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The Great White Fleet Analysis

Decent Essays

One of the greatest contributors to Blue’s success in fighting the plague was the U.S. Navy’s Great White Fleet. The fleet was set on a course to go around the world, with many stops along the way. San Francisco was listed as a stop, but only if it was plague-free. Blue warned “if the city couldn’t guarantee it was plague-free, there would be trouble. The fleet would be diverted to Seattle” (Chase 171). Having the fleet be diverted would be a major blow to the city of San Francisco. They would lose millions of dollars in tourism and the city would be scarred as “The Plague City.” The Great White Fleet brought everyone together to eradicate the plague. Blue set traps and poison to get rid of the rats, while also, with the public’s help, pushed for a cleaner Butchertown. …show more content…

Greengrocer vendors tended to have rotten fruits and foods thrown into the streets, which was extremely unsanitary and attracted rats. “The produce district, as a consequence, was second only to Butchertown as a rodent restaurant” (Chase 173). Blue and Rucker spread the word on how the plague was spread and how to prevent it. They worked with the public by giving speeches and worked with the women of San Francisco to make home life cleanlier through encouraging practices such as using garbage cans and lids to help limit the spread of rodents. Throughout this whole time period, Colby Rucker worked as an assistant for Dr. Blue. He was very good at speaking and connecting with the people. Together, Blue and Rucker focused on the public and their impending fate with the Great White Fleet to push everyone to eradicate the plague in San

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