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Foreign News
January 23, 1849
Alexandria Gazette
Alexandria, Alexandria County, District Of Columbia
What is this article about?
The steamship Isthmus was quarantined upon arrival at Havana due to cholera fears. A passenger described the absurd procedures, including officials using pincers and vinegar to handle items from a distance.
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Cholera Quarantine at Havana.
Our readers have been told how the steamship
Isthmus was quarantined on her arrival
at Havana. A passenger on board has given
the following ludicrous description of the for-
malities observed, in a letter to the Albany At-
las. Imagine the absurdity of fighting off cholera
with vinegar:—N. Y. Com. Adv.
"They come in small boats to within some
twenty feet of the ship, and there hold converse
with us, or receive whatever they decide receiv-
able. They take letters, papers, and in fact
every other thing, by means of a long pair of
pincers, or a song hook, and sprinkle them with
vinegar, keeping all the time at a distance from
the ship, and that, too, with such an utter aver-
sion as is truly laughable. When they bring in
coal, they row the barge to within a few feet of
the vessel, and then abandon it in terror. If
Havana should be visited by the cholera, during
the coming season, I venture to say no passen-
ger on board of the steamer Isthmus would shed
many tears of condolence."
Our readers have been told how the steamship
Isthmus was quarantined on her arrival
at Havana. A passenger on board has given
the following ludicrous description of the for-
malities observed, in a letter to the Albany At-
las. Imagine the absurdity of fighting off cholera
with vinegar:—N. Y. Com. Adv.
"They come in small boats to within some
twenty feet of the ship, and there hold converse
with us, or receive whatever they decide receiv-
able. They take letters, papers, and in fact
every other thing, by means of a long pair of
pincers, or a song hook, and sprinkle them with
vinegar, keeping all the time at a distance from
the ship, and that, too, with such an utter aver-
sion as is truly laughable. When they bring in
coal, they row the barge to within a few feet of
the vessel, and then abandon it in terror. If
Havana should be visited by the cholera, during
the coming season, I venture to say no passen-
ger on board of the steamer Isthmus would shed
many tears of condolence."
What sub-type of article is it?
Disease Or Epidemic
What keywords are associated?
Cholera Quarantine
Havana
Steamship Isthmus
Vinegar Disinfection
Quarantine Procedures
Where did it happen?
Havana
Foreign News Details
Primary Location
Havana
Event Details
The steamship Isthmus was quarantined at Havana due to cholera concerns. Officials approached in small boats, used pincers or song hooks to handle letters, papers, and other items from 20 feet away, sprinkling them with vinegar. They showed extreme aversion and abandoned coal barges in terror. A passenger humorously noted that if cholera struck Havana, passengers would not sympathize.