The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-08-21
FOR A HOSPITAL.
R0ANoKE's AND HUMANITY's
CRYING NEED.
IMPORTANT PUBLIC INSTITUTION.

Interviews with Prominent Citizens
What a1r. Upton It. Flshburne MA,
Accomplished $4,000 Pledged
what liz Needed for As Erection.
That this city is in need of q hospi-
tai no one has ever taken the trouble
to deny.
The great majority Of the people
making up the population of Roa
noke are strangers here, and SO far as
the city is g ncerned, are practically
homeless. If they meet with an ac-
cident Or become sick they have nc
place to so except to the cherries:
boarding house. or hotel, and if they
have no friends they are at the ten
der mercies of strangers for all the
care they get.
Some two months ago Mr.. Upton
T. Fishbnrne, president of the Ma
tion.I Exchange Bank, proposed that
a subscription paper be circulated
for the purpose of raising funds fol
tue establishment of a hospital He
worked hard and succeeded in get
ting $4,000 subscribed by public spir-
tied citizens, but his business de-
manded his attention and for the past
month but little has been accom-
plished in the direction of raising the
$50, 600 required to erect the build
ings and furnish them.
Mr.. Fishburne and the friends of
the proposed institution have not dis
paired, however, and intend going to
work with greater vigor than ever.
They are determined to have q hos
pitai in Roanoke, even if it is on q less
ambitious plan than was ut first in
tended. They say that $25, 600 is lit
tie enough. but If they do not succeed
in raising this amount, they propose
to proceed in the work with what
they already have.
Il have u good many reasons for
said Mr.. Fishburne to Il
TIMES reporter yesterday, that the
wanted will be subscribed.
That we need an institution Of this
kind goes without saying, and | in
tend to do my very best to bring the
scheme 70 a successful termination
During the last few days number of
prominent men have come to me VOL
and said that they would
give something, men who when first
on the subject declined
The numerous accidents iii the city
and the absence OF any charitable in
doubtless has had some
thing to do with bringing them to
this conclusion.
There are a number of people whom
[ believe viii willingly subscribe, but
who have not yet been seen because
of their absence from the city They
will be asked as soon as they can be
seen and ] have no doubt will be
liberal i'll their donations. In Il day
Or two intend to go TO Philadelphia,
where expect to get any number Of
su uscriberS 30 the fund. President
of the Norfolk and Western.
has already become a friend of the
and promises when it is
started to build a fence around the
similar to that around Hotel
Roanoke. This will, Of course, add n
great deal to the attractiveness OF the
place. Major Sands is an enthusiastic
of the scheme and is doing
4 great deal 10 carry it to a successful
conclusion.
Whether or not we succeed in get
ting the requisite amount we intend
to build the hospital, if we can but
get So, 600 more subscribed. This, in
to the 81, 1000 already sub
will do q great deal toward
putting up the building, and, at any
rate, will form a nucleus around
which in time will grow Il great and
noble institution. But do not think,
Us ! said before, that We will have a
great deal of trouble in getting the
subscribed, and it will not be
long, it is TO be sincerely hoped, be-
fore the institution will be in opera
ton. We intend soon to buy a lot in
a convenient locality, and expect to
commence work on the buildings
some time during the autumn
Drs koiner and Gale are the rail-
road physicians, and have to do with
nearly all of the accidents of Roam
oke. Dir. Gordon Simmons is con-
nected with the Office. and does a
great deal Of the surgical work. Yes
terday afternoon O TINES man asked
him about the establishment of q
hospital in the city. Need it?'' said
the DOCTOR ''Well, should say that
we do need a hospital. Roanoke,
taking into consideration it's size, has
as many accidents as any other city
in the South. This, of course. is be-
cause of the large number of iron
manufactures here, and the
use of heavy machinery. We should
by all means have hospital here.
Only today case occurred to illus
trate the great need OF the city. A
man, stranger in the city, walked
into Lyle's drug store just in front Of
our Office. He was well dressed and
appearing, and just as he
started to ask for what he wanted, he
and fell unconscious to the
floor. We picked him up and carried
him to the office, where did all that
/ could, but the best couch we could
offer was chair, and there he had to
lay for hours before consciousness re-
turned.
Nov if we had a hospital | would
have stepped to the telephone, called
the ambulance and in ten minutes the
man could have been undressed and
in bed attended by trained nurses.
This is only one of the hundreds of
cases that come to our notice, and we
see more than The majority of people
the need of such an institution as is
proposed. Roanoke should have it
by all means. !"
Councilman Jas. A. Mcconnell, gen