Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-30
IRON 4 STAFF coRnEspoNDENr. ),

WAsHIN December 29.-The pre-
valence of the present epidemic Of in
auenza, or 'tLa Grippe" " is the one topic OF
conversation here, as elsewhere. 1t is also
causing some uneasiness among members Of
Congress, particularly the leaders Of the
majority. That there is ground for fear is
shown by what is claimed to be a fact, that
IN this city alone, with a population of
few over 200 900, there are no fewer than 5O,-
900 cases of the malady. 1t doesn't appear
to be of such virulence here in Washington
as in the European capitals and in Boston,
and possibly, as is claimed by some, num-
Der Of the cases are nothing more than ordi-
nary colds and catarrhal affections. But
even admitting this, the situation, as it
affects Congress, is not much improved.
AN OLD MEMBERS MEMORY.
An old member, who has kept himself
pretty well posted on the history OF Con-
gress, said to-day: IT saw that on Saturday
the hearing before the Ways and SMeans
Committee had to be postponed on account
OF the representatives of the Sugar Trust
being down with the grip. It is quite pos
sible that the progress of legislation may be
seriously blocked by the prevalence Of this
disease. The Republican majority would
be considerably hampered if few of their
members were to contract the malady, and
IL may be that Congress itself may be COM
pelled to take recess for this cause. The
sticklers for precedence would be satisfied
in this case, for if my memory serves me
right, during the year 1887. when the Tyler
grip was so prevalent, disease Just like
this, and imported from Russia in the same
wav, so many of the members of both the
House and Senate were taken down with it
that Congress had to take recess in order
to give them a chance to recover"
CONGRESS CAUGHT BY IT.
La Grippe has already begun its work on
Educational Legislature. Senator Ingalls,
has it, and Congressman Ray, of PennsYl-
vania is confined to his room with what is
believed to be influenza. There are, be-
side, several members in this city who are
i'll from some cause which they can't deter
mine, and the probabilities are that some of
them at least are in the grasp of Ia grippe.
Not only the members of Congress, but
the officers as we'll, are suffering from the |
disease The veteran Doorkeeper of the |
Senate, Captain Bassett, is sneezing from
theeffects of it, and Journal Clerk Smith,
of the House, has gone to Fortress Monroe |
to get rid of it. It may be that history Will |
repeat itself, not only in the fact of recur-
renee of the epidemic, but also in the effects |
it produces, and that Congress will be so at |
tenuated in its active membership that the |
only thing to do will be to take a holiday.
THEORIES OF PHYSICIANS.
Prominent doctors here say that the rea-
son OF the epidemic Of diseases of the throat
and mucous membrane isto be found in the
peculiar atmospheric conditions now preva-
lent in this country and abroad. One of |
them, DR.. Sanford, said to-day that his at
tention had been called to the fact that in |
years when mould was likely to accumulate |
cases of diseases of the mucous membrane
were sure to be frequent. 'sThe dampness |
of the past summer, said he, twas GER
tainly conducive to the formation of mould, |
and the present epidemic of Ia grippe and
other throat and catarrhal affections follows
as natural consequence, if the theory is q
true one"
The appearance of several cases of typhoid |
fever, as well as of the ''grip," among en-
ployes of the Treasury Department build
ing, has again called attention to the horri-
BILE sanitary condition of that destroyer of
health and life. Apparently every plan
has been exhausted to secure perfect ventila-
ton, and without success.
DRAUGHTS BAD AS POISON.
The air is so foul it cannot be breathed |
without opening windows beside which men
or women are forced to sit at desks, and to
open windows creates such a rush of air as
to make the draught as dangerous as the |
poison. Twenty thousand dollars was ex-
pended by direction of the Forty-ninth Con-
gress for improved ventilation, but just |
where and how nobody knows.
Added to the foul air, there Is at this time |
general uncleanliness due to lack of |
watchfulness on the part of those whose |
duty it is to supervise the scrub-women, and |
altogether, the life of a Treasury building |
employe is such as to excite conspiracy and |
a revolutionary outbreak.
A formal presentation of this state OF |
affairs will probably be made very soon to |
a committee Of Congress for the fortieth |
time, but it will probably result in no
greater acquisition of fresh air than at |
present. unless an order is made to cut the |
corridors on each floor through the rooms
that they may penetrate the outer walls, and |
thus make an opening for the free clrcula- |