The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1857-05-12

NAttOuAl Hotel Sick n ess.
To the Editor Of the Boston Transcript
am surprised to see Paragraphs going the
rounds OF the newspapers, in which the pccu-
liar disorder which affected the inmates Of
the National Hotel, 1t Washington, is attrib-
uted to an alleged admixture of arsenic, or
some other poison, with the food or water
used in that hotel.
An intelligent Medical Committee made
due inquiry into the origin Of the disease, at
the time il occurred, and gave, as the result
OF their Investigations, the opinion that il
was caused by gaseous emanations from the
common sewer which had free opening int
the cellar Of that hotel, while the gases were
prevented from escaping into the avenues
and streets by air. tight shoppers or traps
This opinion all the facts in the case fully
corroborate, and it will undoubtedly be sus.
tanned by u legal investigation, which un-
derstand is to take place at Washington.
II Is very easy to prove that the disorder
in question did not originate from any rois-
on contained in the food or water of the no.
tel, for it has been shown that persons who
did not eat or drink in the hotel were as Sc
vercly affected as those who did eat and drink
there.
One such case came under my special and
daily observation, during my stay at Wash
ington, in the month Of March last. 1t was
that Of legal gentleman, who was employed
in taking dispositions on the subject OF the
National Hotel disease, who spent bu. six
hours in the National Hotel, and who had
occasion to examine the cellar and drains of
the house. He perceived very disagreea-
BILE odor in the room in which he was writing,
and found il came from an old register which
opened into the cellar. He went down into
the cellar, and found the odor much stronger
and on arriving at the opening of the drain
the blast of foul mir was so strong az to ex-
tinguish the lamp he held in bis hand and
the smell that arose from the drain was yery
offensive and almost intolerable.
This gentleman did not eat or drink any,
thing in that hotel, and yet he was attacked
with the same disorder as others who had
been inmates Of the hotel, and he suffered
more than three weeks from it, and was not
quite cured when left Washington.
This one well ascertained case is sufficient
to prove that the disorder was not produced
by poison mixel with food or drink. heard
Of several others of the same nature. but am
not personally cognixant of the facts.
From what was able to learn, l am per
fectly convinced that the disorder at the Ma
tional Hotel arose wholly from gaseous ema.
nations from the drains connected with the
common sewers, and it is highly probable
that the very warm days Of February last.
contributed to the production Of this poison
Gus miasmn.
No chemical, or reliable medical evidence
has yet been adduced to prove that any one
Of the persons who were sick with this dis
ease had taken any poisons Of any kinds into
their stomschs. IL Is proper, il appears to
me, to correct public apprehension on
this subject, and at once discharge from our
minds the unfounded suspicion that any in
dividual had attempted so gross and horrible
a crime, as the poisoning Of the whole COM
pany Of crowded hotel. 9Th