The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-05-10
THE MINERS HOSPITAL.
Some Interesting Facts Regarding the
Great Institution.

what they have in their midst. Once in a
while some crank or sorehead will vent his
imagnations or spite by attacking. some
prominent public institution and try to
figure as a model reformer, His step creates
stir and then some people, to satisfy them
selves, will make a personal investigation,
only to find that there is no ground for the
assault. This is the case with the Miners
Hospital at Fountain Springs, one Of the
greatest and one of the best in the Common.
wealth. AT some period during course of .
four or FIVE years some report attacking the
management will 60 sweeping through the
state. They burst out suddenly and spread
with dazzling rapidity, as if precipitated by
some power which aims to condemn the
parties before they can have a chance to be
heard But, fortunately, thus far all such
attacks have been barren and the hospital /
and its man agement has outived them all
Last week one of these fruitloss attacks was
made at Harrisburg. But notwithstanding it !
was efiectually squelched by the moro sensi-
bic members of the Legislature, the HERALD |
decided to send representative to the |
hospital and see if there really was any cause I
for complaint.
The reporter was pleasantly received at
one of the hospital entrances by one of tho
nurses and, the call being made duriag
visitors hours, was told to roam about at
will. We sometimes hear the praises Of the
good old New England people because of
their neatness and cleanliness. Go to the
Miners Hospital on the hill near Fountain
Springs and ask yourself if the poets and
composers have not missed something. The
floors Of the corridors aud wards are as white
and clean as labor can make them &nd when
the sun shines thrOugh the window panes it
makes them as clear as crystsl and not
speck of any kind can be found on them.
And then the kitcheuI The reporter
entered it an hORr or two after the cleaning
up following dinner had taken place. The
large metal utensils really looked like
beautiful plaques on their hooks. Clean as if
never used and glittering FROM the effects of
the polishing they had received in the
cleaning up, and which they receive after
Ieyery meal. The reporter was satisfied there
was no ground for fault there.
Upon insl ecting the wards everything was
Goun6 in the same state of methodical
Iawangement and cleanliness that character.
lied the other sections of the buildings.
Each cot had its saow-wlite covering and
pillow, each patient wore his clean, neat shirt,
anG not spot marred the snOw-like ap-
Spearanee of the hO9C in the passage ways or
about the beds.
Now what does this institution and its
management aooOmplish beside discipline
land cleanliness. 1t is supposed to take care
of theinjured, some will say Yea, verify, it
us supposed to do so and does. The hospital
lat Fountain Springs is Supposed and is only
liRtendsd to take care of 66 patients at time,
but the average fer the past six months has
been 100. On May LIST, last there were 11O
lpatients there On May I'd there were ia
and OF May Sd, l09. These figures are based
fupOn.a an inspection of the official records of
the hospital by the HERALD reporter when
he made the visit. Think of hospital
intended to accommodate only Sc patients and
really caring for LID being charged with
IextraVagance because its superintendent and
isurgeon in. chief receivesa salary of $500.
But what do the patients say? Perhaps
many'do not care because they are mostly
Huns, Italians and Poles who had no business
to come to the mines of this region and suffer
the penalty. But, mark you, there is a great
change in this connection. Three or four
years ago the poor foreigners were in the
majority in the wards, but by actual count
made en- the visit spoken of there were in
one row of nineteen cots one Italian, four
| Hungarans and Poles and the fourteen other
cots contained Irish, German, English and
American patients, In other words but about
! seventy,fve per cent. of the patients are of
the natiOnalities last named.
The reporter noted the names and resi-
dences Of some of the patients to give the
public an idea of the immense territory that
depends upon this institution. One is Will
lam Zimmerman, ii year old boy of Mt.
Carmel, injured at the Merriam collery. DR..
Biddle operated upon him. The case was
very bad rupture. The surgeon put a tube !
in at the front Of the body and ran clean |
through until it protruded at the back, just |
below the kidneys. This tube served as a |
passageway for the urine for two weeks. 1t |
has been removed and the boy is rapidly re-
covering. Among other patients are John
Southall, Ellengowan; William McElvain,
Mt. Carmel; J. Coonan, Palo Alto; Wilhelm
Shotz, fremont Charles S. Hassenplug, of
Lewisburg, but injured at Mahanoy Plane;
Robert Welsh, Williamstown; and many from
Shenandoah. The patients hail from all
parts of this and eijoining counties
One of the most remarkable of recent
cases at the hospital was that of a German
named Robert Nuchten. He is now GONZALES
cent Nuchten's leg was frighttully mashed
about the knee joint and amputation seemed
almost an absolute necessity DIR. Biddle
made numerous incisions and summoned all
the resources Of his skill to save the limb.
and succeeded. A gentleman having
knowledge of the case said to the reporter