The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-10-12

looked aghast at this frall young glrl,
and asked her, almost harshly, if she
knew that she was courting almost Ger.
tain death. She replied calmly that she
knew; it was her chosen work. So they
took her, and the doctors soon learned
to trust her as their chief support in the
unequal fight. Before it was won she
too succumbed, and for weeks the city
across the river that had heard the story
of her devotion and her suffering listened
anxiously day by day to the bulletins
from her sick bed. She recovered and
vas made matron in the course of years
at the muniicent salary of $50 month.
Ever since she has been the mainstay and
guardian angel of the island, coupling
with her duties as matron and nurse now
those of hospital apothecary as we'll.
Having passed the requisite examination,
she has been duly commissioned to mix
the medicines as we'll as care for the sick.
When, last February, in u single day
fifty.seven Russian exiles were found in
half dozen lodging-houses suffering
from typhus fever and were packed off
to Riverside Hospital, followed by apro-
cession that swelled their number to q
hundred before the week had passed, ,
Miss Holden spent forty hours among
them, without sleep and almost without
food. arranging, soothing and cutting
the hair from their fevered brows, unit,
literally worn out, she had to be carried
to bed.
In the administration building the
nurses have library given by thought
full friends, and even a mushroom that
is not neglected under the pressure of
life's sterner cares. They cross the
threshold of this their refuge only to
take up their never. .ceasing round of
duties. The rooms of the physician in
charge, the autocrat of the island, are on
the main floor. His little principally
embraces two-score subjects, male
nurses, helpers and attendants of all
kinds. His rule extends to the boiler.
house next door, where the steam is
generated that heats all the hospital
buildings, and whence the very COM
plete fre.extinguishing apparatus OF
the island is directed in time of need.
At the door of the kitchen, in the build.
ing on the other side, it stops short.
There the matron takes charge, weighs
out all the groceries, and sees the food
for the sick and the we'll cooked. 1t
is the best that can. be bought 1or
money, though none is asked or exacted
for it. Any patient who can afford 1t
and so wishes can pay for his board, but
he gets the same as all the rest. The
General Government is the only paying
customer of the department. 1t sends
the cases of scarlet fever and measles
that reacn quarantine to Riverside, pay
ing q fixed sum for their care. Yellow
Jack and cholera II deals with at quaran-
tine itself. Its diphtberc patients 60 to
the Willard Parker Hospital, in Six
teenth street, where the health depart
ment keeps its cwn as well. Diphtherla,
unless complicated with other dis
eases, is not admitted to the island.
. Upon the main shore also are the dis
injecting furnaces or crematorles, through
which all infected clothing must pass be-
fore readmitted into the community as
safe. The clothing of typhus fever
patients never returns. 1t is fed to the
flames as the surest way Of rendering it
harmless.
AS an institution North Brother Island
is UNIQUE. There is nothing like it any
where in the world. In the great cities
of Europe they have floating hospitals