The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-07
FIVE AT PEST HOUSE
TWO MORE SMALLPOX VICTIMS
WERE SENT OUT THERE
YESTERDAY
C0L0RED FOLKS FRIGHTENED
Negroes Of the City FIockins to the
Health Department to he Vacci-
nated-E. A. Smith and Wife
Sent to the Pest HOuse-Physi-
clans Hope to COnflne the Dis
ease to COIOred People.

The colored population of st. Paul is
alarmed at what 1t considers an i'm
pending epidemic of smallpox. E. A.
Smith and wife, of 24e East Seventh
street. were taken to the pest house
yesterday, suffering from the disease.
and this fact induced about 100 negroes
to go to the health department to be
vaccinated. All came in shivering and
frightened, anxious to get the prophy-
Tactic as soon as possible A scarcity
OF vaccine points exists in ST. Paul at
the present time, and several doctors
came to the department to obtain virus
for their patients.
Carter, the railway porter, who de-
veloped the disease in st. Paul, lived
with the Smiths and passed the germs
on to them. Notice was first attracted
to the case yesterday morning when
Mrs. Smith stuck her head out of the
window and called for a DOCTOR The
policeman on the beat notified the
health department, and Dr. Miller, who
responded to the CALL decided that the
case was smallpox and took measures
accordingly.
Assistant Health Commissioner Mil
Ter says there is no danger of a small
poX epidemic, as the disease and sus-
pected cases are now under strict
quarantine. Yet the health depart
ment is clearly apprehensive of re-
suits. Many of the drug stores, at the
request of physicians, have telegraphed
for vaccine points, and the health de-
partment yesterday exhausted all its
supply but 100.
The fact that causes alarm is that
Smith was a waiter in Carvings res
taurant, where he came in contact with
hundreds Of persons every day. He
was placed in quarantine Saturday,
but it is not thought tnat was early
enough to prevent the contagion from
being spread.
There are now five cases at the pest
house, and well informed doctors ex-
pect more to go there every day. At
present the disease is confined to the
colored population in the city. These
people, for the most part, frequent
the same resorts, and il is hoped to
confine the trouble to them. More
over, cold weather is favorable to the
spread of smallpox, as the sad cpl
denies in Montreal have shown.
But the fact that E. A. Smith, the
last patient, was a waiter and that
George H. Benton, the second man
taken to the pest house, was bar
Der, gives the doctors additional
alarm They met people of all classes,
who live in all parts of the city. 1t
is easy enough, the doctors say, to
adopt satisfactory quarantine regula-
tons when disease is confined to one
particular locality, Dul WNell IL ID STAT
tered throughout the city sanitary
measures are almost useless.
The employees at the pest house are
hard at work caring for the patients
already there and making preparations
for those who are expected. The local
ity is Stunned by everyone who is not
immune, and people so blocks out of
their way to avoid the place.
"Of course" said DR.. Miller yester-
day, II can't tell whether there will be
an epidemic or not. That is impossi-
BILE to tell. However, 1 think there will
be none. The health department is do
ing all in it's power to prevent it,
isn't the fact that doctors are COM
ing here after vaccine points signifi-
cant?''
Significant of their good sense; that
is all. People should be vaccinated
whether there is a smallpNs scare or
not. The doctors are only doing their
duty in advising such a precaution."