New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-13
THE TYPHUS FEVER PLAGUE
MANY PATIENTS SENT TO NORTH BROTHER
ISLAND
HEALTH DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS GREATLY
ALARMEDLTIEY FEAR THAT THE DREADED
DISEASE MAY SPREAD WIDELY


DISEASE MAY SPREAD WIDELY.
The Health Department was working harder
Yesterday than it ever had worked before in the
attempt to prevent typhu> fever from sprcadn-
in the city General Emmons Clark, who has
been secretary of the Health Board since its
capization. said he had not known of an emergency
so serious and in which so many eases of con-
tagious disease were discovered in one day On
Thursday Gfty-seven Russian Hebrews were found
suffering from typhus fever in several lodging
houses They had fled from their homes in
famine stricken di ticts, and probably they carr Il
the germs of disease with them TO Marsellles where
they took passage 10 tins city on January ..
Reports from Russia say that typhus fever abJunds
in the Governments of Pcnza, Samara, Saratof
Nizlim, Novgorod, karkon and ka2an, and that
people have been dying by the thousands. Whole
families there have been stricken with the disca-c
and have died. No death from the dreaded fever
was reported on the steamship Massiia, which
carried the refugees To this city, hut three deaths
occurred during the voyage, and the true cause
of death may not have been recognized by the
ships surgeon. Health Officer jenkins yestC r1ay
sent to the Health Board the following statement
regarding the deaths the steamship:
Dr. Skinm;r reports that he cleared : :. Massiia
from MarSeileS. January l, Maple, : AaccordirS TO
Isaac Goink, Russian. aged seven, died January ~
Benjsmn Golnk, Russian, aged nine, died January
II Of nephritS.'
lasen feirmy Russian, aged forty, di d January -
"phthisls7
lie found two seease IN h%aTyGa n T
landed at Ellis Island where they isolated. ana
subsequently permitted to proceed 10 their de''iiia
ton.
have INSTRUCTED the pqes t. examine M tht pas pas
sensers on all lineS and this line particularly & pmd md
districts. And If such PASSENGER. are found they
and their baggage thoroughly di.infccted.
There were 267 Russian Hebrews and about
$50 Italians the steamship. The Italians were
kept apart from the refugees, and they may have
escaped contagon. After they landed they were
scattered here and there, some remaining in New
York and the others going to other cities. Twenty
three of the Russian Hebrews were detained on
Ellis Island as paupers The other refugees were
sent TO lodging houses in this city by the United
Hebrew Charities to be boarded until other places
and employment could bc found for them. After
the removal of the fty-scven typhus fever patients
TO North Brother Island Thursday the lodging
houses were guarded to prevent any Of the in
mates from escaping. Six patients were removed
from the lodging houses in the city yesterday. and
six more were found on Ellis Island. They were
sent to North Brother Island. Altogether there
were sixtv-nine sufferers from typhus fever on
North Brother Island yesterday afternoon and with
them were about twenty other refugees, mostly
parents of the sick children, who were taken 10
the island to act as hclpeys. The patients were
in three pavilons remote from other buildings
on the island
President Wilson Of the Health Board gave
orders TO erect another pavilion within lorH-
eight hours lie also ordered thirty army tents
and had fifteen of them Gent TO the island yester-
day.. Now bedding provided in abundance
DR. Percival and his regular staf of physicians
were directed TO devote their attention To the
tvphus fever patients while other physicians among
The sanitary inspectors sent TO the island u
takc charge of the patients sick with silanpoA'
diphtheria, scarlet fever and measles
Dr. ! 4 b. Word. ono Of the assistants at the
willard Parker IIospital in East SiXtcenth-st, was
directed to 20 to North Brother Island ana he
refused His refusal was regarded as an dc' VI
cowardicc and he called before thc Iioai'"
Board later to make an explanation. he salu ''
had accepted place IN the "llidru i"I N'
ITos,;tal with a small salary, for the purpose OF
gaining Information in cases OF dPh'hcIi' "''
he did not think he obliged 10 assume o,iiei
work He was permitted to resign fIesl"'h'
wilson said that aHy member Of the department
,ybo refused 10 face danger in dealing wi'h 'hc
,vnbus fever outbreak would not De perll'"' W
nernain in the department. In the h'ei'i,''
Uosptal is a tablet in memory OF Dr- Mo''' VIM
died from typhus fever in 1881. HeVeral o' '''
n,rses in the hospital caught the FEVER from
patients in that wear.
Most Of the typhus fever patients on the iNi''u
,vcrc delirions yesterday, but no deaths oc'uiI'"
among them II will not be surprising il ", o,'
on, q, evcrv three dies from the disease. The
,at;cnts are in the care Of trained nurses ""'
have been in the employ Of the Health Depa' /
ment for years New nurses have been hHo" -
,,orl, in the other wards on the island.
Dr Cvrus Edison and his assistants yesterday
;rsnectod all the refugees remaining Ill 'h' cl'"
They decided that il would be better u Ie"'''
sone of The Hebrews from small lodging houH''
in order TO keep track OF them. President "ilso"
concnrred in a plan to collect the refugees !"
+brec houses where they could bc kept under con
stant observation. The lodging houses Nos -
East Twclffh-st. l09 Clinton Place, and EsscN
ST were selected. The patients removed IRON
The CITY Yesterday were 1srae AbIamoh, H',W'' W
boy. and Johann Abramon thrty-t"o years Oh
from the house No lo2 Orchard-st.; Notar
Ahr.r,o,v;tz from 20. So Norfolk-st.; Salct d'
Ioenik. twelve years old, another child, from NO
40 Pi,,e-st.. and Joseph Decker fifteen years OIL
from No AZ East Twclf'h-st
Dr.. Edison ascertaincd that in some OF lh'
lodging houses were Russians who recently came
TO the city on the steamship Ru2la lhey VII
I've placed to-day in the lodging house NO lo'
Clinton Place which is vacant.
Al o o'clock last night all the Russian suspects
brought TO this country by the MaSsa had peer
safely lodged in the houses No. > Es>eN-St. ah'
No. az East Twelfth-st. The first OF thcsc "'
houses sheltered thirty-sN refugees, the s'coh'
twerrv-three All these people had been gathere'
in from various lodging houses III the diSuic'
Those in No. EsscN-st. had been driven ouI o
Nos. 81 Moproe-st.. 10 Delancey-st. ana 80 N'r
folks. Those in No. AZ East Twelfth-sl' nae
besn taken from Nos. lGG Division-si., 40 fIke
4. IL 10 Orcl1nrd-st All tlese MOnSuS hiNt