Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-06-10
A SENSATIONAL STATEMENT.
Almost Universal Sickness AIleged-sItua.
ton Very Serious.

Almost Universal Sickness Alleged-Sltua-
tiOn Very Serious.
JoHNsTOwN, June 9. - The warm
weather, which hes set in with ven
gesnce, is the very worst thing that could
have happened to Johnstown. While the
weather remained ccol there WIS compara-
lively little illness. Now that 1t has
changed, nearly everybody IS sick, and
fears of plague sre heard on every side.
Nor is this fear confined to the people of
the valley. The medical men and scieu-
lists alike share it, aud all unite in the be-
lief that the next week will see almost, If
not quite, an epidemic Of typhoid fever,
diphtheria. typhoid pneumonia and kim
dred diseases in this already sorely af-
dcted city of the dead.
The knowledge of this has thoroughly
terrorizsd the poor unfOrtunates, and has
beyond a doubt frightened away many of
them, as well as hundreds of the relief
corps who would otherwise have stuck to
JohnstOwn to the end.
Strong men, who so far have held up
under the strain, are beginning to be at
tackled by all sorts of ailments, and it is 10
exaggerstion to say that there is hardly a
thoroughly we'll man in the entire Cone
maugh Valley. All have been hit in some
m nner OF other Cramps, sick head
aches. and like complaints are suffered
by all, and quinine ard whisky have
become the most precious articles in
the world. Nearly verybOdy has a box
of pills, and the way they are being taken
TO ward OFF fevers is a caution. Fear has
seized hold OF all, and the physicians de-
clare that this fact alone will tend to in
crease the fast multiplying army Of the
sick.
That the situation is serious none deny,
but how serious very few, aside from the
members Of the State and National Health
Committees, appear 10 realize. Firstly,
there is not man, woman or child here
who is not thoroughly worn out; sec
oudly. the great fall of rain, which has
continued at intervals all week, has
kept the ground moist and fill
ed the air with malaria;
thirdly, the tension to which all minds
have been subj .cted has at last given way,
and many of those who have for days been
literally living on their nerves, have sue
cumbed aud taken to their BEDS fourthly,
the food which all are compelled to eat is
of itself enough 70 kill the delcately con-
situted, and lastly, the hourly increasing
stencil which emanates from the mass OF
debris made up of all sorts of polluted
mai er lying bout in the rivers and low
lanGs has permeated the land for miles
around aud made the very air OverpOwer-
ing and almost unbeerable.
With such state of affairs, who can
tell what ills may come?
Another subject that is giving much con-
Germ 10 the sanitarians Is the way be dead
we're buried. Scores of the unknown were
laid TO rest tog theI IN unmarked graves,
aud in one trench 100 bodies were piled one
upon the other.
That many OF these are very near the
surface of the earth is known, and what
the scientists most fear is that the disease
breeding germs of the dead and decayed
bodies may make their way to the air and
cause q general pestilence, beside which
The ravsg6s of the food, horrible as they
were. would pale into insignifcance.
In an interview with one Of the authori-
ties of the State Board of Health, to-day,
the gentlemen said that whereas the most
pressing needs of the week just closed were
for andertakers and collins, be feared that
the most pressing needs of the week Just
ushsrsd in would be for physicians and
nurses.
every possible precaution," said the
doctor. Ito prevent the spread Of disease IS
bsing taken. vet malignant dipththsria
and typhoid pneumonia have broken out
in a nnmher of differ Mt sections OF the
valley. showing that sickness is bound to
come. and that it cannot be confined to
snv particular lOCah y Dlslntectants, OF
eo1rse. are being distributed with all pos
sihle haste, but the territory is so great
md the force st work so far has been 80
small that until this evening but oompara-
tivelv little had been accomplished. NOW
however. we have succeeded IN getting
chloride of lime, and other disiniee'ants
throughout the entire district, and things
are in as good shape as could he expected.
s,Ipnumerable closets for the workmen
and others dire necessity by the way
have bsen built, and others are still being
constructed. In fact, nothing Is or Will be
s,ared 10 make the place as pure as posi-
bie from a sanitary standpoint"
Dr p. [. Sebbet, also of the State Board,
stetad IN the writer that a committee Is
now engaged in making canvass from
bonsa to house seeking for the sick and re-
movino them to the hospitals. He says
tbere is great danger in Overcrowding
bonses and that he favOrs the scheme to
oct az many folks out Of town until the
/ citv has been IL measure rebuilt, as pos
sible as il will reduce the chances Of an
endemic greatly. There is nothing SO
DANGEROUS. he says, as budding a lot OF
half sick and half starved people together
| in sucb houses as hundreds have been
comnelled to seek shelter in during the
past few days.
JoHNsrowN, June "a member Of the
corns Of sanitary inspectors is authority for
the statement that the people of WOOdvale
were so greatly in need of food during the
sarlv mart of the week that some Of them
ate portions of the flesh OF horses that had
beep drowned, their bodies beng taken
ont of the river
The horse flesh was supposed to have
hser eaten last Tuesday, before the people
of the peighborhOod had obtained any lOou
f-o, the Relief Committee. On FRIDAY IL
,vss stated that the people there IN
a number Of instances were actuaily cray
mo for food which they could not geV'
Their hunger became 80 great that num- nun,
her Of them broke into box car I9 "n,c9
vas rs, standing alongside of the hill loaded S
with iour, and stole number Of 9l barrels. sl.
W. w;tt tbis thew we're enabled to tide over
he " -, crisis until the Relief Committee sent
On Our family admitted to the sanitary IN n
..sc1or Yesterday that the people living IN
sbe,r house had eaten this meat. How tney