In this general state of the town, succeeded the violent hurricane of the 28th and 29th of July, from the S. and S. E. which raised the water to an uncommon height, overflowing all the wharves, and the foundations of the buildings on Water Street, even to the height of several inches in many store rooms; leaving, as the water subsided, a vast quantity of logs, drift wood, sea-weed, and other vegetable matter in the streets and lots, much of which was there suffered to decay and infect the air. The docks were clogged up with like materials, and damaged barges and vessels. No attention whatever seems to have been paid to cleaning the docks after the storm, to give a free circulation to the water, too much confined before by the mode of building wharves.
The committee feel much regret that they are compelled, in discharge of the duty assigned them, to present such a view of the town anterior to, and immediately after the storm in July; but the facts were obvious to all, whether citizens or strangers, and evince an almost unparalleled indifference in regard to our own health. In such a state of our town, the most strenuous advocates for foreign importation of the yellow fever, will surely admit that there existed abundant causes for less malignant fever.
But we have to add to the causes enumerated, the potent influence of a most unprecedented season. The last winter was generally moderate, very dry, and less severe than usual. The rivers Alabama and Tombecbe scarcely reached the height of their banks; during the winter, not more than half the quantity of rain fell. The spring was cool and chilly; in March, a severe frost, which killed the early garden beans, corn, and other tender plants.—April, May, and the earlier part of June, afforded light falls of rain, very seasonable for vegetation: winds generally S. and S. West. June and July were uniformly hot, greatest heat 92 degrees. The storm of July 28, terminated a long drought, and deluged the whole country around; all the lesser rivers and creeks overflowed their banks to the height of winter floods. From the 28th of July to the 11th of September it rained without a day’s intermission: and often descended in torrents. All the neighbouring swamps, and low grounds about the town, were filled with water to a height unexampled at that season of the year. The sun at times burst forth with sultry, suffocating heat. The brick walls, houses, furniture, books, and clothing, all became mouldy, and the latter required frequent sunning to preserve them from destruction.
On the evening of the 10th September, it cleared off, wind N. W. with hot sun, and so continued for 66 days, to November 16th, the wind varying from N. W. to N. and N. E.—during the whole of this period, there was scarcely rain sufficient to lay the dust in the streets: in November, however, the wind was occasionally S. and S. W.—The effect of such an unexampled series of weather, such an excessive drought following a flood of rain, in the month of August, with the influence of the combined causes afore-mentioned, upon the human constitution, as exhibited in this town, the committee will carefully relate. During the previous winter, spring, and summer, to the first of July, the town was healthy, and no unusual sickness appeared. In the latter part of July, a number of violent cases of bilious fever occurred among persons unaccustomed to the climate, and some of a more questionable character. Several persons employed as workmen, in filling up one of the new wharves, were taken violently ill, and died after a short illness of two or three days. About the same time two persons, usually employed about Dauphin street wharf, were taken in like manner, and died, after a short illness. A number of carpenters and sailors employed about the wharf south of the fort, and were much on board the schooner Sally, filled with stagnant water, and the steam saw-mill, where there was a pond of like offensive water, were taken with violent fevers, and several of them died; but as the physicians who attended all the persons alluded to, are dead, the particular symptoms of the fever cannot be well ascertained. It is, however, known, that Dr. Lawton, one of the attending physicians, spoke of these cases as malignant fever. Soon after these cases occurred, Snyder, an engineer, at work on a steam-boat, at the same wharf, died with violent symptoms of fever, after an illness of five days. Plank, who attended Snyder, and employed at the same place, and a Dutch servant boy, who lived in the house where Snyder died, were a few days after taken with like symptoms of fever, and died on the third or fourth day. All these cases, were, by the attending physicians, (now dead) declared cases of yellow fever, and it is in evidence to the committee that they died with black vomit. Snyder died on the 7th August, and Plank on the 9th, several other cases occurred about the same time among the workmen, at one of the new wharves, and terminated fatally, after a short illness. At the two wharves mentioned, the first unequivocal cases of the yellow fever made their appearance, and about the same time, other cases occurred, which terminated fatally, with persons usually about the stores, near the wharves and river, about the same period. A young man of the name of Carson died on the 26th August, after an illness of 48 hours, with unequivocal symptoms of yellow fever, he occupied a store near the river and the wharves. Ellsworth died on the 5th September, after an illness of about 48 hours, and 17 days after the arrival of the sloop Patriot, from the Havanna, in which he came passenger from that place. He also occupied a store near the river and wharves.
But as there are persons who strenuously maintain an opinion that the fever was imported into this town from the Havanna, in the above named vessel, the committee have given the subject diligent attention, and have examined a number of persons, and taken their examinations in writing, particularly the officer of the customs, who first visited the vessel, and a sailor, who was on board the vessel during the voyage. The vessel arrived at the wharf, direct from sea, on the 19th of August, after a passage of 15 days from Havanna. The officer states that “he was the first person on board the Patriot after her arrival—that he examined her cabin, hold, and cargo—that the cabin and hold of the vessel appeared, from any thing he could discover, in a pure and wholesome state. Sixteen bags of coffee, however, were wet, and considerably damaged, and some fruit rotten; the rest of the cargo in good order—that he attended the unlading of the cargo three days: the master, passengers, and crew appeared to be in good health, excepting Graham, a seaman, and the cook, who appeared to have had a fever—Graham was able to do duty on board—the cook not much unwell—that the vessels which arrived at Mobile during the months of June, July, and August, were generally healthy—no vessel, except the Patriot, arrived from a West Indian port. The schooner M’Donough arrived the 17th of July, from Nassau, N. P.” He further states that “he took care of Snyder and Plank during their illness, and assisted in burying them—that the attending physicians, Lawton and Robinson, pronounced their disease yellow fever, both before and after their deaths—that they both died with black vomit on the third or fourth day.”
Graham, the seaman, states that “he shipped on board said sloop at New-Orleans, and was on board when she sailed from Mobile—nine persons were on board outward, four of which were passengers, one passenger died at the Havanna three days after he arrived—had seven passengers on board when the vessel left Havanna—no person unwell when they left there, or during the voyage, excepting the cook and himself—the cook was sick all the time he was on board—was himself sick at Havanna, and went on board unwell—thinks he had not a malignant fever—took no medicine—had none on board—and that the passengers knew his situation when they came on board.”
From the most diligent enquiry in regard to the state of the town, and the cases of fever, which had existed before the arrival of the Patriot, the condition of that vessel, the passengers and crew, as well as the vessels which arrived from New Orleans and elsewhere, the committee are constrained to express their decided conviction, that the malignant fever which so recently afflicted our town, originated in the numerous causes they have mentioned, favoured by the destructive effects of the storm and the subsequent season. The effects of the change of weather on the 10th of September, were very obvious to all. In a few days after the wind changed to the northward, with a clear sky and hot sun, the fever made its appearance in different parts of the town in all its fearful, deadly type. On the 16th, 17th, and 18th, thirty persons are reported to have died. Alarm spread through the town, and those who could conveniently, left it. Many, however, remained, and those of the poorer class of people, who either lived in small, crowded, filthy dwellings, or even without any, frequenting the grog-shops near the wharves, lodging under the market-house, or other places exposed to the damps and vapours of the night. In addition to these circumstances, many of them were intemperate. Among this class of people, which embraces nearly all those who arrived in town from the public works on Mobile bay, the fever was observed to be dreadfully mortal—almost all of them died. Of more than a hundred discharged at those works, who came to Mobile, it is believed that very few are alive. At certain places in town, there was a continual succession of these people arriving, and passing to the grave. Regardless, through intemperance, of all the usual cautions for the preservation of health—they were often crowded into rooms with the dying and the dead, till they became themselves the victims of their temerity. We cannot doubt that this class of people greatly increased and spread the disease. The old cloaths, bedding, and such like articles, belonging to them were, after their death, thrown into the streets, or back yards, and there suffered to remain to infect the air with their poisonous effluvia.
The want of proper attention, nursing, and nourishment, to the sick (which could by no means be had) was a cause, ever to be lamented, of the great mortality attending the disease.
Medical aid, also, was often neglected till the disease had made a mortal progress beyond the power of medicine. In many cases medical aid could not be obtained when desired. Several of the physicians themselves were sick, and the others unable to attend the numerous calls for their assistance—hence, many perished without medicine, or physician.
The building used for a hospital for the poor was in the centre of the town, and probably contributed to spread wider the disease, and increase its malignity. Fear in many instances was observed to produce most unfortunate effects upon the patient, and defeated the intended operations of medicine.—Some, in dreadful apprehension of the disease, seemed to abandon hope of life, and sunk in death.