The evening world., 1903-02-25
Bellevue Filled to Overlooking
lmprovised Beds HurriedIy
Arranged to Receive Others
Who Are Being Brought In.
MANY TRANSFERS MADE.
Sudden Increase In Grip Cases At
trlbuted to the Melting Snow and
the Excessive Use Of I~ntoxlcants
During a Holiday.

The grip has taken a fresh hold on
New York and the alarming Increase In
the number OF cases liz filling hospitals
TO overlooking. Never has such a sert-
Gus situation confronted the authorities
~ charge OF charitable institutions and
se.levue Hospital Is full and running
sver.
Spring mattresses are spread through.
Sut all the wards regardless OF their
limitations or OF the specific cases to
which they are supposed to be confined.
Surgical wards, alike with noncontagious
disease wards. are turned into temper
airy asylums for grip sufferers. who take
their places upon the spring mattresses
placed in any possible spot.
AT five o'clock last evening SIS grip
cases were registered at the hospital,
which brought the number of patents
up TO 900, exclusive of the insane. As
the hospital accommodations are for 500
the new arrivals who came In to-day
were taken care of as we'll as circum-
stances provided.
A Hard Problem.
The authorities are confronted with a
grave problem under the present cond.-
tons. The number OF grip patients
brought in has raised the number OF
patients to 1000, and the hurrylng Of the
ambulances to the charity boats to
transfer patients to Blackwells Island
began carly and has kept up all day.
The crowding of patients into the am
balances which take them TO the Charity
Hospital brings to light another condi-
tdon which the flood OF grip sufferers at
Bellevue caused. into the ambulances
ten patients are crowded. old men,
young girls. Intoxicated men and wom-
en-. No time or discrimination in getting
the patients transferred from Bellevue's
overlooking wards to the island is
taken. The grip patients are herded
together, taken from their temporary
mattresses and hauled Off to the charity
boats as swiftly as possible.
As yesterday was a holiday and the
day preceding was Sunday the charity
boat WAS not running and the number
of patients that accumulated at the hos
pital caused the deploraole conditions Of
to-day.
Doctors Are Alarmed.
DR.. Mabon, Superintendent of Belle
vue, said that II another cold snap fol-
lowed the present warm weather. he
feared the conditions would be greatly
aggravated.
The melting OF the snow which has
caused % many people to become be-
draggled and wet is responsible. say the
doctors. for the sudden Increase in grip,
but the chief cause Is credited to the
drinking OF whiskey.
Following two holidays, when the
drinking Of whiskey was on a large
scale, comes this wave OF grip, and to
the questions of an Evening World re-
porter several doctors at Bellevue gave
out the statement that to whiskey as a
prime factor is due the great increase
In the number of grip cases.
Just as many women as men have
been brought to Bellevue suffering from
grip. n many of these were brought
in In an intoxicated condition. The old
time theory that grip can be cured by
drinking has been exploded, and one Of
the chief things the doctors have to con-
tend with in the grip situation is the
excessive use of w~hiskey.
Patients Hustled Away.
The poor patients who are attacked
with grip n are takey to Roose-
NVitp u ticSbS tcTldIl anu the various
charitable hospitals. are all transferred
TO Bellevue. and are In turn taken
" TO the Island. The authorities. by send
ing the patients In such haste and In
such large numbers to Blackwelps
Island, are endeavoring by every pos
Bible mean to get Bellevue In proper
shape TO care for all.
The outbreak OF grip, which
has worried the hospital authorities COR
the last two days, excels the conditions
OF last year, and the past weeks rec
ords show that the disease is increas-
ing.
The records at the Board Of Health
show. for the week ending Jan. al,
that there were ~thirty-seven eaths
The week ending Feb. there were
nineteen deaths. Tn week ending FEB
IL there were thirty deaths. The week
ending Feb. a., thirty-six deaths. The
development OF grip into pneumonia
gave the record OF deaths for the week
ending Feb. II as 269. The week end
ing Feb. q had 24 deaths from pneu-
the death rate dropped hve In pneu-
monia cases. 1t went up six In grip
The conditions which exist AT Belle
vue, and which the Board OF Health
statistics show to be alarming, are
echoed In every hospital and hotel In
the city. Illness from grip has crippled
the forces OF the hotels throughout the
city. Scarcely an ONCE In New York
but numbers Its sick list OF employees
and substitutes In every profession are
Milling the places OF grip victims.