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Havana, Cuba, Oct. 8, 1901.
My dear Reed:
I was sorry that I did not see you before leaving Buffalo, and have an opportunity of talking with you over your superb paper, and arguments with Wadsin. Nothing could have been clearer, it seems to me. I congratulate you upon being the First Vice-President; I think you ought to have been President but that matter had been arranged beforehand as going to the retiring Treasurer, who had held that office so long. Other names as First Vice-President had been proposed to the Committee, but when your name was mentioned, they all voluntarily withdrew, and you were nominated without a single dissenting voice.
You will see from the report how we are coming along. The record is just as good; two deaths for September. We have had a little focus about the “Mercado del Vapor,” but I think we have squashed it. Our last case occurred Sept. 26th. Ten days without a case, this time of the year, is pretty good. But our general death rate took a most remarkable drop. We had only 339 deaths in September, a rate of 15.64 per thousand.
You had better move down to Havana with your family. I am getting so that I am afraid to go back to the United States and run all the risks of infection and bad hygiene that you are constantly subjected to in cities such as Washington, New York, etc.
I looked into it carefully, and am positive that there is no error in the figures. I don’t believe it is possible for a person to be buried in Havana without my knowledge, and I know that these figures are correct.
Carroll seems to be hard at work; looks very mysterious, and can’t get him to tell anything. He had better hurry up; yellow fever in Havana will soon be a thing of the past.
I left Mrs. Gorgas and Aileen in New York, but expect them to leave for Havana, Wednesday, the 9th.
With kindest regards, I remain,