Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-02-23
THE COUNTY HOSPITAL.

What bus Reporter Saw There Yes
terday-The Management-The In-
mates. Rattier's" Feet Ampu-
tated, Etc, Etc.
A SENTINEL reporter paid a visit to the
County Hospital Of Eureka yesterday af-
t%ernoon. He is indebted to Mr.. G.. D..
Hunter for the courtesy Of q buggy ride
thither and back. Mrs. G. d. Hunter is
the matron Of the institution. She is a
motherly woman, evidently q good and
careful nurse and manager. She is as
sisted in the work of the house by her hus-
band and her daughter and ~son-in-law,
Mr.. and Mrs. Goyne. The building has
the appearance of being we'll kept and the
inmates seem to be well cared for and
comfortable. There are more patients in
the hospital now than have ever been in ii
before. There are 26. They are vari-
ously afflicted, but as a rule the prevalent
trouble has been lead poison and rheuma-
tism, though at present there are not
many diseased in this way. There are
three persons suffering from frozen feet.
One of these had his feet, or the greater
part OF them, taken off yesterday. He is
the notorious Rather" To-day E. O..
Donnahal will lose one foot by amputa-
ton. John Grennan, a very old man, is
suffering from what the doctor calls
I" senile gangrene," caused by the recur-
| renee Of trouble in a foot that was frozen
| years ago. The names Of the inmates are
as follows:
W.. K. nellie, John Brooks, e. l.. Robert,
John Conroy, Con. Mahoney, Walter Rem
brandt, Frank Kern, Jas. II. Goetchus
e. Rattler"), Sam. Hanson, E. o.. Donna
hal, E. M. House, d. Simmons, s. b.
sweeney, W. M. Thomas, James Carroll,
James McClusky, John Grennan, Michael
Fisher, Joseph McCluer, Mullen Gaylord,
Edward Henley, VIM. Tilby, John Norris,
Dennis Cardiff and Michael Norton.
The principal cost of maintaining these
patients is the 81 rs paid for their keeping
by the county. This alone foots $32 so
per day. The county provides the hospital
building and supplies the furniture and
beds and bedding for all the rooms except
those occupied by Mrs. Hunter and her
family. The county also pays the physi-
clan, DR.. A. G. Bishop, 5000 per month.
The expenses Of the institution, exclusive
of the physicians salary, for the last half
year, per month, including January has
u olOuS ut lOiiOWey DeBiuUluB lhob Oep-
TENDER: 1878 rs, $3.50 60, $672 so, 1902
so, 1851.
A hard case is that Of the patient James
A. Goetchus, better known as old Rat
tier" Some time ago he went to his cabin
in Spring Valley, in the neighborhood of
which he has some mining interests jointly
with one or two gentlemen Of Eureka, who
sent him out for them. In a frenzy Of
delirium tremens he left his cabin one bit
terly cold day and after going about a mile
took off his shoes and threw them away.
He wandered about barefooted on the hills
some six or seven miles and returned at
last with both feet dreadfully frozen. To
use the words of another: when he came
into the cabin his toes were stiff and
hard. and as he walked they ratified
on the ground like bears claws" He was
brought to town by a friend in a sleigh
and put into the County Hospital. His
condition has been so unfavorable that
DR.. Bishop postponed amputation as long
as he could. "Rattler" is q rough Gus
toner, and bis system resisted the in
fuence Of chloroform for fully a half
hour. At last he succumbed to the anes-
thetic; and, to shorten the story. which
might not be an appetizer for breakfast, it
is enough to say that he lost his feet.
which were rotting off and dropping away
piece by piece. The operation meta
tarsaD was made by cutting from a little
back of the base OF the big toe horizon
tally to the heel. The Doctor says he has
never had an accident happen in the use OF
chloroform, but he was a little bit appre-
hensive in this case. the patient was so
reduced in health and offered such
persistent physical resistance to his
anesthetic. But the thing had TO
be done, and he added, philsophically,
"There's only one more river
to cross, anyway" "Rattler" was puff
ing away vigorously at a cigar in q
quarter Of an hour after the performance,
nevertheless. and remarked that he must
have had a devil ~ a shonk