The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-02
DOOMED BY YELLOW FEVER.
The Epidemic in 1928 Made Greenwich
Village Temporary Business Centre.
New York Sun

1t is one OF the few facts about the
Greenwich village, now the Ninth ward,
not generally known, that it's early
celebrity was due not to tho hospitable
character of its Inhabitants the salubrity
of the neighborhood, or the exclusive
character of come of it's social obser-
vances, but to an epidemic of yellow
lever. There had been visitations of that
disease in 1871, 1895, and 1898. After this
last epidemic, in the spring of 1899, the
Hank Ct New York and the Branch Bank
Oh the United States bought two plots of
ground in Greenwich village on what is
now Bank street and put up bank build
ings on them. They had to use these
buildings in September, 1899, when a
fourth epidemic of the fever came upon
the city. Notice was given in the papers
that notes and bills for discount Nigh the
left for the cashier at the Tontine Tavern
in the city on Mondays and Wednesd avs,
and would BIO called for by bank mes
senger and offered for discount at the
bank the following days.
There were epidemics in 1919, 1929, and
1898, but the epidemic of 1928 was most
serious of all, and it had the effect of
almost depopulating what are now the
lower wards of New Y ork and of increas.
ing the population of Greenwich, then an
outlying village. AS local historian
wrote, LAS soon as this dreadful scourge
made its appearance in New York the
inhabitants shut up their shops and fled
from their houses into the country.
Those who could not go far on account of
business removed to Greenwich small
village situated on the border Of the Hud-
son River. about two OF three miles from
town. Here the merchants and others had
their offices and carried on their concerns,
with little danger from the fever which
did not seem to be contagious beyond a
certain distance. Very few were left in
the confined parts of the town except the
poorer classes and the negroes. -
Persons familiar with the Ninth ward
or New York as at present, and Westsiders
who have grown to be accustomed to it's
lrregularity OF geographical construction
and placidity4 of existence, may feel emo
tions of surprise when they read this au-
thentic and veraoious narrative of what
happened in 1898, when, so to speak,
Greenwich village was booming: One
Saturday-not half-holiday either-in
August, wrote local observer, s'our city
presented the appearance of town be-
sleged. From day break, merchandise and
effeoTs were seen moving toward Green
wich village. Carriages and hacks, wag-
ons and horsemen, were securing the
streets and filling the roads; persons with
anxiety strongly marked upon their coun-
tenances and with hurried gait were hust-
ling through the streets. Temporary
stores and offices were erected, and even
on the ensuing day Sunday carts were
in motion and the saw and hammer
busily at work. Within few days there
after the Custom House, the Post Office.
the banks and the insurance offices and
the printers of newspapers located them
selves in Greenwich village" Since 1928
the banks have not had to fly to Green
witch, and the only trace of their former
nomadic visits there is Bank street
1t had been before that and was for a
considerable time afterward the seat Of
the State prison and the landing place of
ferry from New Jersey. Doomed by the
incident of the yellow fever epidemic, it
became an established place of residence
for many well-to-do New Workers, and
for seventy-fve years since has retained
many of the characteristics then first Sc
cured to it. as y s-y