Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-04-02

THE SICKNESS AT WAsHINGT0N.--It is feared
that the Hon. o. b. Matteson and the Hon. O.
y. Chatdeld, OF Illinois, will not recover from
the sickness, which was ocoasiened by their
residence for time, at the National Hotel,
Washington. The official Report of the Com
mitteo appointed by the Board of Health has
been published. 1t includes the testimony of
several witnesses. Drs. Hall and Baylo state
mat the disease made its appearance about the
latter part of the month of January, and con-
tinued during the severe weather; that it ceas-
ca LOT ABOUT Two weeks during the mild wealth
or In February, owing, as they suppose, to the
house being then better ventilated; and that
i Increased again and became very rife during
the cold weather that returned on or about the
llrst OF March. Both of these medical GENTLE
men testify that the disease was entirely differ
ent from the usual form of diarrh@a, that the
attack came on suddenly, and in the majority
of the cases early in the morning. There was
no evidence, in the opinion of these gentlemen
Of any thing like mineral poison having been
taken into the stomach, and none of infama-
ton OF the intestnes. They concur in regard
ing the disease as one of I" blood poison"
produced by the Inhalation of poisonous mi
asma, generated by animal and vegetable de-
composition, which entered the hotel through
the sewer connecting with the Sixth Street
sewer.
The Committee were assured by competent
persons, that peculiar and offensive odor
perry AIDED the premises, and which was more
decided in the halls than in the water closets.
This odor caused one of the physicians to be-
come nauseatod. The construction of the
stench-trap at the corner Of Sixth street and
Pennsylvania Avenue, by preventing the gases
| from escaping into the street, is considered by
tho committee the principal cause of the nox-
| ious gases passing into the cellar of the hotel.
The boiler in the cellar, according to Dr.. Hall
aided in distributing the fetd gases through
the building. In room (seGond story No. %.
| in which the Committee examined the witness
SEES, register was found, which was said to
communicate with the cellar, and from this an
offensive odor could be distinguished entering
| the room. Two of the committee have fire.
quently observed the offensive odor spoken OF
by Drs. Hall and Boyle in different parts OF the
building The same fact is certified to by Mr..
j. d. Fairbanks, Thomas Mcdowell, Alfred +.
Goss, Charles Watson, &c.
| One OF the witnesses, sewer builder, testi-
| fed that ''he examined the cellar of the hotel
and found an opening in the south west corner
| connecting with the sewer leading into the
| street, through which there was continually
| passing current of fGtid gas, which noarly
| eStinguished candle over the opening. -
Previous to the trap being placed at the corner
of the street the current OF air this witness
states, passed from tho cellar into the sewer.
The barber at the hotel testified that there is
door opening into the hotel from the shop,
which is frequently open that he has noticed a
disagreeable OdOr in the shop, (similar to that
which arises from tho sewer at tho corner of
Sixth and streets,) especially in the morning
The conclusion at which the committee arrives
is, that the disease is caused entirely by the
defective sewerage, and as the matter is now
before the authorities, it is to be hoped rem
ody will be applied at once.
In connection with tho above, we find
in the Newark Daily Advertiser, a state
ment that the young lady from that city,
who, with her parents, was recently stopping
at the National Hotel at Washington, and who
on her return home, was taken sick and lay in
q very critical situation, is recovering, but her
mother has also been taken sick, and now
lies in veryprecarious condition. The hus-
band and father wrote to the proprietors Of
the hotel, to ascertain what was the real cause
of the disease, in order to know what remedies
to apply, and has received tho following an
swer -
NATIONAL HOTEL, WAsHINoToN, D. o.,
March -, 1851.
Sir I'VE are deeply panied to learn of the
sulIerngs of yourself and family, caused by
sickness contracted at our house, and we will
most cheerfully furnish you with any inlorma-
ton in our power relative to the cause of the
disease. An examination has been made by
the Board of Health, together with the Mayor
and Physicians of the city, and testimony was
taken from many guests OF the house, and also
from occupants of the stores in the building
and all have given it as their opinion that the
sickness was caused by the Public Sewers con-
meeting with those of the Hotel.
Alterations were made last fail in tho Public
Sewer at the corner of our house, and thereby
| the current Of foul air was turned into the Ho-
tel, producing what our Physicians. call Blood
Poison. The Committee will soon mako pub
lie report
1t has been current report that the sickness
was caused by poisoned rats getting into the
IVatoF tanks This story 10 Ito, -ytli fouEa-
dation. We do not believe il possible that any
poison could hive been put into the food, as
we know that persons have been attacked with
the disease, who have frequented the house and
never tasted food in it.
This unfortunate affair has worked our ruin.
| Any further information, if desired, will be
cheeriully given by, Veryrespectrully, yours,
&C., Guy g. BRIGGs.
SAILING OF nowEs & CUsHING's GREAT AME-
RICAN CIRCUS EXHIBITION FOR ENGLAND, GER
MANY, AND SwIrzERLAND.-The packet ship
| Southampton, Captain Austin, left this port on
| Wednesday forenoon for Liverpool, with Mes
| srs. Howes X Cushing's Circus Company. She
was chartered by the Yankee Snowman, and her
freight consists of the most expensive exhibit
ton fixtures that has ever crossed the Atlantic
| Ocean from our country.
The company consists of about one hundred
persons. Among the performers are twenty
five Of the best equestrians OF the day, includ-
ing ladies' and gentlemen, and tribe of In
| lianS from the (,attaraInus Reservation. These