The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-23
Over 90 Cases in Town
and Institute.
NINE CADETS ARE
IN THE HOSPITAL
instructions Wired General
Shlpp Last Night
BY MEMBERS OF THE
BOARD OF. VISITORS
Cause of the Epidemic Said to Be the
Pollution ofWater by Lack Of the
Proper Sewers in the Town.
Names ofthe Students Who
Are Now Frustrated
With Dread Disease.

On account OF the unusual prevalence
of typhoid fever in Lexington and IN the
Virginia Military Institute. the corps Of
cadets is to be furloughed at once. The
length OF the time Is, Of course, inde-
finite Just now, but all hope and believe
it will be not great.
This ;aodon was decided upon Sast
night after conference between Hon.
Alexander Hamilton, OF Petersburg. pres
ident Of the Board of Visitors, and DR..
j. N. Upshur. the Richmond member and
chairman of the Hospital Committee.
DR.. Upshur received telegram from
General Shipp yesterday afternoon, IN
which. it is believed. he laid the sltun-
ton before him.
Last night Or. Upshur had confer
ence with DR.. Paulus Irving, president
OF the State Board of Health, who mas
1ust returned from Lexington. After that
he talked with Mr.. Hamilton over the
phone. The result was that the FORMER
filed a telegram late last night to Gene
raj Shpp, advising him to issue a fur.
loush to the corps to end upon the call
of the superintendent.
Institute Not to Blame
DR.. Irving informed DIR. Upshur that
the ! causes of typhoid fever could not
possibly be found in conditions OF the
grounds OF the institute. He made a
thorough inspection during his recent
Visit and found the sanitary arrange
uents entirely satisfactory. The mess
hall, the kitchens, the dormitories, and
every department of the Institute was
scrutinized with the utmost care and ne
came away certain that the disease could
not have had its inception there.
The telegraph company promised Dr.
Upskur to get the message through US
quickly as possible. The superintendent
will certainly receive IT early TINS mo morn. ..
ing and will probably issue the order at
once, giving the cadets the furloughs.
There are nine cases Of fever In the In
stitute and seven in washington and Lee
University. while sixty-two cases have
been reported in Lexington since June
thirty-four Of which date from October
lat. From advices from Lexington the
dtsea Sc is widespread throughout Nhet
community Two or three of the eases
at the Institute are serious; all OF Inc
others are mild. Few serious cases are
reported in the town,
Unwarranted Alarm.
General shipp has been doing every
thing possible to stay unnecessary alarm.
He addressed the students YESTERDAY
morning and advised them to acquaint
their parents with the situation. ini1,5 anaad
nation is that every step recommended
10 the Board Of Health of Lexington by
DIR. Irving is being adopted SO far as
possible.
When asked last night what he learned
to be the probable cause OF the FEVER.
DR.. Upshur said that the Board or
Health of the town had been STRIVING
for some while to control certain con-
ditions there, and had not yet had suft1-
cient time in which to do so. There was
a spring in the place. the water OF winch
is used in one form or another for drink
ing prrposes The health board has been
trying to close up this spring, but an
interested person had gotten out an IN
function preventing this. The water
has been analyzed, says DR.. Upshur, and
pronounced unfit for drinking.
Another unsanitary condition Is the
lack of modern sewers In the town.
Lexington has practically no sew
erage system other than above
ground trenches. The Board of Health
has had this evil also to fight There
may be causes also which the board does
not yet know. DR.. Estill went to WASH
ington yesterday to secure an officer
from the United States Marine Hospital
to return with him and make an inves-
tigation
Students in Hospital.
Students in the Institute hospital are
Cadets Burroughs, of Portsmouth; Camp
bell. OF Amherst; Riley, Illinois; Lowe, Of
Baltimore; Harris, Nashville; Jogart,
Little Rock, Ark: James. Danvlle. Two
sick cadets have gone home. TWO stu
dents left, fearing the disease, Those In
the hospital have parents or near rela-
tives with them, and everything posi-
hle is being done for their comfort and
for the uprooting of the disease
DR.. lUpshur. as n member OF the board,
was much disturbed that the course OF
the session was to be interrupted, but
could see no help for 1t. 1t would be
impossible to confine the cadets to the
grounds of the Institute. They would go
down town and eat at the hotels and
restaurants, and It was impossible for
the Institute to control conditions there.
Every precautlon, however, has been
observed throughout the session at the
Institute and Washington and Lee. The
water that the cadets drink Is boiled, the
min, served is boiled, the kitchens are
pictures of cleanliness, and the best
modern sewerage system Is IN operation.
With these facts before him, and With
the additional fact that IT was inprac-
ticable to cut off the associations of the
cadets and the town, It seemed the best
thing to do to give the corps Its fur
Tough and remove 1t from further infec-
ton. pr. Upshur has a son at the In
stitute. who is In the first class Tho
physician says he feels no uneasness
about him, not believing that the disease
will spread, Quite number OF other
s,l n f1ara