Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-24
ADDING A NEW STORY
The West Penn Hospital Improve
ments Now Under Way.
$4,000 In ALL TO Be EXPENDED.
80 More Patients Will be Accommodated
by the Additional Wards.
HOSPITAL OFFICIALS ON TIE CHANGES

Two circumstances have been agitating
the West Penn Hospital authorities. The
first is the overcrowded condition of the
house. and the second is the bad state of the
roof which covers in the main building. A
meeting was held by the gentlemen compris-
ing the Executive Committee few days ago
to discuss the situation and to see if some
thing could not be done to extricate them
out of the dilemma. The result of their de-
liberations was that they determined to tear
down the roof on the main building and
build mansard ward.
By this arrangement both purposes of the
hospital will be subserved. They will have
a new roof, and also obtain room for go extra
beds. When the additions have been built
to the roof, and the new structure finished
at the rear of the east side of the main hos
pital, the authorities will have room to re-
ceive 80 more patients. Altogether the
capacity of the wards with the annex, and
the mansard roof will be 260 patients against
40 which has been the hospital capacity in
the past
A BIG PIECE OF WORK.
The roof will be commenced at the east
side of hospital and will run at angles from
the medical female ward. The length of
it will be 800 feet, the breadth ITO feet and
the height 1S feet. The cost Of reroofng the
hospital and adding the mansard ward is
estimated at S15, 900. This sum is totally
independent of the cost of the new annex.
The mansard ward will be arranged simi-
larly to the lower wards; the east side of the
hospital will be utilized for female patients,
and the west side for male and surgical
cases. At the end of the west and east wards
will be partitioned off comfortable apart
ments for the employees. who are now located
on the third floor. The rooms that have
been occupied by the attendants will be
opened up and made a continuation of the
present wards.
CHAIRMAN M'CREERY TALKS.
Mr.. William McCreery, chairman Of the
hospital committee, said yesterday to DIS
PATCH reporter: "The present improve
ment of the hospital, and its enlargement
has been forced upon US by the exigencies
of the situation. During the past year the
hospital was so overcrowded as to cause us
some alarm for the health of the inmates.
In the building we have had at one time 63
extra patients. If injured or sick men are
brought to the door we cannot turn them
away, even if it inconvenience the institu-
ton.
Some sort of provision had to be made.
Matters, however, came to a crisis recently
for the limit to the number that we could
admit was reached. Taking these things
into consideration we resolved to make an
enlargement rather than cripple and impair
the usefulness of the hospital
Mr.. McCreery then said, with great en-
phasis, "The people of Pittsburg do not
support us in proportion to our needs.
Could they realize the various uses and
large calls for money that are constantly de-
manded from us by our treatment of patients
and the running expenses of the hospital,
they would possibly support US more
literally"
ROOF RoTTED AWAY.
Mr.. Samuel Hamilton, Chairman of the
Building Committee, said: 'The present
roof OF the hospital has almost rotted away.
1t has rotted at very opportune moment,
because in considering the rerooing of the
building it gave birth to the thought that
by building another story we could obtain
additional room at about one-third the ex-
pense new structure would cost. enabling
us to accommodate the eaIne number of pa
tients"
Superintendent Cowep, in speaking about
the Improvements, said that the addition
ought to have been built years ago, and it
would have been, only for lack of means.
Every cent received was swallowed up in
expenses. The hospital is doing double the
amount of work it did ten years ago, yet it
has been necessary to handle the patients in
the same room now as then. The West Penn
Hospital is very highly appreciated by
Pittsburgers, and will be aided in the future
in manner commensurate with its useful
ness.