The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-05-05

been IN town and had drunk the wa
ter there three days before. Previ
ously their water had been from th,
pure springs in the mine By nigh
all eight were in the company hospi
tai. Before morning they were rag
ing IN delirium. In a week three
were dead, and two more followed
them in the next week. Meantime
the other hospitals were filling up
Men were stricken in the mines, OF
the streets, and there places of busi
ness, and were helpless in the space
of few hours. By the midle ot
April Ironwood was in the throes of Z
true epidemic of typhoid of the most
malignant type. 1t struck almost
as swiftly as cholera. Its victims
succumbed, ID cases, within five OF
SIX days, while those who overcame
the poison lay abed for weeks and
arose with shattered constitutions.
LII enough could Ironwood fuce
such visitation. It's hospitals were
crude; its doctors few. There were
no nurses, and in typhoid the nurse
is more than the doctor What physi
clans there were. were worn out with
the constant and increasing demands
upon them. The big barracks of
company hospitals soon filled up. The
town authorities threw the armory
open. Three days sutficed to crowd
1t. Two vacant buildings were hasti
ly fitted up. In four days the doctors
IN charge were forced to deny appli
cations for admittance. There WAS a
lack of cots and bed clothing. Men
sent their own mattresses and bed
clothes to the hospital, and slept in
chairs Or on the floor. Women vol
unteered as nurses Aid was sent
from neighboring places, but theplague
grew and spread. At last Iron
wood recognized the fact that its
powers were too weak. The mayor
telegraphed to Chicago fer assistance,
and in reply there came. as swift as
steam could bring them, twelve
young doctors from the hospitals and
twenty five trained nurses to the aid
of the stricken city.
For those doctors and nurses it was
the experience of lifetime. Of the
population which was outside tie
hospital they found half sternly,
bravely, but almost hopelessly fight
ing the epidemic, and the other half
teTorized, brutalized, drowning their
fears IN drink and debauchery. Women
ran IN the streets shrieki ~ and wall
ing for their dead. Men wallowed
In the cutters or ragged through the
town IN the deliripm of drunken
ness. When two persons met they
asked each other.
How do | look? Do you see any
sign?"
And still the epidemic claimed new
victims. No sooner had cot been
and a coffin filed than
another patient took the vacant place.
Soon there were no coffins to be had.
The dead were buried in pine boxes,
and buried as quickly as possible.
There was an almost continuous pro
cession to and from the cemetety.
Over in Hurley, too, typhoid was
making itself felt, but to slight ex-
tent compared with the terrible con
ditions in Ironwood. 1t was city of
fear and trembling and weeping, and
the cry How long. o Lord?' went
up from thousands of hearts.
What human beings could do, the
relief corps from Chicago did, and
nobly. Not only among the sick did
they labor, but but they went out in
to the city and heartened the people;
told them how to live and what to
avoid; had the bowling drunkards
locked up and the hysterlcal women
suppressed. fer there is no ally to
death like fear. And always and
everywhere they commanded and en-
treated the people to drink no water
without first boiling it, for they knew
at once that it was in the water that
the poison lay. Nearly all the local
doctors had come around to that view,
also, for there was unimpeachable
proof of it. A typical one was that of
five of the Aurora S miners who came
into town, three, being thirsty, drank
from hydrant, disregarding the pro
tests of the other two. Two days la
ter they were down with the fever,
Their two wiser companions were
not taken. Scores of similar cases
could be cited. One man refused to
be econvinced-Superintendent W. b &.
Winthropp.
The waters as good as it ever
was" he declared. These Chicago
doctors are meddllng fools. If there
is any taste in the water it's from the
tamarack swamps up above. It's
living here in this swampy hole that
brings the fever"
While he was clustering in this
way one day, ,and a crowd of bis ad
herents We're applauding him, one Of
the doctors approached and over
heard:
You are the superintendent of the
water works, | believe, me said.
Yes; that's me-
Are you going to take any steps to
discover how your water is polluted p
ANY man that says it's polluted is
lar" cried Winthropp He had
been drinking, and was flushed and
excited. I'll see you all in hell be
fore I'll tear up my plant to suit a
pack of fools that don't know enough
to stay at bone"
Then, I'll tell you what L believe"
said the physician, looking the super
in the eye. Il believe you know what
is wrong, and as sure as there is a
just God, you'll pay with your life for
the lives you've destroyed
Winthrop turned white.
Il haven't got the fever" he cried.
Il haven't touched the water, not a
drop of it." Then, seeing how he had
betrayed himself. he rushed at the
other, but bystanders interfered and
he was led away to get drunk.
The young doctors words were pro-
phetic, and that very night the pro
phecy began to work itself out. but
in far different way from what he
meant. There was a meeting of citi
zens in the open lot by The railroad