Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-01-02


The discussion which attended the
meeting of the Trustees OF the Poor fer
New Castle county at Friday after
Moons meeting, full report OF which
will be found elsewhere in this issue,
disclosed surprising state OF affairs
W tn respect to the new emergency hos.
pital, or pesthouse, recently erected at
Farnhurst.
This building is supposed to be fin
ished and ready for the reception of
patients afflicted with smallpox or other
contagious diseases. 1t has cost nearly
$4,000. And yet one of the county
physicians says that patients taken
there would die of pneumonia, and that
1t will be better, when persons become
afflicted with contsg ious disease, to
quarantine them at their homes. One
Of the trustees charged that the build.
ing had been improperly plastered, the
plaster having been LAID directly against
the bricks, without the use OF laths.
Various other defects were pointed out,
and if the assertions Of the Trustees of
the Poor are to be credited, and there
is no reason to doubt them, the people
have been outrageously imposed upon
in the wsy of paying good money for a
building that will not begin to measure
up to the purpose for which it was con-
struoted
The amazing feature Of the situsticn
ia why the Trustees OF the Poor, NEST
ing at Farnhurst at least once month,
should not have noticed These defects
in the building during the course of
construction, instead OF waiting until
the building was set before them as
finished and ready for use. 1t was dis
covered at one meeting that the build.
ing was not provided with gutter; ng
and spouting, but 1t was at once shown,
in defence of the contractor, that the
specifications distinctly stated that no
guttering and spouting were included.
The fact remains that this building
affords another Of far too many in
stances of public work being conducted
in manner that would not be tolerated
in the performance Of private contracts.
No man who went about having resi-
dence erected for himself and family
would consent to methods that would
turn the building over to him in an
absolutely unfit condition for living
purposes. Ard yet the Trustees of the
Poor have done this very thing. They
contracted for the erection of an emer-
gency hospital, or pesthouse. and now,
according to their own admissions, the
building is unfit 10 be used for hos.
p,tal purposes, and their own physician
says that patients sent there would die
Of pneumonia.
What remedy have the people in this
matter2 According to the sentiment
developed at yesterdays meeting of the
Trustees of the Poor they have none.
For the expressions of some members
were that I'VE are stuck - I'VE are in
for it,. y 1t il the people, the taxpayers,
who ''are stuck" who "are in for it. 81
No wonder that one Disguised member
OF the board intimated that the atten.
tion OF the grand Jury OF the county
would be called to the aggravated evil,
And il should be. For when the con.
duct, or rather misconduct, of public
business reaches the point that build.
ing of such character as hospital
for the reception o. patients suffering
from Infectious diseases is constr cted
in such manner as 10 leave it abso.
lutely unfit for the purpose for which
it was intended, 1t is full time to cal
upon the grand jury of the county tc
make a careful investigation. Those
responsible for such a situation deserve
to be called to account