The evening times., 1896-06-29
OF BABIES
Crying of Sick Infants at Hos
pital for FOundlings.
OFFICERS NOT BLAMED
Nervous NeIglibor Protested u nd the
missioners Made an Inveetiga-
tion-The Little Ones Suffer Dur
Ing Warm weather-The Salt Air
Needed by the Charges.


pital for Foundiings. at No. 17l5 Fifteenth
street northwest. as a nuisance Is one of
| the recent novelties at the District building.
! Tae source OF the nnoyance was the cry
| ing of the babies. There are thirty-one of
| the innocents at the asylum. and of these
fifteen are under two months old. In the
| exceedingly. trying weather OF the past
month, when damp, suitry days have
| changed soon after midnight 10 cold. dis
| ease breeding mornings. 1t has been i'm
| possible To save children in & Cd homes of
| their own from illness.
AT the hospital everything possible has
| been done. a nd only six are now sick; tut
it has been iney liable that several should
be i'll.
Eve N welt bntics cry 1t has come to be
regarded by most nen aud women as their
| privilege. Any 'ore who wishes to avoid
| ii must either move or pay 1uuIdiy for the
| privilege by purchasing enough ground
about his hoisc t. he out OF reaci, of baby's
lungs. Futthe Fuore. he must cot have any
children OF his owu or even relatives that
he loves; for II lie should they are apt to
| come around with crying baby some day
and create a nuisance.
In n iiospitSi with twenty five well ba-
bes and SIN sick there is going to be con-
siderable crying both day aud night. There
has be ZEN at the Washington Hospital. and
al the approach OF warm weather when
CERTAIN near neighbor tesan TO leave his
windows aud doors open his family soon
heard the crying ba bies. E.
-, THE CRYING BABIES.
1t was not only by day, but also by night;
and at night 1t was no. merely till late
hour, but it was also at a very early
hour and, in fact, at any and all hours
None Of the family were sick; they were
all perfectly able to sleep soundly. and they
wanted the privilege.
The annoyance did not cease but rather
grew as the season advanced. There was
talk every morning of how ybody in the
house had been disturbed by the habies
Finally a council of war was held nd the
lady OF the house was sent over to confer
with Mrs. L. b Cate. matron at the hospita,-
Mrs. Cate was very sorry the hospital should
annoy any one. A point of grievance by
the neighborswaS the thunderous ncisemad
every noruiiig by tine little folks of oloer
growth in the home pushing their kinder
Sarten chairs about the floor Mrs. Cate
said at once this should be stopped But
| about the crying, she did not know what
She could do. She would herself take every
possible precaution. and would direct the
| nurses to use every means to prevent ttr
noise from reao hing their neighbors. She
could not however, prevent the babies from
crying. =.
These promises were kept. but neverthe-
| less the babies cried, and this family Of
near neighbors continued to be annoyed
4 al y,ar gS haiI md. etar
| much discussion it was decided to lay the
matter before the Commissioners.
The fact that the little ones were taken
| to summer home near the Geological Park
two years ago was taken into considera-
ton. and when Commissioner Ross was con-
| suited it was suggested that the same thing
might be done again this year.
THE INVESTIGATION.
Col. Ross laid the matter before Col.
Tracey, superintendent of charities, and he
sent his secretary, Mr. F. W. Banacio, to
investigate.
Mr. Barnaclo was given every opportunity
to see the workings OF the hospital. and
was shown one baby that, though less than
two months old. was dying with consump-
ton, and would wake up in the middle of
| the night with coughing fit and most
touching cries in its suffering. This little
one has since died.
He made !. careful investigation and re-
ported that there appeared to he nothing
that could be done. unless, indeed, the
| suggestion to remove the hospital to some
other place could be adopted.
Mrs. Cate, us matron, also made a state
| mcnt to the Commissioners, in which she
said they were doing everything in their
| power to secure quiet among the children.
She insisted that they could not drug the
| little ones in order to keep them from cry
| ing. I -5
| In response to the talk of their removal
| to the country she said the experiment
! two years ago had proved failure. 1t
had been tried for two years and given up
| as impossible. OF success.
The furniture had been broken in ma king
the removals to and fro, and while they
| were in the country 1T was impossible to Sc
cure sufficient supply Of water suitable
for their work, to have fires made at propes
times and in the best way to secure Nee
essary warmth at certain hours with proper
ventilation, and, finally, it had not been
| possible to get an nythiDg like the same med
ical attention that can be secured in the
| city, -. E-U
Mrs. Cate said, however, IL the oinmis-
sioners could send the babies over to the
| Seaside Home for Babies, at Atlantic
1 City, they would be glad to go, and very
grateful for the kindness. That would he
great boon, especially to the little ones
that are sick.