Show grossly exaggerated are stories of the fever new york sept 22 la an interview thomas G rapier manager of the new orleans picayune who is la this city for a few days said yesterday that the reports regarding yellow fever in new orleans have been highly colored many of them being the work of irresponsible correspondents tho stories about great panic among the people 0 the city flight of scores of thousands amounting almost to depopulation complete stagnation of business extreme of streets and concealment 0 the existence of fever after its discovery are grossly exaggerated ho said while such ridiculous tales as the burial ot dead at night yellow flags on every square stoppage of street car and the discovery of a cow stable in tho sleeping and living apartment of a largo family on the third floor are absolutely without the slightest foundation in fact business has been hurt of course but not to the great extent that Is supposed the retail business has suffered from the absence of more people than usual and tho great economy of those who remain who havo postponed purchases waiting to ba assured that tho fever could not develop into a serious epidemic wholesale trade is crippled because drummers cannot travel and also because some country dealers utilized existing conditions to sell out old stocks nevertheless th eless wholesale grocers and merchants in some other lines are doing fully as well as last and shipping to nearly all points tributary to new orleans referring to he work of those who are fighting the epidemic mr rapier said the wonderful educational campaign of tho last two months is destined to have the most far reaching beneficial effect on the growth of new orleans we no longer fight in the dark we know the enemy and with her destruction will come unbounded prosperity and such rapid and solid development as must astonish even the moet sanguine friends of the queen city of the south |