Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-09-12
LOCAE MATTERS,

tAi;:c:s i.oS ABllhiIES-SenE. l., 1878.
roe me M'oaie States cloudy weather, frequent
rain, winds mostly in crcasing north ass,crl>y
stationary temperature snd stationary or lower
pressure.
FfsTl!ENCES IN ALEXANDRIA. The nas,i-
caco which walketh at noon day IS orc Of The
most terrific figures of the sacred writings. Per.
laps it never goes where 1t is not Invited. but
1t ocrer lacks abundance of invitations, 10 tho
c.re'essness and greed Of man. Fortunately
Alexandria has, with q single exception, en-.
Iaynd during It's entire history of over century
and quarter d marked exemption from the
s:ouTEes winch nave passed over tie land. As
ruto epldcmlcS have reached horu only after
all The cities 10 tho neighbo1hood have been
dcsoIatcd, ard short duration, mild type and
lew eases lave marked their course in AlcTan-
ir,a. This is not said without careful exam.
iuatiou of the records made here during the
various cpidemics which have visited the towD.
Smallpox was lis first epidemic, tut the town
WAS over twenty-five years old before IL came.
Even Washington had to 90 away to Barbados
10 catch it, and thanks to his v!gor gained IN
the Potomac woods. it touched him but slightly.
ln TIT it ragged here with considerable violence;
to an extont that made Washington anxious
that his vito should come to Philadelphia to
be out Of tbs way CT guests who came FROM
Vernon. ftlis epidemic WAS mainly caused by
the inncculatipg hospitals for the Southern
army, Which the Continental Congress caused
10 be established here. Dccpite TIC terrible
yellow fever which slew thousands IL New
York, Philadelphia ani Baltimore during the
several yraIl hatwc2a 100 aud 1900 Alexan-
,rla cnj2yci remarkable health. lhc yellow
tnvcr Of 1908 was 10 doubt (. terrible Gcsol;i
lion, but 1t grew out Of 40 exceptional condition
Of things, one which will not hc repeated until
the towa shall extend TO ,IoSca Point, I'll up
the oovc there, and pic it With warehouses and
dwellings that receive tbs sewerage from the
hills above, aud give II no oGi!ct Tor thus was
the condition which surrounded tho newly filled
cove between Fishtown and Pioneer Mills III
1903. Even then the poison CT tile tlscaac Was
stant mainly on The DeHiy ,nauo GROUND, tho
tulk OF the eases occurr!7% below " !t&" street,
and none beyond R1ys: street. lt9 ;avagcs
could 10. i,ayt been .ct.T,i? as Soulc have
,mariuc.i Tor 10 the r:s!s: Il TIC pc5ti!c!ce the
i!aac;tr i,;.cn She A!v2r'scr) enlarged Its siz,
apptared in Ia,s type "a,i addGh one dollar per
anuua. to !la subacG:pti1a PRICE. And yet it
seems Impossible 10 ovorc,tlnlatn the terror
which prevailed WtIiin The town committee.
of whicii Andscw Jameson Ta9 chairman, end
Samuel Snowd&!:, secretary, vera busy IN try
lux to keep NJ tii2 .nri!a q tho pecp!o,
number Of frightened souls snr@ai terror
which did more harm !han The disease. The
committee were compelled sc las! co ISlA 81
address, in whlci, they say:
Tho committee have scusiho cono3rn at the
fatal effects which come under their notice, daily
produced ~ The prevailing terrier How operating
apGll tho minds ci great Proportion Ut !hclr
fellow ciiyai,s aud which, haR lInuc!lsd, IN
many Instances, the dcsnr!!Gu OF persons
afflicted with diseases Of almost any species,
tho consequences %! which couiuet are shocking
TO feelings OF humanity. They earnestly re
commend those who labor under ieariu! iin
pressions aud cannot remedy them, to leave The
town. or be more reserved IN the oou'munica
ton Of their fears to others
70 assist in aliayug the terror The iril'"lrE
business houses published a card dccltiiuG that
they meant to keep open :, John 'jauner,
3eune,, Il Waits. Geo. N. l,yrs .)ssAcs Illus
ral, Il. =. Uooc & o., VIM. Eartlcman,
,jauu.y & pa.teu, j. 4 j. II. Tucker, j.
Riddle bryan IlamrsoD, John E:msay.1c 6 .ph
Daan, Samiic Harper. Carne Il Sladu, ".
!iarrer, i;o!cli. & Griffith. Ricketts,. Newton
a. Co., j. & i. Vowel, +. Walton. Mcknight
& Stewart, 4. &. Gazonorn and iona Thcmr.
son II Soc.
From that tinlc uniil ISL Alexanaria haI 40
,pideule Of imprrta!:r". EVcn .hc yellow lever
I'll lS-l N33 coliiIitii III - ll!titEh h"li, C''i
prisiur less than one eighth ot the ta"ii, aud
HtVcr attained proportions enough! - lie nrtO
ioiced ia the GaZitte. IN 1882 the cholera.
after i; had swept t!i2 clutineit, FROM Quebec
il the city Of McSicA, eAGia al last "a -sItXau
.eiA, and IN sai.lu lty cases tWnny dr.lha -
cured Jhc Mayo: VAS John Roberts, tine
Health Officer, DIR. Thomas Setnmca. Thcsp?cial
Board OF Health consisted 81 nr. Nhas. lar
1ahsr, Dr.. ". Z. Alexander. Dr. James
,;Arson, DR.. Il. N. Gryncs, DR.. Orlando Ear
fax James T. coleman, Joseph Is. Ladd,
Frederick Noo.c, Thouias Swami, jr., nov q
member Of Cnngrcss.) John G'ubb, S@nluni
Is. l.arnanr, Thomas Davy, Jchn {. Vowel.
VIM. St"!,!cr, Richard Rock. Samuel Earl!e
aud Hugh CavoIic. and ali O.! these gentlemen
cXtgIch thctnst Ives with cpGrey to prevent the
sprea! OF tho disease, and to care for The strick
en-. The hospital was fixed At tho corner Of!
Fairfax asd Gibbon Streets. Iii" tcwn vas
kept clean, everybody was urged TO abstain
from drunkenness, and they escaped with some
forty caacH, the area OF The disease being asalc
limited TO ! small portion OF the town.
The yellow fever Of ISL, which has been
noticed, waa also confined 10 less than three
squares
icw sporadic eases Of cholera between 1850
and lSGn occa9lonca the establishment 1T Of : he: =
p!tal on the hill ajavc FiSh0Wr.
A wiLes prcad epidemic CT smallpox during
the late war, was brought here by the negroes
crowded into town by the federal c,rnnlandcr.
hc%cvcr il was generally mild and cccasioncu
lew deaths. A visit Of tic same disease since,
whcna smallpox hospital was fixed at Broom
law, hui wh'ch was also light, completes the
list Of all tic cr!itnlies that have prevailed
hcic. Ii may be truly said that consumption
has caused enc luajrcd times more deaths in
Alexandria thnn have Ill the criiemcs which
ever prevailed liz cur midst, anl that bad wlis-
key carries rlt moro men every year from our
streets than Tie yellow fever will hc likely to 10
Tor & century to como.
HE NlNs CASE.--Thc Washington Star
noticing the case Of Minis, supposed to have
been murdered, last Wednesday week, says:
Tho Washington officers hsvo tho following