Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-29
SMALLPOX DYING OUT
No New Gases Reported to the Authorities
Today.
First Wave Over - Patients at the
Hospital Doing Well With
One Exception.

One Exception.
There was little or no change in the small
pox situation UP to 3 O. clock today. Several
suspicious cases were reported, but investi-
| cation in each one showed the patient to be
suffering with some other disease than
smallpox. This afternoon there is only enc
case about which there is any doubt.
DR.. hewitt In charge of the smallpox hos
pital, in an interview over the telephone
said: with the exception Of young Owens,
who is not SO well today all of my patients
are doing nicely. / notice from the news
papers that the impression prevails that we
have no accommodations here. This is a
great mistake. Our system of heating and
ventilation is perfect, our supplies ample,
and everything possible Is being done to
promote the welfare OF the patients.
"Of course, in n brick hospital we could
have more room, but venture to say the
patients would not receive any better treat
ment. Not one of the patients has COM
planned and all express themselves salts
fled. Yesterday l received a letter from the
parents OF one of the patients, inclosing
five-dollar- BILL with the request that gtve
that patient special attention. 1 believe this
was done in good faith, but the money and
the letter were both consigned TO the flames.
"All Of the patients are receiving the best
care and there Is being no discrimination
made. 1 wish you would say through the
columns of The Star that / suggest that
nothing be sent to the patients, with the
expectation that 1t will be returned. Moth
ing will leave this hospital under any cir
cumstances, as / propose to burn all cloth
ing and bedding used by the patients as
soon as they are ready to leave the hos
pital."
At the Interior Department..
Business is proceeding calmly at the De-
partment Of the Interior. and the routine is
broken only once in a while by sniff Of
sulphur or the query. ANY new cases?"
The law division, to which several Of the
cases were traced, Is closed, and this is the
sole spot Of inactivity in the building.
About per cent of the force failed to re-
port for duty this morning. The percent
age may be slightly higher than this In the
census office. but 1t is still very small.
DR.. Gibbs of the pension office and DR..
Geddings Of the marine hospital service.
after consultation this forenoon, decided &c
fumigate all mail going out of the depart
ment, and the little room on the east cor
ridor of the + street front, used formerly
by the chief of the Indian division. has
been selected as the place where this Is to
be done. The scare has largely subsidized.
The Old Cases.
All sorts of rumors were anoat this morn
ing concernig the smallpox and the pro-
gress the disease has made, but up to II
o'clock only eight patients had been re-
ceived in the smallpox hospital, and one had
died at home. making a total Of nine cases,
with one suspected case to be investigated.
In addition to the genuine cases Of the
disease many other suspected cases have
been reported, and a number of them
proved to be nothing but ordinary chicken
pox, which Is not considered dangerous.
One of the cases reported Saturday after
noon as suspicious" and which was men,
toned In Saturdays Star. proved to be a
case of smallpox, as Health officer Wood
ward had anticipated. This victim is Chas.
f. Williams, colored, who is a messenger
In the Inflated Interior Department He is
twenty-five years old and unmarried.
Thursday he was taken sick and Saturday
1t was reported that he had the smallpox.
When the inspectors went to his boarding
house, No. 9l5 Sth street northwest, yester-
day morning glance at the patient salts
fled them that the disease had taken hold
of him and he was soon on his way to the
smallpox hospital. The removal of the
patient from his boarding house and the
subsequent erection of the warning sign
caused a feeling of uneasiness in the
neighborhood, and pedestrians avoided that
side OF the street AS soon as the sick
man had been removed in the ambulance
the house was opened and later the in
spectors used sulphur and other disin-
fectants and took all precautions in their
power against the disease spreading from
this particular patient.
1t was ruuored at the health office that
Le.tie Mundel. colored, whose cousin, Mary
Munde died in the hospital. had died at
her home in Maryland, but there was no
means of verifying the rumor. Lettie Num-
del had been in her cousins company be-
fore the latter was taken off to the hospital,
and when she went away 1t was probably
to get away from the disease. When she
left here she intended to go to Mason
Springs, Charles county, but 1t is now said
that she went to a place called Pisgah,
reaching there by boat to Glymont.
Surgeon General Wyman of the marine
hospital service has sent physician to
Ia ia In
connection with the Mundel woman, and
make report thereon.
At the Hospital.
Health Officer Woodward, In order that
friends Of the patients may hear Of their
condition, has arranged TO receive bulletins
from the hospital. which are put out in
front Of the health Office, where they may
be seen by the public. Last night the last
bulletin. received at SIS o'clock, reported
the patients as all doing nicely but this
mornings o'clock bulletin gave the infor- |
nation that Judge Parker and William
Owens were not SO well.
Buildings Opened.
The several school buildings which were |
closed last week have been thoroughly fumi- |
gated and dsinfected. and this morning
they were open for the recep tion Of pupils.
Not Smallpox.
The first suspicious case reported this
morning proved upon investigation to be |
nothing but measles, and another case was |
reported this afternoon. This case. DR.. |
Woodward thinks, will also prove to be |
something other than smallpox.
Health officer Woodward visited the In |
terror Department today and made an In
specton OF the building. He afterwards |
told Star reporter that he was fully salts |
ned that every room in the building as |
well the halls. had been thoroughly |
fumigated.
The quarantine has been removed from |
Mr. Costin's house, and the yellow flag has |
been removed. Mr.. Coston will now be |
given a clean bill of health, so that he may |
return to the office at any time.
From Original Case.
Speaking to a Star reporter this after |
noon Health officer Woodward said he was |
satisfied that all the cases of smallpox |
thus far had been infected from the Cos
ton case and he expects no further cases
to arise from this. OF course, the doctor |
realizes the fact that cases may arise from |
the patients now in the hospital. In this
event the case will undoubtedly assert |
l,.A,., S.nlx- mi, ha