Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-06-02
SAD FATALITY IN NEWARK.


SAD FATALITY IN NEWARK.
Eleven Children Die IN Ten days of
Diphtheria, and many persons noa0
sick qcith the same disease.
Diphtheria of most fatal type broke
out in the Cheney district near the Coe
single factory in Newark, about two
weeks ago, and since that time, up to
Saturday last, eleven children have died.
The disease first attacked the scholars
who attend the school at the school
house near J. H. Cheney's, and nearly
every scholar, seventeen out of twenty,
came down within five days from the
commencement of the school. The Sc
verify of the disease caused the parents
to 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 diphthe-
ria. Prompt measures were at once
taken to afford relief, and in most in
stances. where the disease had not adj
vanced to the formation of a membrane
in the throat, relief was afforded but
in other cases, when the system had
absorbed the diphtheria poison, medicine
had no effect; the patient turned purple
and black, and died in few hours, the
body becoming putrid before it was
cold. Beside those who attended the
school, other children in the families fell
sick in few days, some in few hours.
after being exposed to the contagion of
the disease. Several adults who waited
upon them were taken sick Immediately,
and have been, or are now, in danger
Gus condition though none appeared to
be attacked as severely as the school
children. Quite large number are
now sick, and the disease is spreading
beyond the limits of the little neighbor.
hood in which it broke out, with a
liability that other fatal cases will occur.
The family of John Aldrich was most
severely afflicted, he having lost his
entire family of five children. aged from
six months to thirteen years. Himself
and wife are sick but will doubtless
recover. All the members of other fami.
lies have been attacked, but only two
have died in any of them. There have
been no funeral services, and the dead
bodies have been hurried to the graves
nearly as soon as life was extinct. There
is great distress and alarm in the neigh.
borhood, and though neighbors and the
citizens of the town have done what
they could, further assistance is needed
for the afflicted, and the town authori
ties should at once attend to the genera
sanitary condition of that part of the
town.
The disease having broken out in TIT
school, nearly all the children being at
tackled the same day, it was generally
believed that they were poisoned. Their
being many conflicting reports, we con
cluded to visit the scene, and learn
possible the facts. Last Friday, witt
one of the physicians who attends
several of the patients, and with other
we visited the place, and will state wha
we saw and learned, letting our reader
form their own conclusions The neigh
borhood is in a rough region deep, dow
between high hills, where several smal
streams unite to form one of the branch
es of the Passumpsic river, and th
: school house where the scholars attende
school stands under steep side hill jus
at the edge, or partly within the higf
, way. 1t is one of those old, musty, vi
tidy, unpleasant houses, the like {
which may be found in far too man
places all about the country. 1t Wa
built on the lower side of the road Q
ground that is wet in the spring, an
the front side is now so low that wat,
in the spring of the year runs into ii
door, in quite large quantities, and fal
e into the pit under the house, through
d large crack under the partition tn
f separates the shed and entry part fro
the school-room. The house is now ban
n ed up on all sides, the dirt averaging Of
e foot above the stills, with no sort of We
|. tllation under house except quite lar
9 crack in the floor. The dirt with viii
the house is banked was shovelled
close around the house, and the pits o
h of which it was dug are now partial
filled with most filthy water. The scho'
le house was washed after fashio
some days before commencement
10 school, land then tightly closed until seht
NJ opened. The privy is most convenient
y situated, standing about twelve feet fri
the front door of the house. 1t is W
d. ventilated, however, as it stands on bloc