The times., 1899-10-26
TEE SMALLPOX Victims
The Hospital BniIding Not in Con
di ion to Receive Them.
Every Precaution Taken to Prevent
the Spread of the Disense-Infccted
Afflicted Men IsOIated-A Statement
From the District Health officer.

D authorities concerning the Two cases ol
smallpox discovered yesterday in board
ing house at s4l H Street northwest. I'm
mediately on the discovery Of the dis
ease the two patients were removed to the
detention camp. and the residence in II
. Street was placed under strict quarantine.
/ Orders have been issued that no person
shall be allowed to leave the house in
which the disease was discovered without
the permission Of the Health Officer, and
those wishing TO enter viii be warned Of
the danger
The two victims OF the disease that have
been discovered are Alexander G. Stevens,
of Kansas. aged twenty, and Rudolph R.
Grant. OF Florida. aged twenty three. Both
Of the young men are strangers in the
city. and are said 70 be students at the
Bliss School Of Electricity. There are
nineteen other persons in the house eX-
elusive OF the two servants. most Of whom
are reported to be employed in the Gov
erument departments. The fact that the
cases We're discovered late in the day pre-
vented the health officials from obtaining
the fun names and the places Of employ
. meul OF these people. The failure Of
the contractor who was to place the heat
ing apparatus in the new hospital build
ing prevented the instant transfer of the
victims Of the disease TO the hospital
They Will be cared for in the old building
until the main hospital is finished.
] The health authorities are at a loss to
account for the sudden appearance Of the
disease in this city. The young men in
fected came to this city from their homes
late in September. and in neither State
. from which they came has there been any
smallpox for some time. One of the Health
Office inspectors stated yesterday that the
disease probably originated in Alexandria,
and that the young men became infected
there Upon investigation it was found
that both of them had attended the sesqui-
centennial celebration held at that place
two weeks ago, and it is believed this
theory is correct. DR.. Woodward said
there had been case Of the disease dis
Z covered in Alexandria, and that the one
F. case was enough to infect all who attended
the celebration.
Both Grant and Stevens were stricken
with the malady at the same time. They
! told the Health Office inspector who first
1 examined them that they had been i'll three
/ DAYS They did not call physician al once,
! but waited three days. A doctor was sum-
moned Yesterday morning, and as soon as
he saw the case he became suspicious and
notified the Health ONCE. In this manner
the authorities became aware of the eX-
I istence Of the disease in the city, and in
stantly took what precautions they could
TO prevent its spread. 1t was said that
there were two schooIteachers stopping al
l-r. - r.
verified None Of the persons who have
been examined so far shows the least signs
/ Of infection. but they viii be required 10
keep within doors, nevertheless. physi-
clan from the Health Office visited the place
/ late yesterday afternoon and vaccinated all
! Of the roomers who were at home The
guards, who we're stationed at the front
/ and rear doors OF the house, were relieved
early iu the evening and new men placed
in their stead.
Ii is not believed that the contagion viii
4 20 any further than II has already gone,
as the houses in the vicinity of the place
( where the disease was discovered are pro-
/ yided with the latest sanitary arrange
ments and the people living in them are
/ expected to take the proper precau-
tions against infection. Should other
I cases be discovered, the premises viii be
4 quaranuned and the patients removed to
I the isolation hospital on the banks Of the
! Eastern Branch near the jail. The law
provides that the Health officer shall dis
infect all the rooms Of a house in which a
case of smallpox has been discovered, and
that he shall cause the house to be closed
for period Of sixteen days. The disinfeCt-
ing Of the premises at 941 H Street viii
commence today, and the health authorities
viii visit the house every day. Under the
I system in vogue in the District the seats
Of conJagion are thoroughly disinfected
/ with specially prepared chemicals.
The Health Officer has instructed his en-
ployes To take every precautiOn in their
power to prevent the spread Of the disease
If the cases prove to be OF a violent
type" +" said the Health Officer to a Times
reporter, "the disease viii probably be
stamped out in a short time. When ii is
learned that smallpox in its most aggravat-
cd form has taken hold of a city the peo-
pie are frightened into taking the proper
precautions against It's spread, but when
it appears in a mild form the authorities
often have 10 work for nothing Last year
the disease was very mild and as a cOnse-
quence IL spread rapidly because the per-
sons infected did not take the proper care
Of themselves. We received a large ap-
proprIation for the work of treating the
disease from the last Congress and there
is still $50 600 Of that left. l believe this
Will be enough 10 tide US over the present
crisis. 1t Will last until Congress meets
at any rate.
The hospital building Is not in condi-
tion for the reception of patients at pres
ent. We did not have time last year TO
place the heating apparatus that had been
provided for by Congress, and consequently
we were compelled TO wait until the sum-
mer when the hospital would be empty be-
fore the work could be done. l had sup
posed it was finished until late yesterday
afternoon when the patients were on their
way there, and then ] found that the build
ing was not in condition TO receive them,
The old building will afford them refuge
for a little while The repairs will soon be
completed on the hospital so that in a short
time we viii be able to handle all the cases
they can bring US
4 am Of the opinion that the patients
now In the hospital contracted the disease
at Alexandria during the celebration there
two weeks ago. l cannot state this posi-
lively. though There was one case re-
ported in Alexandria. but ! have not been
Informed as yet what the results OF the
! Health Office investigation were We will
not attempt TO yaccnate the people Of the
city 10 the extent Il was carried on last
year II was new then, and we succeeded
| In scarrlfyiug the arms of thousands OF
/ people That vaccination is just as good
/ now as il was then, so there is a great
work of our hands. The house where the
4 two cases were discovered today is in the
( vicinity Of two places that were the seats
Of coutagion last winter. There was one
house in Street, between Ninth and Tenth