The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1903-11-14
CONSUMPTIvE CAMPS
in STATE OF TEXAS.
EdItor Noble of the Laurel Chronicle
Writes to Ills paper--TeIIs Of the
Fresh Air Treatment for Victims of
the White Plague Advocates Cow
ernment Control.

/ North OF the Historic city Of San An.
tonia the Aransas Pass ri' old extend,
seventy-one miles through country rich
alone in its climates Thousands of peo-
pie come annually, from every section OF
the United States, W this little branch
of railway in search,of relief from con-
sumption.
From San AntoHv north to the end of
the little railroad N Kpryille, consump-
tive resorts are aasieiS as saw mills
along the g. & s. IE1sailroad. A ma
jority Of them are called ranches. In
many instances faniiliess are camping to
themselves. They come to breathe the
air and be saved from the awful white
death.
To get full benefit.of ETHEREAL atmos-
phere the patients deep in tents and sit
out Of doors all day, Little medicine is
taken, except when the pulmonary fe-
yer is on.
I ] write from Camp Reliance, an open
air sanitariom, near Comfort. Camp
Reliance was established by DR.. G. II.
Wilkinson, an eminent physician, for
mer chief medical officer and surgeon
in-charge of st. Mary's Hospital at
Galveston. DR.. Wilkinson has son
who Is afflicted with the malady, and it
! is for this reason that he surrendered his
lucrative position two years ago and es-
tablished this sanitarium for pulmonary
troubles.
The Camp is situated away from the
dust of the'town ona high plateau which
Is studded with oaks. Beneath the hill
runs the Guadeloup river, and beautiful
landscape scenerygreets the eye in every
direction--the beautiful German farms i,
their stone houses and barns, windmills
and large hay stacks. A vision OF Long
fellows Acadia.
The Camp proper is hotel building,
consieting of a few rooms and office,
parlor, dining room, kitchen, baths etc.
The grounds are dotted with small
white tents, which are occupied by the
patients. Each tent is equipped with a
set of light furniture and an oil stove.
The patients, many OF who are used TO
aclose stuffy rooms, begin sleeping with
tents tied up close; after while they
will loosen flap, then sleep with it up,
and some may be seen sleeping with the
curtains OF their tents up all around.
while the thermometer is registering at
40 degrees.
They are here for the air and the phy-
sician insists upon their getting the full
benefit Of it.
There Is some pastime, but il Is little
indulged in by the patients, who are
naturally more or less low spirited. All
seek to be cheerful, but they all Fnve
their moods, like sick people will or ell
ones for that matter. 1t is sad to look
upon the emaciated FORMS of the inhabi-
tants OF this little tent city; sad to think
OF the beauty and manliness, hopes
plans, and ambition crushed down
thwarted temporarily, for some perhaps
forever by this awful scourge to the hu-
man family.
we find here a young law graduate
who worked too hard on the examina-
tons of the University OF Virginia.: {
young banker, who bent too long ovel
his books; society belle who indulget
the theatre once too much; stenogra.
lpher, who sacrificed outdoor exercise fol
the sake OF success in her profession;
former superintendent OF the Memphis
water works, who was exposed in til,
Galveston food; a prominent minister.
daughter who was sticken s9Tn by In.
ruthless hand of La Grippe; the formeI
cattle king OF Jaiper county, whose
lungs we're ruptured in a railroad acci-
dent; prominent Chicago drummer;
a New Orleans booSkeeper, an editor's
faithful help me@ from Laurel, and
j cElers. People from nearly every walk
q liz, and principally Of the younger
side Of life.
Resigned to their fate, yet hopeful.
One remarkable Characteristic of con
sumptive, he seldor loses hope. The
star Of Hope beamsas an eternal light
to these unfortunat people. And it il
blessing; for wheI hope is lost, all is
lost, and death gatfsrs its own.
When see this Teat army of con-
sumptiyes seatteret over the Western
States in search OF lealth, and think il
the thousands who re not able to come
here, it is wonderto me that the gov
ernmentdoes not nuke some provision
; for the maintenance OF sanitarium fol
1 the systematic treatment of tuberculolis
We have magnificent eleemosynary ins-
! titutions for the dat, the blind and the
insane, while the onsumptives, the mos
universal class ofssuffering humanity
have few places to, ayen when theil
means will permit1
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