Smallpox Aboard the David Hoadley—and a Health Officer’s Warning
A vessel bound for Port Gamble brought a smallpox case into Port Townsend harbor. Dr. Minor had the bark fumigated and the crew quarantined, then told the owners the captain’s recklessness would not be tolerated again.
ON board the bark David Hoadley, which arrived here on the 16th inst. from New Caledonia bound to Port Gamble, was a case of small-pox. Under the direction of the health officer, Dr. Minor, the bark was towed to the head of the bay and underwent fumigation for several days. The crew, with their sick companion, were taken to a pest home three miles from town. Our health officer considers the conduct of the captain of the Hoadley reprehensible in the extreme, and he has notified the vessel's owners that a repetition of such recklessness by any of their employees will be met by the full penalty of the law.
“Our health officer considers the conduct of the captain of the Hoadley reprehensible in the extreme.”
Quarantine, fumigation and a public health officer’s authority are familiar rhythms after 2020, but this 1877 episode shows how quickly a port town could mobilize when a ship carried disease. The health officer’s blunt warning to owners also anticipates modern debates over who bears responsibility for public health at the waterfront.
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