Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-10
A GRIM. FIGHT !.
Between Vaccine Virus and
the Smallpox Epidemic.
Saturday Will Tell Which will Win at
Waterville and WinsIow.
Patients All Doing Will and No New Ores
Have Been Reported.

Waterville, Me-, Feb. 9.-(SpeciaD.-
III we have no more new cases be-
tween now and Saturday" said Dr. L.
q. Bunker. the secretary of the board
or health. this noon, Il shall think tina;
| the end of the small pox scare is in
| sight" AS DR.. Bunker spoke he had
| more of relieved expression on his
race than he has had since the cpl
demic broke out.
Another house was placed under
| quarantine, but only that it might be
fumigated, and not because it has a
case of smallpox The house was oc-
| cupied by family, one of the mem
5ers of which have been sick with the
| disease and has not recovered. AS
soon as it was learned that there had
been disease in the house, 1T was placed
under quarantine that the fumigation
process might begin
Saturday is set as an all important
day in the history of the disease. BY
that time ii may be told whether or not
| the vaccination has gained the upper
| hand of the disease. AS soon as the
| vaccine arrived the board of health
visited the houses on Temple court and
| Front street and vaccinated every
| member of the families, whether they
had been exposed to the disease or not
| by Saturday the disease will have
| shaped itself SO that it will be known
whether or not there are to he any new
| cases in those houses. If there are nc
new cases it will be seen that the vac
cine has got in ahead of the smallpox
| ard that the worst is over.
What applies to these two cases
| which We're among the first discovered
| applies to the other cases in the city
At present it is battle between the
smallpox and the virus. The present
indications are that the virus is com
ing off the victor and that the wors;
Of the disease is over. 1t has been the
practice of the board of health as soon
as a case was discovered in a house
10 begin at once vaccinating the fam
! lily.
The board of health is already be-
| ginning to prepare for fumigating the
houses where the patients have been
confined. The process of fumigating
viii be similar to that used during the
scarlet fever epidemic in the fall, the
houses being filled with the gas of a
powerful disinfectant. 1t is the plan
of the board to employ a competent
! man to have charge of the work and
he will employ several assistants. The
work will be done in thorough man.
ner so that when the fumigation is
| over the houses will be as safe from
:, contagion as any home in the city. In
! addition to fumigation of the houses
every piece of clothing which is worth
saving win be thoroughly steriliZed by
| special apparatus which is now being
| manufactured by the orders of the
board of health. The part of the cloth
| ing that are not worth saving, if saved,
will be a menace to public safety. will
| be burned.
| The word which was given out on the
street, this morning. that there are
| several houses to be placed under quar-
antine caused a general alarm in the
city, as it was feared that new cases
| had broken out. As has beer said be-
| fore the houses are guarded simply
that no one may be in danger of not
| only contracting but spreading the
disease and not because there are ad-
ditional cases. AS soon as the houses
| have been fumigated the quarantine
will be raised.
1t was thought. today, that the other
patients are so near the end of the sick
ness that it will be but a short time
before the quarantine can be raised on
| those houses.
! There are at present 10 houses in the
! Git which ,i1lHpr MT inc The
first two houses over which the quar-
antine was placed were those in Tenn
pie court and on Front street. nearly
opposite the end of Common street.
The mild form of the disease and the
utter lack of fatality with one excep-
| tion among the cases has given the
board of health the most hopeful feel
| ing in regard to the disease.
| The attendance at the schools has
been greatly affected. At the Myrtle
street building and at the South Plains
| school the attendance has dropped on
IS per cent. AT the other schools the
attendance has fallen off enough tn
bring the attendance down to only one
| half of the usual number of students
in attendance. At the South Plains
school the attendance has been so small
that it was found advisable to close the
| schools. and this action was taken by
| Superintendent Hitchings, this morn
! ing Up to today no cases nave been
reported among the scholars. The at
tendance has been affected from the
fact that there have been so many pu-
pills yaccinated and who are now begin
ming to feel some of the effects of the
| virus.
In an interview. this evening. Rev.
FIR, Charland stated that there was a
misunderstanding when he was quoted
as saying, that there was no smallpox
! in the city What he meant when ne
| said that there is no smallpox that 1t
was not .'picotte noii' or crosse
| .,iu,ttn ,c Ii is knnMn in CAnaOa.