The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1892-02-04
For The Reporter.
New York Citys Public Charities


| III the TehueTs Vi the hkfphIE k WOuIl
I like TO take little trip over TO Bl4ci
wells Island and look through the var
ious Institutions there Inhabited By siL
and sick ness, would be pleased to es
cort them.
We secure our passes fiom President
Porter at the ufiices OF the Departments
of Charities and Correction" and are
told to take the steamer VII CHI leaves At
the foot Of L 2Gth St., at 1880 A. NJ
As there are plenty OF interesting sights
to be seen, previous to the departure Of
the boat think 1t will repay US IL we ar.
rive at the wharf little before ten Go.
ing down 26 h St, we pass by old Belle.
vue Hospital, solemn looking sni full Of
trouble Just below 1t Is the morgue, a d
on the opposite side of the street we be
hold two fine buildings, one Of which is
called The Training School for Nurses"
and the other is 1.-THE University Col
lege," one OF the finest medical colleges
In the United States.
Arriving at last at the end of the stree
we show our passes to AZ officer stationed
at the entrance to the dock, and that IN
cial permits US to 60 on board the Tho-.
s. Brennan, the steamer belonging to the
Department of Public Charities and Cor
recton. Stationing ourselves on the up
per deck to better observe all that is go.
ing on, we soon see mi wagon back
up to the boat and In five minutes time
two thousand quarts OF milk are loaded
aboard. Some Of the caDs marked "Ptni
tertiary" some CHARITY Hospital"
Others "Lunatic Asylum" and WORK
House" Ten O'Clock, and now comes al
odd looking wagon rattliug down thu
dock; it backs up to the boat and from u
Is unloated, Ito me always sad sight,
the city's dead, the pauper dead, goingt
their last res ing place. Not friend is
there 10 drop tear on their coffin, no one
will miss them, the chances are that even
their names are not known, and in their
cheap pine boxes they are carted on
board, bound for city Island, the pau
per burying ground.
In few minutes another wagon drives
mp, the kind that often startles us in the
city IS we are trudging along, its loud
toned gong telling US TO get out of the
way, some one is hurt and it Is on its err
rand Of mercy. Yes the Ambulance backs
up, the driver jumps down from his seat
and with the help of the surgeon in charge
they carry their poor, pale, shivering
bundles of humanity aboard, bound for
the Charity Hospital. Next and last OF
all comes the 'Black Maria" large
omnibus shaped wagon with q few small
holes on the sides for ventilation, and its
iron door in the lear locked securely and
guarded by an officer. 1t has just come
from the city prisons and all its occu
pants are criminals bound for the Peni.
Tertiary or work house, as the sentence
may be. The door of the Black Maria is
unlocked, officers stand on each side and
as mean lot of men as you will ever see
are marched aboard the boat and looked
up in large cell with which the "Bren
nan" is provided. The officer who takes
charge of the convicts aboard the boat
shouts out "thirteen" and the keeper in
charge Of the Black Maria repeats 1t
thirteen" The Captain shouts "all
aboard" the gang plank is hauled in,
the lines are cast off, the bell in the en-
CINE room sounds and of we start.
queer lot of passengers, is it not2 The
city's dead, the sick paupers, the citv's
and-the readers of the REPoR-
TER.
1t is only about twenty minutes sail
from the foot of Goth ST., n. Y. to the
first landing on Blackwells Island, and
before we know 1t the sick are being car
ried up to the Hospital, the criminals are
being escorted to their quarters and we
are standing there alone, the only ones
who are not being cared for, and, for
once in our lives at least, we are where
we cannot get away, not until the boat
at 2 p. M. Iu the meantime how
ever we have lots to zee, our day has Just
commenced and as the first building we
come to is the CHARITY Hospital" let us
enter that. The courteous warden pro-
vides us with guide in the shape Of a
convalesciDg patient and we enter long
corridor running the entire length of the
building. Here on one side is a door mark
ed drugs" and looking in we behold
regular drug store stocked with greater
variety Of drugs than Can be fou in
most email towns; on the opposite side is
a library well supplied with books Of all
descriptions and in all languages still
further along are large bath rooms, one
for males and one for females, where all
patients are obliged 10 pass an examina
ton, take a.batb, (if the condition of the
patient allow ii and don a suit of clothes
provided for their use, receiving re-
ceipt for their own, which are rolled up
and packed in a large store room there TO
r, main for, God only knows how long.
Going up flight of iron stains we now
behold the various wards, each waId CON
tanning about one hundred and twenty
beds, little, single, iron 5edsteads at the
head of which is placed small slate and
a number, the patients all beng known
by their number instead Of by their names
The wards occupied by the men are on
one side of the Hospital, the women's
wards being on the other and the two
sections divided by II large hall or CORR
dor containing the rooms OF the spiritual
advisors, q Catholic priest and Protestant
minister, and the operating room where
the surgical operations are performed
When one of these operations is neces-
sary, the subject is placed ON little wsg
on or movable couch and taken directly to
the operating room, and, as often is the
case, they never leave 1t alive. How diff
ferent would be the case with most of us
If We were Obliged 10 have some serious
surgical operation performed, loving
hands and hearts would smooth the way
for us and gently urge us, there it is sim
ply, Number 1888 must be operated on at
half past eleven to-day from the doctor
in charge, and ut half past eleven number
1913 is in readiness, the kind and blessed
drug soon makes No. 1873 forget all pain
and sorrow, and the surgeons are WELDING
Truly the Charity Hospital Is a great
place for medical students to acquire q
thorough knowledge of surgery anu all
pertaining to surgical and medical prsc-
tlce. There are over thousand patients
there and all are kindly and carefully
looked after. To the greater part OF them
the change from their former mode of
living is much for the better, over one
~ ban tn hai n
kicked MO the gutter with no one to off
er helping hand until, at last, sickness
and approaching death come forward and
help them to peace aud quietude, rest
from life and its attendant S, ROWS for.
ever. Poor creatures, you say. how
pity them,-yts SO do l. but right here /
want to morslize a little, want you to
save good part of that pity and let it be
given 10 that poor, forlorp, degraded
creature over on cot number 81, of all the
cases here, there is the prize one for pity
| know that wreck of what was once s
man. Only few short years ago he &C
cupied the position OF paying teller in ont
of the best known banks in New York. Al
q salary Of 5000 a y,ar respected suc
honored by all who knew him. His wifi,
died and it was great blow to him, but
day after day he was at the bank attend
ing to business. About two months sftel
his wife's death, his daughter, Lowell!
girl Of about 10 years of age wss sum
moned to her mother, and he father anC
husband left alone. He took to drink
lost his position in the bank, one By OFT
his friends dropped him and finally he he
came dirty. ragged oeggar Oh the streets
begging for ten cents to procure a drink
The r, suit was as might be expected, dis
L no. al II.,ctaii- 1 md In