The morning call., 1893-08-14
THE PESTHOUSE.
Proposed Removal OF 1t
Warmly Opposed.
SUPERVISORS CRITICIZED.
Committee Appointed by Mission
Property-0wners to Go Before
the Board of Health.

was secretary at a meeting of Mission
property-owners held under the auspices
of the Potrero-avpnue Improvement Gu b
in Maennerbund Hall yesterday afternoon
to protest against the location OF the Pest
house on the City and County Hospital
grounds and the removal thither of the
lepers whom the city is caring for.
The Supervisors nave appropriated
$4,000 for the erection of new building
on the County Hospital grounds. without
specifying that this building Is to be
Pesthouse, but it is understood that the
present Pesthouse will be abandoned, and
ALI contagious diseases will he cared for
in the new structure. The secretary SAID
that Supervisor Stanton and DR.. Long told
him that the sanitarium-which the new
building is to be caled-will be the place
where smallpox patients ana leperS VIII
be kept.
This action of the Supervisors was
surprise to the property-owners living
around the County Hospital, who have for
wears fought the proposition To establish
the PesthOuSe there. ASsemblyman NJ. j.
Hurley, who was member OIL the COM
Inittee which voiced their protest to the
Supervisors, said yesterday that Super
visor James. the chairman of the Finance
Committee. had assured him and the other
men from the Mission who went with
him. that the PeSthOase would not be
located on the hospital ot. Mr.. Hurley
thought that Supervisor James should be
requested to explain why the finance
Committee voted $4,000 for this purpose
aftcrward.
George Schultz said be was not an advO-
cate of violence. but he believed that
mixture of tar and feathers would be eff
cacious in convincing public officials As TO
their duty. I'VE elect men whom we
think we can trust" he said. They are
SHlr peighbors, and should help US; but
Den they get In office they are anxious
only to feather their own nests. They live
among us and should be here to-day. Why
are they ABSENT
Several of those present seemed to think
that Mr.. Sutro had more influence than
the people with the supervisors In tie
PestbOuse matter. The chairma n alluded
to "a grand blowout" which Mr.. Sutro had
given mem bers of, the Board. when wait
ers from Sutro Heights waited on the
guests
E. j. Mcnamara observed that Super
visor Kennedy arrogated to himself the
authority of a Gar in declaring hat the
hospital lot was the only place for pest
house. The Supervisors. in his opinion,
were more anxious to help persons who
have wealth than the general public. He
favored engaging good counsel aud testing
any ordinance by which the Pesthouse
will be put on the hospital lot
Secretary DWyer said it would be use
less expense at present to hire lawyer,
as the Supervisors have authority 10 put
any building for hospital use on the hos
pital lot. Several members of The club
had an idea that these grounds we're trans
ferred to the city for use as public park
only, but Mr.. Dwyer corrected this i'm
preston. The city paid over S6S.000 for
ho no said prHar N N If for
hospital purposes. The only course the
property-owners have now to take. he
said. Is to hold the Supervisors to their
promises that the PesthOuse would not be
put there. Ii they insist OF removing
smallpox patients and lepers to the new
building an injunction may be sued to pre-
vent the use of the property for such a
dangerous purpose. AT present the pro-
test of the people should be effective
enough without the aid of a lawyer If
necessary mass-meetlng should De held
in Maennerbund Hall. The Pssthouse
should be put on the Almshouse tract.
That contains eighty acres, and Is large
enough for the County Hospital also. The
hospital should be removed there, Mr..
Dwyer said.
Mr.. Hurley advised that as the Board of
Health has authority under the Political
Code to say where the Pesthouse shall be
located. a committee be appointed TO wait
house is objected to anc he thought 1t
would be best to have such a hospital on
shipbOard in the bay. he said that the
people of Berkeley have taken their con-
test against the powder works into the
courts and the decision in their case will
be applicable to the Pesthouse matter.
They object TO the powder works because
the value of their property is affected 10
their disadvantage and the works are
danger to the community. The agitation
against putting the Pesthouse on the hos
pital grounds has kept it away from there
for two years and IL the opposition is
actively continued it may still be success
full.
The secretary said that it was supposed
that the Pesthouse site had been located
by the Supervisors, but that supp0sition
has turned out to be incorrect. The prop
erty-owners should combine to get not
only the Pesthouse but the hospital re-
moved. A pledge to that effect should be
got in the platform OF some party a the
next election. The Supervisors should
remove the County Hospital or put mp
good buildings instead OF the present rock
cries, he said.
Mr.. Douglas had no faith in election
pledges. For twenty years candidates
have beer promising to remove the Pest
house and have not complied with their
promises. The only remedy. in his opinion,
was to be got by going to law. lie main
tanned that the ground was meant Tor
public park. He said that it would be in
human for the Supervisors and Board OF
Health to crowd patients into the little lot
where the proposed building IS to be
erected.
Chairman Koran said he thought the
pesthouse question had been settled when
the Supervisors held special meeting to
locate a site on the bay shore. 1t looked
to him as if the Supervisors were going
back on their action. If Eastern visitors
call at the County Hospital, ho remarked.
they will carry away the news that we
have a henroost for ospital.
Mr.. Mcnamara said that the people oil
North Beach managed to get the hospital
removed to its present site twenty-one
years ago, and he thought the Mission
people ought to have as much influence
now as North Beach had then. The re-
moval was procured through doctor who
had medical college that was rival to
Toland's. This doctor becane a Super
visor, and he was willing to have the hos
pital removed far from the Toland College
so the latter's stud5nts could not practice
there conveniently. Mr.. Mcnamara said
that property around the hospital has adj
vanced very little in value in the last
twenty years, as the hospital has always
been hoodoo. 1--WE have been asleep for