Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-06-11
The Newark Horror.

VcStglllOn OF the circumstances attending
the SAD fatality there, in company with
one Of the physicians. He makes the only
full report that has been given to the pub
lie, and we quote all the material points.
In the first place he speaks of the disease
rs dphtheria, and goes on to say:
The severity of the disease caused the
parents 10 summon physicians at once,
among whom were Drs. Carpenter, Davis
and Moody of Burke, Carter of Wheelock
and others-each of whom has had much
experience in the treatment of diphthcria
Prompt measures were at once taken 10
afford relief. and in most instances, where
the disease had not advanced to the forma-
ton of Il membrane in the throat, relief
was afforded; but in other cases. where
the system had absorbed the diphtheria
poison, medicine had no effect; the patient
turned purple and black. and died in a
few hours, the body becoming putrid be-
fore it was cold. Besides the children who
attended the school, other children in the
families fell sick in n few days, some in Il
few hours, after being exposed to the con-
tagion of the disease. Several adults who
waited upon them were taken sick imme-
diately, and have been in dangerous con-
dilion, though none appeared to be attack
ed as severely us the school children.
The neighborhood is in rough region,
deep down between high hills, where sew
eral small streams unite TO form one of
the branches of the Passumpsic river, and
the school house where the scholars at
tended school stands under & steep hill
just ut the edge, or partly within the high
way. 1t is one OF those old, musty, untdy,
unpleasant houses, the like of which may
be found in far too many places all over
the country. 1t was built on the lower
side af the road, on ground that is wet in
the spring, and the front side is now SO
low that the water in the spring of the
year runs into the door in quite large
quantities, and falls into pit under the
house, through large crack under the
partition that separates the shed and entry
part from the school room. The house is
banked up on all sides, the dirt averaging
one foot above the sills, with no ventilation
under the house except quite large
crack in the floor. The dirt with which
the house was banked was shoveled up
close around the house, and the pits out of
which it was dug are partially filled with
the most filthy water. The school house
was washed after fashion, some days
bCfJre the commencement of school, and
then tightly closed until school was opened.
The privy is most conveniently situated,
standing about twelve feet from the front
door of the house. 1t is well ventilated,
however, us it stands on blocks so high
that the citizens can thoroughly inspect it
every time they go past and see for them
selves whether it is clogged, either above
or beneath the floor The farmers usually
draw II load away from it every spring,
but have not done SO this year. 1t looks
rs though it might be guilty of much
mischief, past and present. Running along
side the road and just in the rear of the
house, is u small brook, now large enough
to fill spout one foot wide and four inches
deep. A few rods above the house road
crosses the brook and runs up steep hill
about fifteen rods to the farm buildings of
j. III. Cheney. Near the bridge the chill
dren have been accustomed to get water
for drinking purposes, and it was surmised
ut once that there was poison in the water.
Investigation shows, that if not poisoned,
the water was, at the time it was drank,
not wholesome or clean. Mr.. Cheney S
barns are built in sag in the side hill that
at this season of the year is wet, the wa
ter now working out under and below
them in quantities sufficient to be visible
almost to the brook, five hundred feet
away. In the ditch beside the road lead
ING up the hill past the barns II small
stream of water is now running that is
quite red, either from oozing through
manure, or from ochre or other mineral
substance. This water reached the brook
above the bridge. There is nothing about
the house or barns of Mr.. Cheney that
shows any signs of slovenliness. In the
barnyard, however, water is standing in
the low place in the middle into which II
large quantity of muck has been drawn.
1t is possible that this water is slowly
making its way into the streams that run
out from under and below the barns.
Another small stream of water makes
across the road in wet times, and falls
into the brook just above the bridge. So
much for the bad water that finds its way
into the brook.
Another scarce of supposed contamina-
lion of the water, is the carcass Of n horse
That died one year ago last winter and was
buried, unheknown to the owner, three
rods above the bridge, on Il level with
the brook bridge, and only ten feet from
it. The carcass was removed year ago
to u knoll forty or fifty feet from the brook,
where it now lies partly eXhumed by ptr-
ties who have been trying TO discover the
cause of the disease, which has been called
poisoning. The corruption is not fully
absorbed by the earth, and it is possible
that during the melting of the snow some
poisonous matter found its way into the
brook-it may still be working Out through
the low ground where the horse was orig
inally buried.
Another poison theory, perhaps the most
absurd, is that Paris green may have
washed from the hillside, sixty or eighty
rods distant, and been borne along in the
water. The nature of that poison, and
the contagious character so far across the
land, are sufficient to disprove this theory.
The last, and as one physician thinks, the
most probable cause of the breaking out oil
diphtheria in the school, is the fact that
the children of one family, noted for the
terrible unsanitary conditions of their
house and persons, attended school in tie
filthy clothing that they wore, while get
ting up from the diphtheria, which they
had short time since. 1t is thought that
they may have brought the disease in theil
clothing to the school house, and hence its
spread. If the above reasons are not suf
ricient to account for sickness and death
in this afflicted community, others might
be suggested. The misfortune has been
the result of ignorance or wilful negligenc
in taking even ordinary measures TOWARD
preventing this disease or some other dis
ease attacking the community. A condi
ton of affairs about the school house ant
the brook, that has created or invited dis
ease, uncleanly homes, carelessness in re-
gard to the further spread of the disease
and the peculiarities of The location may
each have had something to do with the
sickness. This is not the only place in
Vermont where such causes are liable tC
produce the same results, and the lessor
ought to be needed by making everybody
more careful in regard to the sanitary con
ditions which prevent disease. With al
our fresh air, pure water, cheap soap ant
cheap labor, there is no excuse for mis-
fortune so terrible as this one.
The authorities of Newark ought to take
Il IL.