The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-08
HOME FOR NURSES
The Cornelison Homestead
Hired for City Hospital
Assistants.
WARDEN OSBORNE PLEASED
Rooms Can Now Be Used
for Private Pa
tents.

A serious state of affairs has for some
time prevailed at the City Hospital.
There is not room enough to accommodate
the patients and the twenty-nine persons
who, besides the warden and doctors, are
employed about the hospital The doctors
and Warden Osborne's private help live in
the Warden's house. The ambulance driv-
er and his family occupy a small cottage
which the Police Department carpenter
built for them near the rear entrance to
the hospital grounds. There is no build
ing for the remainder. of the employees. AS
some of them only receive IS month ana
their board, and the highest salary paid Is
not much more than $50 a month, these
persons cannot very well spend their
nights away from the institution.
Several month ago President Abernethy
and Warden Osborne went before the
Board of Finance and asked for $2OOo
for the erection of a building for the
help. Their request was refused. Ihe
result is that the rooms that were once
used as private rooms for patients able
to paw are now occupied by the nurses,
and this source of revenue is cut OH.
These rooms, however, will not accommo-
date all the help. Three of the women
are Obliged to sleep in the female ward
where they are dangerously close to cases
of typhoid fever and other infectious dls-
eases. In view of the fact that Health
| Inspector Benjamin has asked the Board
] of Health to rescind the resolution oe-
| claring typhoid fever non-contaglous ana
give him authority to treat 1T as con-
| tagious disease, the danger of such sleep
| ing arrangements is easily seen.
| The men assistants are even worse on
| Three of them are obliged to sleep IN the
| cellar of the male ward in small rooms
| that have been partitioned Off 1or that
plirpose. The cellar is kept as ory as
possible. but it is below ground ana II
was never constructed to contain Sleep
| ing apartments.
| So great has the inconvenience and ap-
| solute danger of such arrangements pe-
| come that the Board of Health has at
| last decided to take measures to PROVIDE
| better accommodations.
| The Board met last night after the ses-
/ sion. at which the residents of Baldwin
! avenue and Clifton place complained
against the location of an emergency
hospital in the old Cornelison homestead
adjoining the city Hospital. The lack OF
/ accommodation for the help was brought
| up ana IL was SuSSeSeSu eiioe s
4 nelson homestead might be rented foi
/ their accommodation. After some discus
sion the committee, of which Rr. Rector
is chairman. was instructed to lease the
homestead at $3.50 year, the rental asked
/ nv the Provident Institution for Savings
which owns the property
/ If will be some time before the building
] can be fixed over to meet the needs o.
the hospital.
The hearing before the Board OF Health
on the proposed emergency hospital was
opened by President Abernethy, who sale
/ that he did not see how it could aHec'
those signers of the petition who live OF
Summit avenue, as Summit avenue IS toe
far from the proposed location tie saie
that the Board had selected the Cornen
4 son house as the best spot in the city Iol
the hospital
Alderman Charles Stell objected TO the
location on the ground that 1t would oe-
| nreciate the value of adjoining property
tJa nronosed that site be selected along
+ba wafer front. Others who objectec
were Westbrook Johnston and John Mui
ler DR.. Rector spoke in favor OF the
nroposed location. He said that the pro
| tests showed a great lack of commence
in the Board. DR.. Everett also spoke II
favor of the location.
When asked for his opinion PONCE sur
! geon John Nevin said: Wnlle asse
fheoretically with the doctors in regart
ia infection from the diseases mentlQned
/ believe they are contagious ana Iayo
the argument of the property owners.