Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-03-30 | Page 25 | Many Yankees Die of 'Flu' Overseas

MM YANKEES DIE OF 'FLU' OVERSEAS Report Recently Made Tells of Ravages of Disease in Great Britain. LONDON. March ". f Correspondence of tho Associated J-Tpps.) More thn half the deaths among the American sol-dlfis sol-dlfis in Great Britain were due to the Influenza, The tota.1 number of cases of the disease in the threv months of tlie epidemic among the vvnrieans here Touched 751:2. In that period deaths from pneumonia, developing in most cases from Influenza, numbered 1 7 J 7. Of 600u troops brought on one trip by the steamer Olympic, Olym-pic, 2000 contracted the diea, and, as about one-third of these cases developed devel-oped pneumonia, the proportion of fatan-! fatan-! tics was very laree. ' These figures are contained in an elab-1 elab-1 orate report being prepared by the American Amer-ican Red Cioys covering the work of the organization In Grea'. Britain up to the beginning of this year. "When the Olympic dored at Southampton Southamp-ton there were ahout 400 influenza c;:s'S on board. But before tho troops could be debarked Vhe number of cases had increased in-creased five-foid. The weruher wa.s at its wor?t. cold, wet and mity. "WhpR the Olympic drew into port." k:lvs the renort, "and the news of the oul-break oul-break of influenza was received, the medical med-ical authorities hesitated to di-ml-ark all the.e troops, who were fresh from training camps in tho m!ld climate of the somhern states, as the only p'.ace to take them was the Southampton rest camp. . which was situated on low, wet troui.d. and was without udequate facilities for taking care of side m. n, or men who had been exposed to an epidemic. Moi.t of the housing in the ramp was in Tents without! cots, and the men had tc ?ieen o:i floor?. : which consUd mrrely of or.e l-yer of thin board a few m-hs off the gro;.-.d." Tror a few days t he .c-' ors irk -i t. ficrht tho epidemic or. sh:p hoard p-.t it became so fiercelv virulent that it f'.r.ai-lv f'.r.ai-lv h-jcan: ? in'C-ssiry to d.cn:L.7k ii:e iv. en and tako them to r!v- rest ca:tvp. "'The medical authrntioa tr. V'.e lv--pltals around Southampton," th r-:pot -r,ys. 'f,re wel' -"-juir-red to cKa! with1 ?', v ' orr;i: ;i ry q; r r--.-. s of d.st a0, b-jt li-.? rr-rr-"-i cy t.-X'-c to the break;:: jxv:,r a1: ir.'ir a:-- u:r :v Oil:. ' i'. r r:C p-;,fl;-s. ',rfv,,:it i. r.r.t only of riruLvs i-r.'l efpi.pir.nf . but r-Io of doctors 2.nd nurses were rayidly exhausted."