New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-21
A NEW CAUSE FOR THE GRIP.
PRESIDENT MURPHY NOW THINKS AS
PHALT PAYMENTS ARE

p,s,,or, Nurnhv of the Health Board had APP
parenty heard from some point not thouS""'
miles from the Democratic club yesterday morn
Ing for the attitude hc adopted when appIo'c"''
regarding the extraordinary prevalence Of the grip
I'm thi, city Just now In strong contrast to the
warning sent out by the Health Board on me
nrevjous day Possibly Commissioner Mccartney
had enlisted tho power behind the throne 70 Al
ducc President Murphy TO do all in his power 20
remove from the befrgged mind Of the public any
suspicion that tho shocking condition OF he stter's
OF the city for weeks after the first big storm u,
the year. and the consequently enormous hummer
Of colds and Of pneumonia. had anything 1"
do with the prevalence Of the grip Just now Al
any rate. President Murphy opned that the time
for guessing at the causes OF the epidemic was
past. He said. with striking originality, that
II was a condition and not theory that confronted
us From all that he could learn there was no
cause for alarm. lie hoped tho newspapers wou"
remember that II WAS a doubtful question whether
the disease was contagious or infectious Nne
Health Board had the day before Expressed the
opinion that IT was BOTH. and would not unneces-
sarily alarm the public Hundreds OF thousands OF
ptope came daily to New-York on business. and Il
they became alarmed they would stop coming ana
the city would lose millions Of dollars
President Murphy skfully avoided the subject
~ foul streets and fth-contaminated heaps Of
snow that melting carry their contagon through
the cutters but he entered upon an interesting AMI
ingenious effort discover disease breeding qua'-
tiles In asphalt.
Heat rises from the asphalt in the summer. ana
Il becomes soft" said he and II II becomes softer
and an odor arises from /, then. what are the o.
fccts Of II now in Sinter?" President Murphy ex-
pressed a desire for information on this point IN
a day or so he expects 10 turn his inqurins NINA
TO tho danger Of contamination from the use az
soap He wound up his discourse thus:
'In connection with this. beg leave 10 inform
the public that every branch Of the Department u
Health in every borough Of this city VIII be open
day and night. This office Is never closed N 90,
tor and staff duty all night. ana are reauN
10 respond TO any calls from any class OF persons
for relief during that time 49, ,..... oro,n,r,
Commissioner Mccartney OF tho street 'leaninS
Department had a wall emit regarding whHt
he called tho destinations and allegations taue ny
physicians OF more or less h0ts as 10 we a1c ~
ha nks In the streets being the direc cause OF thc
number Of cases OF grip now said to be prev,
alcnt in this city" Mr. Mccartney said he had
failed TO ind any epidemic espeC Lllly In those parts
Of The civ where snow was still piled up I'm heaps
This new medical authority went on 10 say ina,
snow was left piled up in other cities. and there W.
to lay the epidemic ut his doors especially as III me
year OF the greatest grip epidemic there were no
snowbanks IN town lie concluded that tnese , ay
lacks upon the Srtet Cleaning department s"o"
an anmus that cannot be mistaken. 49,.
Despite DR.. Mccartney. the fact remains that
at no time since the great epidemic OF grip III
1891 has the disease been so prevalent III this Guy
as IL is now Every sort OF business Is auccteu ny
IT, The publication Of newspapers with which
the writer should be acquainted Is sesioms,?f hc
fected by the epidemic as large proportion OF tne
mon employed b. the newspapers Of the city are
affected by the disease The grip has taken sucl
a hold on the Fire Department that the sickness
among the men employed by that Department
has increased le) per cent In the last week. OIL
missioner Scannen Is hard put 10 IL 10 maui ~ IL
an efficient force More than seventy cases OF IL
ness were reported 10 him yesterday from Mahha'-
tan and The Bronx