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The s.s. "Tyne," of Newcastle, Official No. 83,890, arrived at Gravesend at
10.10 a.m. on the 3rd April, from Santander, the Master reported "all well
on board," and the vessel proceeded to Mill Hole Tier, Bermondsey.
On arrival of the vessel in London, one of the crew, a fireman, went on
shore to consult a doctor ; his complaint was diagnosed as Small-pox, and he
was removed forthwith to the Isolation Hospital of the Metropolitan Asylums
Board.
The vessel was disinfected with all the crew's effects, and vaccination
offered to each person on board; this was declined except in one instance.
The vessel sailed for Gateshead on the 7th April, and the facts were reported
to the Medical Officer of Health for that Port.
The two firemen, who occupied the same place as the patient, stated to me
that the man bad been ill for three or four days, and had been given medicine
by the Captain ; moreover, they had noticed a rash on his face before the vessel
arrived at Gravesend. The fact of the man being ill should have been
reported, and the facts were laid before Mr. Solicitor with a view to the
prosecution of the Master for an offence against the Bye-laws of the Port
Sanitary Authority relating to dangerous infectious disorders; but the
evidence in his opinion was not sufficient to obtain a conviction.
The s.s. " Cheshire," Liverpool, 99,310, arrived at Gravesend on Saturday,
the 27th May. The vessel left Rangoon on April 27th. The previous day
a fireman joined the ship, and was discovered to be in the scabbing stage of
Small-pox. He was forthwith sent ashore. On May 6th the third engineer
became ill, and on the 7th an unvaccinated Lascar was also taken with illness.
These were isolated, and the persons ailing were diagnosed as suffering from
Small-pox. They were landed at Suez on May 14th, and on arrival at
Marseilles, several passengers were allowed to land and proceeded overland to
this country. At Dover two of them were seen by the Medical Officer of
Health, and were diagnosed as suffering from Small-pox. One child proceeded
to Deptford, where the mother called in a doctor, who notified the patient
as suffering from Small-pox.
On arrival of the vessel at Gravesend, all persons on board were carefully
inspected, and the names and addresses of the persons leaving the ship were
taken, and these were notified to the Medical Officers of Health of the districts
to which they were proceeding.
I ascertained the addresses of several of the passengers who landed at
Marseilles and proceeded to this country; these were also duly notified and
were kept under observation during the incubation period of the disease.