah or Brunswick occurred on Fifth street, opposite the freight depot, where over a hundred thousand cubic feet of Savannah atmosphere was thrown out of the cars daily from empty cars brought from Savannah closed-the air impris- oned in the empty cars. Question-Were any of these previously employed on the road? Answer-One watchman, who remained at the depot every night. Question-What do you think was the origin of the fever? Answer-I think it depended wholly for its origin on the daily supply of infected Savannah atmosphere which was brought here imprisoned in the empty cars, these cars being opened at the depot opposite the locality where these cases occurred. I don't think there is any local cause for the disease. In the case of John Foughner, I have no doubt but that he got the disease by receiving crates of cabbage and fruit from Savannah, and opening them in his house. He slept there with his family. He died of the disease, and one of his children took it after his death. I cannot account for these cases in any other way. Every case that I have seen is traceable to Sa- vannah atmosphere imported into our city.
JESSUP.
Yellow fever appeared in Brunswick in 1893, Sept. 12. The baggagemaster and telegraph operator at the depot developed the disease at the same hour of the day. The former handled all the baggage from Brunswick. The latter mingled with the train crews and entered the cars running directly from Brunswick. Sept. 23, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 and Oct. I cases occurred. The disease was declared epidemic Oct. 2. Total number of cases officially reported was 34; mortality, 3. Population remaining in Jessup, 709, whites and blacks. The disease was in existence from Sept. 12 to Sept. 30 before it was pronounced yellow fever. Dr. J. G. Tuten first diagnosticated the malady, and was sustained in his diagnosis by Surgeon R. D. Murray, of the United States Marine hospital service, a yellow fever expert. The last case occurred Nov. I. The disease not having been rec- ognized until it had been in existence eighteen days, there was no effort made to jugulate the malady with the incipient cases. When yellow fever prevailed in Savannah and Brunswick (1876) no precautions were taken to prevent introduc- tion of the disease into Jessup. A number of citizens of Savannah refugeed to Jessup, and many of the business men went to Savannah daily and returned to Jessup to spend the night. Several of these refugees developed yellow fever in Jessup, but there was no spread of the disease. In 1888, when yellow fever was epidemic in Jacksonville, with which city Jessup has direct railway connections, there were no cases in Jessup in consequence of non-intercourse quarantine. Jes- sup had no quarantine in 1893.
An epidemic of yellow fever prevailed at Darien in 1854. The first case occurred about Sept. I, the last case the latter part of November, after a heavy frost. There were not more than 100 white citizens in Darien during the epidemic, and fifty of them died of this one disease-a mortality rarely ever equaled in America. During the year 1854 no foreign steamer ran to Darien, but coastwise and foreign barks came to the port for lumber. Dr. Spalding Kenan, to whom
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