ii6 Natural History Bulletin. 



Two days passed after we anchored off Fort Jefferson be- 

 fore we could get around to the fumigating dock. One of the 

 men employed at the station linally agreed to pilot us through 

 a cliannel which led around west and south of the fort, and by 

 skillful handling the schooner reached the buoy near the 

 fumigating dock, where she was compelled to wait two days 

 more before the vessel preceding her, the barkentine ^'Robert 

 E. Patterson," was fumigated and discharged. Our time 

 came, however, on Saturday, June 9th, when Dr. Murray 

 took the "'Emily E.Johnson"' in hand and put her through the 

 process required by the United States quarantine laws. 



First all the baggage, equipment, stores, and in fact every- 

 thing movable, was taken from the vessel and placed on the 

 dock. Then the baggage, especially clothes exposed during 

 our visit to Havana, and the bedding, including the mattresses, 

 were placed in a car which was in effect an immense iron 

 crate on wheels. This crate, with its load of clothes and bed- 

 dinL>\ was run into a huo'e vat throuffh a door which was 

 hermetically sealed by screw-fastenings and clamps. The 

 interior of the vat was heated to two hundred degrees Vv'ith a 

 dry heat maintained for about fort}' minutes. Flot steam was 

 next admitted, and the contents of the vat subjected to steam 

 heat for another forty minutes. After this the dry heat was 

 again introduced for the purpose of drying the clothes and 

 bedding. The door was then opened, the car run out again, 

 and its contents spread out for the purpose of completing the 

 drving process by exposure to the sun and air. 



All of the bedding and most of the clothes came out of this 

 process without injury, but some of the ladies' dresses were 

 ruined. Brass buttons were corroded, and a rubber fountain 

 pen carelessly left in a vest pocket was bent almost to a semi- 

 circle. It is doubtful if the germs of yellow fever or any other 

 living thing could go through this process and live. It is for- 

 tunate, however, that our party possessed very little valuable 

 clothing, as any but rough apparel would be liable to serious 

 if not irreparable, injury. The stores, more particularly the 

 provisions, were not subjected to the fumigating process, but 

 were locked up in the store-room on the dock. 



