Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-23
EPIDEMIC SPREADING
Several Chicago Schools Closing
Because Of Widespread Ill
ness From Contagion
EVERY SCHOOL MAY CLOSE
Council Rebukes Health Department
and Steps Are Taken to Prevent
Spread Of Scarlet Fever and Diph-
theria-system of Placardins Homes
to Be Adopted.

Chicago. Jan. 23.-The developments
for one day in the epidemic of scarle'
fever and diphtheria have startled the
city. Many Of the schools have beer
closed. and there is prospect thai
it will be necessary to close every edu-
catfonal institution in the city in order
to prevent a further spread Of the con-
tagion. A total OF 214 new cases Wers
reported yesterday, 140 of which were
scarlet fever and forty diphtherfa.
Efforts to secure proper enforce
ment of quarantine regulations have
been successful, after the city council
criticised the health board, and police
men are now on duty seeing that the
regulations are net violated.
The rising tide of the epidemic o!
scarlet fever and diphtheria threatens
to overwhelm the schools of the city
and the health department may yet be
compelled TO close them. The Eugene
Field school in Rogers Park already
has been closed and in four others
from one to five rooms have been
closed.
1t lis expected that the report of the
special inspectors sent out today will
necessitate the closing of still other
rooms, IL not the entire schools.
The schools where rooms were clos
ed and fumigated under orders issued
during the day are: Cornell school,
Seventy-hfth street and Drexel avenue,
two rooms closed.
Monroe school, one room closed.
Herbert Spencer school, five rooms
closed
The Won Vlissingen. One Hundred
and Third place and Wentworth aven-
ue, three rooms.
The fact of the closing OF these
school rooms was kept from the pub
lis as much as possible. SO that the
news Of 1t might not affect the general
school attendance. 1t was impossible
to conceal it entirely. however, and
thousands of parents took their chill
dren out of school because of it.
made that the danger to the schools
involved the possible closing OF all of
them, it was learned that the health
tried early in the spread of
the epidemic to check 1t by wholesale
fumigation Of schools. Thirteen entire
buildings We're thus treated, including
one high school.
A dozen policemen were sent out by
Dr. Benin. 1t is estimated that 800
houses today will be olacarded.
DR.. Whalen, health officer, refused
to consider as a rebuke. the aldermanic
action ordering him to placard all
houses where contagious disease exist
ed. He holly declared he would not
resign. He was backed up in this po-
sition by Mayor Dunno.
Certainly l do not think that DR..
Whalen should resign" said the may
or. "If the council wants the city
placarded it will be done if the whole
police force has to be used to do It,
This has never been cone in Chicago
before.
All the work of fumlgation thus far
has been done by the repair depart
ment of the board of education. The
work is becoming heavier every day
however, and it may be that the fumi-
gators Of the health department will
be utilized or the employment of new
men authorized.
Seventy-five men enrolled under the
emergency inspector appropriation
started out to visit the schools. In
there were five women who
will do the same kind of work.
Every school in the city will be Wis
tied and wherever any Indication Of
scarlet fever or diphtheria is discover
ed the children will be ordered home
and the rooms affected or the entire
building closed.