Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-16
MONEY MUST Be HAD
To Garry on the Fight Of the
State Board of Health
Against Cholera.
AN APPEAL TO CITIZENS.
Secretary Lee Is Hustling for Funds
in Philadelphia.
IMMEDIATE ACTION Is NEEDED.
MI
AN APPEAL TO CITIZENS.
IMMEDIATE ACTION is NEEDED.
DR.. MeClelland Deplores the Helplessness
of the Eoard.
MOVABLE HOSPITALS TO BE BOUGHT

on its hands to keep cholera out of Penn.
sylvania, and the members haven't a cent
of money with which to do the work. DR..
j. II. McClelland, the local representative,
was in a disgruntled mood last evening.
He realizes the gravity of the situation,
but he SAYS until money is raised nothing
can be accomplished.
81 haven't heard from DR.. Lee to-day"
he said at the Homeopathic Hospital last
night, land don't expect to receive a tele-
gram until tomorrow. 1t is disgrace that
Pittsburg people must pay for inspections
of trains that should be made by the State.
The local board cannot act beyond the
limits of the city, but we can get around
the law by appointing Chief Brown State
inspector, and deputizing all the inspectors
and employees Then they are working
under the authority of the State Board, and
their regulations can be enforced.
"When DR.. Lee was here on Sunday we
talked over the situation and discussed
plans for raising money. The doctor re-
turned to Philadelphia, intending to appeal
to the Governor and the people of the
Quaker City. Governor Pattison is not at
home, and do not know what success he
has had with the second plan. 1t was ar
ranged if nothing could be done to call a
special meeting of the board at Harrisburg
and appeal to the people of the State to
loan money to fight the cholera, with the
hope that the Legislature will return it.
His Pertinent Question.
"Was there ever a more humiliating
spectacle for our people?" he went on
"Here is a dreadful disease menacing us,
and the health authorities are without the
means to ward it of. 1 may say to the
people of Pittsburg and the State that
taken against the scourge will amply repay
them. L expect some cases to occur here,
but we will not give up in despair. If we
had had the money like the Ohio Board we
could have had the State districted and all
the inspectors appointed by this time. We
have already arranged by telegraph for
movable houses and hospitals. They
were used successfully at Johns
town. They could be located
where desired in few days, if we only had
the money to buy them. This must be OBJ
tanned first. 1 haven't any idea what peo-
pie will do the work of inspection on trains,
but my idea was to have physicians board
immigrant trains for the present, say at
Johnstown, and examine the people coming
in. If the disease became epidemic, then
all trains would be inspected and possibly
burg authorities will take to protect the
city will be sanctioned by the State Board.
Favors a Floating Hospital.
"At the conference 1 suggested that q
floating hospital should be provided by the
city. Many objections. were made, the
chief one being on account of the danger to
the people living below. I pointed out
that it made no difference whether the
garbage from cholera hospitals was dumped
into the sewers, or into the river in the first
lace. The sewers would carry it there
anyhow. Chief Brown concluded he would
rather use the new engine house for the
downtown district. am sorry that can give
no difnite information for the State Board
of Hea lth tonight; you see the predicament
we are in. Over in Ohio they have the
money, a nd have made all their arrange
ments. We must have $4,000, and the
people will never regret it."
The doctor then turned to pay his nightly
visit to the sick in the Homeopathic 81 os-
pital" Colonel Slack listened to the con-
versation and Endorsed the plan of buying
movable hospitals He said he had seen
them used in the South during an invasion
of yellow fever and the people couldn't
have gotten along without them. If they
can be obtained thev will be placed along
the railroads at different points and all
cholera patients confined in them at once.
Dr. McClelland said the State must pro-
vide an asylum for people afflicted with the
cholera. Colonel Slack remarked that if
the disease broke out in Pittsburg he did
not think they would admit cases to the
not be done unless it couldn't be helped,
and then they would be placed in one part
of the house away from everybody else.
Talking From Experience.
DR.. Shaw, the elder, had an experience
with cholera when it was the plague of the
city in 1854, and in six weeks a great many
died. Someone remarked to him yesterday
that he thought too much fuss was being
made about the disease. "No," replied the
doctor, "you have never seen its ravages as
1 have. Too much can't be done to keep 1t
away. In 1854 the death rate, as nearly as
1 remember, was about 100 per day for two
weeks, and we couldn't get wagons enough
to haul away the bodies The city was
small then and its sanitary condi-
ton was very bad. Downtown there
was considerable marshy land and pools of
water that have been removed since. Pitts
burg is in much better shape than in 1854,
and prepared to fight the disease.
Western Pennsylvania, was asked yester-
day what he was doing. He said be had
received several kilograms during the day
from DR.. Lee, but he was not inclined to
give their contents. 1t was suggested that
the State Board of Health appeared to be
inactive. THAT is not So" he replied.
'"The board is doing a great deal to keep
out the disease. 1 attended the conference
with Mayor Gourley and others to-day MY
work, however, will be with the counties in
the western part of the State. Pittsburg
is able and willing to take care of itself,
and somebody must look after the country
districts. You see 1 have my hands full,
and it takes some time to make all the ar
rangements needed.
Physicians on Trains.
81 have nothing to do with the CITY in
spectors. Twelve years ago when cholera
invasion was threatened a number OF phvsi-
clans were appointed to travel on the trains
and examine all the passengers. If q man
got of q train aud took another, he was
turned over to and watched by the inspeo-
tor on that train. In this way passengers
were guarded from place to place, and their
location and condition were always known.
l think the plan OF issuing quarantine GER
tificates is the best, and when passengers
are given to understand that they can't pass
without them, immigrants especially, they
will be careful to have them and made out
properly If cases of cholera are discovarod