Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1857-03-28
Report to the Board of Health.

y
The committee appointed by the Board of Health to
cooperate with the Mayor in ascertaining far as
practicable, the nature and of the endemic dis
which has recently prevailed among the guests and
employees of the National HOTEL beg leave to submit
brief report condensed from the testimony Of persons
examined by the committee
From the testimony of Drs ]. c. HALL and CORNELIUS
BOYLE we learn that the disease made its appearance
about the latter part of the month of January and con-
tinued during the weather. TINT it ceased for
about two weeks during the mild weather. in February
owing they suppose to the house being then better
ventilated; and that it increased again and became very
rife during the cold weather that returned about
the first of March,
This disease, according to Dr. BOYLE, was different
from any usual form of diarrhaa Both of these phys
clans that the attack suddenly gene
rally early in the mornings that the operations were
frequent and thin, light colored and frohy or yesty
According to DR.. HAIL. vomiting occurred when diar-
rhea checked, and The thirst wasusually
great, and the patients often desired acid drinks
Both of these physicians further testify that the dis
never cured at once but continued to return at
short intervals for considerable length of time re-
moval from the hotel did not contribute to the
recovery of the patients the disease with the latter
continued violent and for as long time as among
those who continued in the building There was no evil
dence the opinion of these gentlemen of any thing
like mineral poison having been taken into the stomach
there evidence of inflammation of the ntestines
Both in regarding the disease as one of blood
poison, produced by the inhalation Of p6istnors mi
as generated by animal and vegetable decomposition
which entered the hotel through the sewer connecting
with the Sixth street As further confederation
of this fact assured that peculiar and offensive
odor pervaded the premises and which more decided
in the halls than in the Watercosets This odor caused
of the physicians to become nauseated The con-
strucon of the stenchrap at the of Sixth street
and Pennsylvania avenue by preventing the gases from
escaping into the street. IS considered the principal
Of the no1ious gases passing into cellar of the hotel
The boiler in the CELLAR according Dr. Hall aided in
distributing the foetid gases through the building In
room Second story No. 2o, in which the committee
examined the witnesses register found which was
said to communicate with the cellar and from this an
offensive odor could be inguished entering the room
Two of your committee have frequently recognised the
offensive odor spoken of by Drs. Hall and BOYLE in
different parts of the building The same fact is cert
fed to by Mr.. j. D. Fairbanks, Thos Mcdowell Alfred
Z. Goss Chas. Watson, SC.
Mr. ]. 7. FERRY, builder, testifes that he ex
amined the cellar of the hotel and found an opening in
the southwest connecting with the sewer leading
into the street, through which there was continually
passing current of ftd gas which nearly
ed candle held the opening" Previous to the
trap being placed at the of the street the
of air. he states, passed from the cellar into the sewer
These cellars very damp (see A. Gosss testimo-
n.y. Chas Watson who is engaged in the BARRIERS shop
testhes that there is door opening into the hotel from
the shop which IS frequently open that he has noticed
dsagreeabe odor in the shop (smilar to that which
arises from the at the corner of Sixth and C
streets,) especially in the morning.
The committee sought in vain for evidence of the water
food having been poisoned by arsenic or any other
mineral substance. Drs Hall and Boyle both state that
they drank the water-Dr. Hall says freely without
being affected by it,. Capt A. R. Potts states that he
has taken his meals at the hotel regularly during the
whole winter and drank freely of the water and although
his stomach is easily deranged by improper diet he has
had no symptoms of diarrhea. Mr.. Potts had a room
and sleeps out of the building. Mr. Thomas Mcdowell
states that he and drank at the hotel without ben
made sick; he occupied in the house. but slept
with window open. JOS Gautier chief cook and Aft
F. Goss steward both testify that the water used when
the disease appeared for the second time was not the
that used when the disease prevalent in an
uary and early in February The latter assures us that
tank is built Of brick and lined with slate COM
pletely closed that rat could possibly have en-
tered the tank The steward further states that when
the disease first appeared at the suggestion of some of
the boarders fresh supply of cooking utensils of tea
sugar, coffee, four and milk obtained He asserts
that the copper vessels well lined and perfectly
Clean and in better order than he had ever seen before
he had been steward of the Revere House. Boston for
five and half years One of the greatest sufferers seems
to have been the chief cook g. G. Gautier he was one
of the first attacked by darrha he continued to have
it, or less for six weeks sometimes twen-
y operations per day, although not subject to darrha
He sleeps in the house. has avoided water as much as
possible and prepared his own food He asserts that
the food always of good quality that he kept the
keys of the meat box None but the cooks are present
when the food is being prepared All the cooks five in
number have been sick and according to the statement
of MIR. Goss, there was much sickness among the SER
wants. much so that at one time the regular duties of
the house were interrupted Others who did not eat or
drink water in the hotel but frequented the building or
occupied rooms connected with it. according to Drs Hall
and Boyle and to the evidence of Chas Watson barber
and G. H. Phelps, operator in Houses telegraph Office
sometimes affected with this peculiar form of diar-
rhea. Mr. Amos Davis also declares that during seye-
raj former visits to the hotel this winter he was attacked
with diarrhea During of these visits he neither ate
drank at the hotel yet was more sick than when
he had done During this present visit he has par
taken freely of both food and and has not been at
tackled by darrhea He states that during his present
visit he has the window of his constantly open
keeps up coal FIRE.
With the papers appended to the report will be found
the statement Of Mr. Randolph Coyle, civil engineer