The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-03-11

New YoRK, March 10.-Reporters
landed on North Brother island, the
city's pest retreat, ut midnight Tuesday
night, and they discovered a terrible
situation. Tho typhus patients, and
others havo been, and are there thus:
Number typhus cases since February,
II, 1853.
Number deaths from typhus, 10.
Number Of typhus patients at North
Brother island to-day 50.
Number typhus suspects quarantined,
about so.
Number smallpox cases, 20.
Number scarlet fever, 81.
Number measles, %.
Number lepors, l.
A tent is used in this winter weather
for tho quarantined suspected cases,
and tho ono lepcr, too, Is kept In tent.
Tho reporters found from inquiry in the
quarantine tent that the suspects wero
serving out their three weeks OF proba-
tion without any attendants or observ-
atiou, Tho only safeguard against u
gancral epidemic among those quaran-
tined lies in tho immediate removal OF
q case as soon rs discovered and the
prompt isolation of suspected cases.
There was nobody in charge OF the
quarantine tent, no, physician was OBJ
serving tho condition OF the people con-
fined there, and nobody WINS watching
their temperature. For two hours the
reporters tried to find somebody in au-
thority. By inmates OF the tent they
were informed that man named Hoch,
known as Quarantine No. H." and
"Typhus Ward Patient No. 10'' was ia
ken with the fever last Saturday morn
ing,
After the fever had been raging q
hours he was discoyerodb by nurse who
reported his case, and short time al
forwards he was removed from the tent
to tho typhus pavilion. During the
day and night preceding his removal,
no nurse, doctor, attendant, or orderly
had visited the tent, they said.
A similar and even moro aggravated
instance OF neglect was given from the
women's and children's quarantine
pavilion. There are about 10 typhus
suspects in this Pavilion. Last Friday
morning little child developed a high
fever. The child's father is confined in
the male quarantine tent and the little
one had no one to attend her. She
continued to grow worse until Monday
morning when it was discovered and re-
moved to typhus pavilion. For sew
enty-two hours this child remained in
the crowded pavilion with we'll devel-
oped case OF typhus, which was finally
discovered by an attendant who stepped
into the pavilion and was attracted by
the cries OF the little one.
The first OF the isolated wards which
the reporters saw after they landed was
q little tent at the southern end OF the
island. Throwing back the flap at the
entrance, one could SEQ the interior. A
lamp, in which bright light was burn
ing, swung on the centre pole. Awasted
form was stretched on The bed. It was
the Chinese loper who had by the ma
ture of his terrible disease been separ-
ated from all human beings. He was
alone in his tent. Even tho convalescent
patients shun with horror that yellow
tent-the home OF New York's ieper.
Just inside the entrance tie heating
stove gloomed. At the foot of the bed
was arranged the cooking utensils with
which the leper Chinaman prepares the
food lett at his door by the attendants
from the pavilion3 near by. The face
OF the lonely sufferer was patient and
peaceful in sleep. Though the mist
crept through the creyices'in tho canvas
and stole silently beneath the protect
ing roof and the top OF the tent, the
Chinaman slept on. After its contact
with tho heat the mist changed into
water and dropped from tho edges of
the tent. But the leper waiting 10 die
needed it not. Mono needed him. He
was utterly and helplessly alone with his
misfortune.
Passing the solitary leper the path
leads at once into the circle OF infec-
tious pavilions. The pavilioas them
selves are rude franc structures bear
ing signs OF hasty construction. The
scarlet fever pavilion, the small pox
hospital and the measles wards are sop
arated from the typhus pavilion, but
only by few yards.
Tho quarantine and overflow tents
are pitched hero and there between the
pavilions.
WHAT HEALTH OFFICERS SAY.