Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-05-18
CHANGES RECOMMENDED
Thursday's witnesses said Fire Pro
lection WAS acknowledgement.
else Ground II Needed-Do
Not Favor Division.


institutions. and Gov. c. J. Bell were
present when the investigation of the
conditions at the hospital were resumed
this morning. They worked all day and
at 4:3O closed the investigation. Gov. C.
j. Bell ordered the commission to make
their report at once. The commission
thought they would be able to report
the findings of the investigation about
the first of June.
Gov. G. J. Bell arrived on the S:45
train and the supervisors. G. s. Foster.
NJ. d., of Putney, l.. NJ. Greene, NJ. D..
of Bethel and i. T.. Steele. NJ. d., Of
Mont pclicr. arrived at $3.50 and were pres
ent at the hearing.
At the opening of the morning session.
DR.. WATSON took the stand. His test-
mony was in rebuttal of that offered by
Mrs Mansfield in which she stated that
her husband, while an inmate of the
institution, stood in fear of the at
tcndants and failed to receive medical
treatment for a physical ailment. from
which he was suffering. The witness
proceeded to show. quoting from Mrs.
Ma nsfeld's own statements, and also
from authorities on insanity, that the
condition of apprehension, depression.
under which the patient labored, was
due wholly to his morbid state of mind
and not at all to any relations sustained
by him with the hospital.
AS to the second statement that no
medical treatment was afforded Mr..
Mansfield, the witness proved from rec
ords that Mrs. Mansfield was again at
fault. Witness also explained that pa
tcnts were not compelled to do work at
the hospital but that they were en-
couraged to do SO, as in most cases oc-
cupation of some character was bene-
fetal to the patients. AS a matter Of
fact most of the patients do no work
of any kind.
RETTER FIRE PROTECTION NEEDED
| w. J. Redmond, electrical engineer at
the hospital, was the next witness. He
stated that he had been engineer for
the past seven years ard explained to
lthc commission his duties and the duties
Iof the employees under his charge. His
salary at the present time was $3.50 per
month. He said in his opinion the fire
protection at the institution was in
sufficient. That in case OF fire on the
wards 1t would take from ten 10 fifteen
minutes to unreel the hose and get n
stream of water on the fire. He recon-
| flenucO the tHe DT1cket
system on the wards. where. instead
of the hose being on a reel it is laid
in folds on a bracket, and can thus
be operated much more quickly. He also
recommended that a line Of hose be also
plac ed in the attics where at present
there was no fire protection of this
character.
In regard to the fire extinguishers in
stalled throughout the building. he said
they We're inspected occasionally and
tested. to know that they were in proper
working condition. He recommended the
purchase of about Il new fire extnguish-
ers to take the place of some that were
not in a condition to be depended upon
lin case OF fire. Mr.. Redmond also eX-
planned tho principles governing the low
lprcssure and high pressure systems. and
lcndeavored to show that it would not be
| feasible from an economic standpoint to
use the low pressure system at the hos
pital without installing a new system
of plumbing. Only about three to five
fper cent. heat units were saved when
running the boilers on ten-pound
pressure as compared with an S0-pound
pressure and the amount OF fuel saved
in this case would be more than over
come by the wear and tear on the pumps.
Mr.. Redmond read a letter received by
him from l.. II. Rettcnhousc. instructor
in mechanical engineering at the Armour
Institute of Technology of Chica go, which
Substantially cOrrObOrated the opinion as
hold by Mr.. Redmond. During the adj
ADMINISTRATION of DR.. Page. the low pressure
| system had been tried. and was found
to be unadvisable owing to the system OF
plumbing at the institution and he had
returned to the high pressure system OH
his own responsibility.
SUPERVISOR GREENE TEsrlFIEs.
The next witness on the stand was
DIR. j.. NJ. Greene Of Bethel one of the
State supervisors. who had served or
the board for four years. lie stated
that it was the duty of the supervisors
to visit the institution at Waterbur,
and also the retreat at Brattleborc
once each month, at which time they
made a thorough investigation of thu
affairs at the hospital and discharged
patients who were in condition thai
would warrant their so doing. The,
also examined very carefully all case.
where complaints had been made tc
Them either by relatives, friends or pa,
tlcnts themselves. regarding food
clothing. treatment by nurses. or car,
of physicians. The physicians ant
nurses were both given Il hearing ant
a private hearing would be given tn,
patients, who had made such com
plants. He stated that no complaint.
had ever been made to him, so IA
as he knew to me board. relative t,
the specific cases of ill-treatment O
patients by nurses, which have beer
brought out during the work OF tn,
investigating committee, in fact hat
known nothing of them until he hat
seen the reports as printed in thu
newspapers. He had never seen any
thing to indicate that the patients wer,
not receiving good care and treatment
Quite frequently complaints wer,
made to them by patients. but upol
Investigation would usually find tina
the cause for complaint existed who'll.
within the mind of the patient. VIII,
imagined they were being poisoned o
otherwise harmed.
At one time he had seen q nurs
strike a patient by reason of som
provocation on the part OF the patient
but the nurse was discharged within
20 minutes.
DR.. Greene stated that he had ex
amined the quality of the food that wa
given to the patients and considered i
Equally as good as the patients received
at the institution at Brattleboro. both
in quality and quantity. lie had als'