Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-02

NlA1dAAHDA - opANdhAuR at an alarming rare
in the city of Washington and criminal ef-
forts are being made to conceal the fact that
il is rapidly becoming epidemicl The ed
itor Of the GLOBE served as secretary TO the
Cincinnati board of health in just such an
epidemic as has now seized Washington and
our experience in that fight, against this
hlthiest of all diseases, admonishes us to
warn the public that while the contagion
should be met courageously and vaccination
should be Immediately resorted TO by all
there viii be the most strenuous efforts
made in the interests of business to conceal
the spread Of the disease.
Taking advantage Of this knowledge and
experience which cauie to US when a young
man afraid of nothing we have watched the
gradual hold the disease is taking in this
city and noted the efforts being made to
minimize the contagion. But all such ef-
forts will fail unless the weather comes to
our assistance, for it is pecularity of this
loathsome disease that it Is least verulent
in fine or soft weather Frost and cold or
raw weather aids its spread and the man
sion Of the aristocrat as the hovel of the
poor is liable to be invaded as neither
cleanliness nor sanitary perfection are any
bar or preventative to its invasion
Early in the week the GLOBE, on the
look out for the appearance of the contagion
In unexpected places, was informed by a
reliable person connected with the Raleigh
Hotel that fifteen cases we're removed from
that hOstelry, and that in every case the
person removed had developed symptoms
of smallpox. Such an astounding piece of
information. in connection with the fact
that the hotel was still open and doing
business ~admonished US to authenticate
the information, notwithstanding that our
informant was an inmate Of the hotel and
person Of the utmost reliability His story
was TO the effect that the porter, Lee. was
FIRST attacked and quietly removed. Then
Miss Cora Woodward, the linen girl was
taken down and also promptly removed
And then followed thirteen others, all of
whom had developed the preliminary
symptoms of the disease. That a panic
in the hotel had not resulted was due to the
masterful discipline of Manager Tally.
Thursday we sent GLOBE representa-
tive to interview the manager and this is
what Mr.. Tally said;
Il deny in toto the statement that fifteen
persons were removed from this hotel show
ing symptoms of smallpox. / admit that
two persons who left here subsequently de.
veloped the disease and had sent away all
those who came in contact with them. /
refer you to DR.. Woodward, the Health Of
6cer, who investigated the matter. We
have nobody in this house now under sus-
picion Of being affected nor has any person
developed the disease while guest or EN-.
ploye of the hotel"
In fairness to the hotel management the
GLOBE gives Manager Tally statement and
supplements the SAME with Dr. Woodward's
corroboration, which is substantially that Of
Manager Talty's.
Nevertheless the GLOBES information Is
direct aud reliable and we place faith
enough IN it to believe that it is in substance
an exact statement Of facts We know the
disposition to minimize the danger and con-
ceal the spread of the disease in the bust
ness interests of Washington, especially
with Congress in session. II has been re-
marked from thevery first case that devel-
oped that our health department was not
acting vigorously in stamping it out and
that radical measures were not being taken
to prevent the spread Of the contagion.
The GLOBE does not want to create un-
necessary alarm or injure business, but it
believes il ~ be the wisest policy to warn
the public ma danger aud to have every
householder t. ov proper precautiors to pre-
vent the entran,T Of the dread disease to his
family hearth.
Fumigation and the destruction by FIRE of
every shred Of clothing, bed clothes, etc,
belonging to an affected person must be
rigidly enforced. The writer destroyed
every mattress, sheet, blanket and other
textile fabrics in one Of the largest hotels
in Cincinnati, where the epidemic broke
out and a lady had died Of the disease.
Such were the methods enforced In that
city when wagon loads OF bodies we're being
taken to the cemeteries and the epidemic
was in full swing. If proper or stringent
measures had been authorized earlier hun
dreds Of lives would have been saved But
the Over the Rhine" section Of the city
fought against vaccination and the public
were indifferent until the dead bodies be-
came too numerous for the hearses and
wagons we're used to load them upl
Let us hope that our Health Department
will insist on compulsory vaccination, and
that its sanitary officers make house to
house inspections daily during the preva-
lence OF the disease. Increase the sanitary
force with as many temporary officers as
will be necessary aud spare no expense
until the disease Is stamped out.
The following significant admission by
the daily press, which is sitting the news
for some consideration OF cause. will be ac-
cepted as confirmation that smallpox de-
veloped in the hotel:
Mr.. Mitchell was employed in a large
laundry as q driver on the collecting wagon
Several days ago he collected a budget of
laundry from an infected hotel, and the
health department believes il was in this
way that he driver contracted the disease"