The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-01-06
THE lie.
fFrom Page of the Evening Journal
of Saturday, Jan. 1, 1927
SMALLPOX BUNGLE
BY FREEHOLDERS
County Left Without Proper
Accommodations for Vic
TINS Of the Disease.

Because the Board of Freeholders last
fall set a torch to the old pest house at
Snake Hill before new pest house was
built, the county is now at the mercy of
a smallpox epidemic, with practically no
pest house in which to care for VIC
Tins of the disease. A new pest house is
building, to be sure, but it is going up
slowly, and the epidemic will possibly be
over before the building is completed.
The contagious disease hospital at
Snake Fiji, which was not intended for
smallpox victims at all, has been con-
verted into temporary pest house, and
contains over 100 smallpox patients, while
it has a capacity for not more than so.
In one ward four or five children are in
some Instances crowded into a single bed.
AS smallpox spreads, the demand for
hospital room keeps on growing, and
there Is no place in which to shelter the
victims, except in tents or temporary
sheds that may be thrown together in q
rush.
The situation IS complicated in another
direction The contagious disease hospital
at Snake Hill having been abandoned for
tue use OF smallpox victims, there is no
county contagious disease hospital. and in
The event Of an outbreak of diphtheria,
scarlet lever or other contagious disease
than thai of smallpox, there would be no
ace in which to segregate such patients.
By rare good luck, there are few cases
tie Teas malignant contagious diseases
the present time, but II the smallpox
idsmic holds out until spring, Il iS toC
uch to expect that diphtheria or scarlet
yer win not appear in CASES numerous
ough to demand the isolation afforded
a county hospital
Should Tho happen. the County Board
Health would have no place in when
house victims Of the less malignant
ntagious diseases, unle@s arrangements
ould be made with the Jersey City Board
Z Heath to place them IN the Con-
tgioua Disease Hospital in Tonneie ave-
ne. Otherwise, temporary quarters
ould have to be rented, and this would
)ubtless be a difficult job, as no landlord
3uld care to convert an unoccupied
Hiding he might own into a provisional
ii Is not easy to find an excuse for de-
roying the old pest house. before a new
ae was built. True the old building. was
lsan tary and in a dilapidated condition,
at it was better than nothing, and its
struction took place at time when an
ldemfc of SMALLPOX was anticipated. and
tier County Physician Converse and
t44er physicians had gent forth warn -ngs
of the coming plague.
Director Holmes stated a day or two
ago that work on the new pest house
would be pushed with vigor. but the fact
ID there is demand even now for hospital
room which does not exist, and Whlcn
may not be supplied for some time.
It was given out this afternoon that
the new pest mouse Will De coHipleltu anu
ready for the reception of smallpox pa
tients in about week. If this announce
rnent is to be relied upon it is reassuring,
because the demand for more room is
50 pressing that it Is difficult to exag-
gerate it Smallpox victims. as everyone
knows ought not to be huddled together.
Besides, the contagious disease hospital,
which was never intended to be used as
a smallpox pest house, is needed for other
purposes and should be restored to its
eriginal uses without an hours unneces-
sary delay.