The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1903-10-15
Vaccination Necessary.

1t would appear that not all lumber
men, by any means, are raising pro-
test against the small pox order recent.
ly listed by the State Board of Health
On the contrary, the board has received
assurances from many prominent lum-
bermen that the order was most ex
cellent measure, and one that would be
appreciated in the lumber camps
Canadian labOrers are coming into the
State in hundreds by every possible
route, almost every day. Forty eight
arrived in Loweltown Wednesday
bound for Jackman region. The agent
of the board there yaccinated as many
as he could without de aging the train
too long, and kept the rest over until
the next train, the conductor returning
their tickets So great is the thrush
there, that the board has ordered a
temporary building erected where those
who are delayed in tn manner may
have comfortable nights lodging and
have all their belongings disenfected
before resuming their journey All the
board asks of the lumbermen is an
honest effort to carry ont the provisions
of the order. And 1t is convinced that
the precaution called for by the order
will not cause the lumbermen so much
inconvenience, not to say disaster to
their business, as the smallpox would,
should it break out in their camps.
The active work which the state
board carried on last winter to restrict
and prevent the spread of smallpox has
not ceased for single day. In a quiet
way, work has been carried on ever
since In some parts of the State, partc-
ularly In the lover Madawaska region.
In addition to the work which has been
done directly by the sta and Marine
Hospital Service, has, at the request of
the board, rendered efficient aid at
Lowelltown, Jackman, st. Francis, Fort
Kent, Upper Madawaska and Van
Buren,. In spite of this work, the lack
of efficient cooperation and the importa-
ton of infection from the other side of
st. John River have made 1t impossible
to fully stamp out the disease. I'm
doubleday mild cases have occurred in
many houses which have been concealed
from the State board and the local
boards. Nevertheless, one of the men
in the employ of the State board has
disinfecteG forty or fifty houses in the
vicinity of Van Buren, within the last six
or eight weeks and another man little
earlier disinfected twenty infected
houses and families. From these towns
lumber operators have been hiring men
and carrying them into the woods
Many men also, of course, come from
the Provinces and the danger of lnfec-
ton from that source is considered
serious
Furthermore cases of smallpox have
occurred in Bangor and some of the
surrounding towns from which woods
men come, and in some of these towns
the earlier cases were not recognized as
smallpox. Since the making of the
special order month ago, smallpox has
been present in Van Buren,, Grand Isle,
Madawaska, Hamlin Plantation, Cyr
Plantation, Wallagrass, Stockholm
Plantation, Bangor, Old Town, Holden,
Glenburn, Brewer, Orono, Belfast,
Northwest Garry, Millinocket, Brown
Vile, Greenville, Orland, Shirley,
Blanchard, Hampden, Turner, Chester
ville Pennington and Rockland.
Last year the danger in an imminent
form did not exist until the latter part
of October, and then only in few places
in Canada and Northwest of Jackman.
This year the infection is present in
many of our own towns and threatening
from without as well. Last year small
pox was carried from lumber camps to
many towns and the resulting cost was
thousands of dollars. This year unless
efficient measul es are carried out, there
is ample promise of much more serious
trouble than we had last year.
The only trustworthy and efficient
precautionary measure against the
spread of smallpox in the lumber camps
and from the lumber camps is vaccina
ton. Ample experience in the past has