Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-12
Smallpox Has Already En-.
tered the Homes of the
Weather Glasses.
IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH.
Health officials Alarmed at the
Spread of the Malady.
CORA HARRIS THE LATEST VICTIM.
May Have to Quarantine the Penn Avenue
Polish Courts
THE scoURGE STARTED IN ALLEGHENY

Danger Of a smallpox epidemic growr
more imminent each day. The health
authorities are alarmed and are using the
most strenuous efforts to stop the spread OF
the plague. Yesterdays health bulletin
showed two new cases. If another case
comes from the Penn avenue courts the
health authorities will ask Chief Brown, Of
the Department of Public Safety, to quar-
Rntine them.
The authorities fully believe this is the
year a smallpox plague is due and yester-
DAYS developments indicated that the
disease was spreading to all parts of the
city. The great trouble is that the disease
has spread among the most ignorant Poles
and other foreigners and they spread the
nalady before their cases have time to
reach the officials.
Two New Cases Reported Yesterday.
The two cases reported yesterday were
Paul Marina, Brereton avenue, Thirteenth
ward and Cora A Harris, "a Marion street,
Sixth ward. This makes nine patients at
the pesthouse and brings the total up to II
and cases of varioloid. It is not known
how many more cases Marina has caused.
has been living with large number of
others in his boarding house and has been
running around all over the city. He had
been drinking at the various saloons along
Penn avenue. He has also been wandering
sll over the hill district with the disease
marked plainly on his face.
The other case, that of Miss Cora Harris,
of Marion street, is causing the greatest e1-
citement. She is a teacher in Duquesne
College and young lady of high social
standing. This is the first appearance of
The dread disease along Fifth avenue, and
the fact that all the other cases have been
confined to the most ignorant foreigners has
caused much alarm, for it now threatens to
enter the homes of the best people.
Caught the Disease on the Hill.
Miss Harris has been under treatment of
DR. Hamilton, of Ninth street. He still
hopes that il may be only case of vario-
loid, but the chances are against this belief
Miss Harris does not know how she con-
tracted this disease. She was up in the
Thirteenth ward few nights ago, but does
not know whether there were any smallpox
cases in that vicinity.
This looks as If the disease was snread-
ing rapidly" said Chief Clerk McKelvy,
of the Bureau of Health Yesterday. Before
the disease has been confined to the Poles,
but the case of Miss Harris makes it look
dubious for the citv's health
The whole trouble started from ALE
gheny. 1t was case that never was dis
covered over there. The disease first ap-
peared in a Polish family on the North
side. One of the children came over here
and stayed for time with an uncle on
Thirty-third street. and then with cousin
on Cory alley He afterward took the dis
ease himself and the malady was spread
through the Polish courts. The people are
densely ignorant and took no precautions,
and the germ may now be in every house in
the Polish districts.
Carrying the Disease to School
''The children have been wandering out
with the other children and many of them
have been going TO the Polish school, How
Miss Harris ever got the disease is more
than / can understand. We have had
everybody at the Duquesne College vacci-
mated. l do not believe there is any further
danger in the college for the lady did not
60 there after the disease was discovered" +"
Mr.. McKelvy was asked as to the belief
that smallpox was a disease only prevalent
In winter. He said it was as bad in summer
as at anv other time. The only thing is
that in winter with the house closed up the
inmates are all more liable to contract the
disease. In the summer, however, it is
likely to spread faster because all the win
dows are left open.
The hot, wet weather has caused a bad
condition of health all over the CITY and
scGrlatina and diphtheria are spreading rap
idly all over the city. There were six cases
of the former disease and seven of the latter
reported yesterday. The scarlatina is from
the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Four
teenth, Twenty-eighth and Thirtv-ffth
wards, while the diphtheria cases are in the
Iwenty-seventh, Thirty-second, Twenty
third, Eighteenth, Eighth and Twenty
sixth. Two of the new cases were from the
Twenty-seventh ward.