File 2908/1907 Pt 3 ‘Persian Gulf:- Quarantine; German complaint’ [‎39v] (78/250)

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Telegram, dated the 9 th July 1907 .
From —The Chief Quarantine Officer, Bushire,
T 0 The President, Sanitary Council, Tehran.
No n 71. Semaine terminante 5 Juillet 20 morts peste a Bahrein point de
nouveaux cas pendant seinaine terminante 3 Juillet et les vingt morts signalees
datent de la premiere moitie de la semaine je sins d avis que Bahrein doit etre
absolument libre de peste depuis dix jours avant que la quarantine soit levee au
lieu depuis cing jours conformement a la Convention Pans.
(WILLIAMS.)
No. S.- 378 , dated the nth July 1907 ,
From—C aptain r T. S. B. Williams, Chief Quarantine Officer in the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To— Agha MirZA Abdul HUSSEAN, Translator, German Consulate, Bushire.
In continuation of our conversation of yesterday and before considering
the matter finally closed, I feel obliged to enter into a protest against the
conduct of Mr. Krumpeter :—
(1) On account of his refusal to go to Quarantine when he was ordered to
do so by the proper authorities.
(2) On account of the exceedingly rude manner in which he publicly
addressed me while in the execution of my duty.
Such conduct could not be tolerated by any Sanitary Administration and I
request that you will take steps to bring his conduct to the notice of the Imperial
German Legation.
Comment.
{By Major P. Z. Cox on the details of the incident as received from Bushire.)
(1) “ Dr. Ives gave pratique to the steamer.” That this is not so is
proved in the clearest possible way by Mr. Krumpeter’s own letter written on
the ship, in which he distinctly states that Dr. Ives told him then that he would
have to go to Quarantine for 5 days. It is inconceivable that Mr. Krumpeter
should not have mentioned the grant of pratique, if such had been granted by
Dr. Ives as now alleged.
Further, the grant of pratique is effected by the delivery of a certificate by
the Quarantine Authority to the ship. If such a certificate was granted it must
be on the “ Savoia ” or in the possession of the Agents. The statement made
by the German representative, if true, could be proved by the production by
him of this certificate. It is not true how T ever.
(2) “ Captain Williams declared that the Bills of Health granted by
Captain Prideaux were not to be considered.”
What Captain Williams consistently stated was, that he accepted the Bill
of Health, which w'as drawn in the ordinary form of such documents, for exactly
what it said, and that the facts therein recited did not justify him in raising
Quarantine. The certificate merely cited the fact that the “ Savoia ” was
leaving for Bushire at a certain hour and date and stated that on the day of
issue there was to his knowledge no infectious or contagious disease in Bahrein.
There may have been 50 deaths from plague the day before, for all Captain
Williams could tell from the certificate.
The distinction drawn on this occasion was not as the German Mirza seems
•to have thought, between Bills of Health granted by Captain Prideaux and the
same documents granted by any other official; the distinction drawn was between
a Bill of Health granted at a recently plague-infected port and one granted at a
healthy port. When, as now, Bahrein is admittedly healthy, the Political Agent’s