Bisbee daily review., 1907-08-07
FLOATING HOMES FOR ARMY OF
 SICK
New York Fights Consumption by Taking Patients From the TenementS and Giving Them Plenty of Air.

NEW YORK, Aug. 6.-Floatine camps for consumptives-tha is the city's latest plan for giving relief to its vast army of sufferers. Old ferry boats, which have passed the stage of usefulness as common carriers will be converted into floating camps for the sick. The first to be thus put in use is the old Staten Island ferryboat Southfield, which has been cleaned up and moored at the foot of West Six. teenth street. North River. With a trained nurse in charge. a regular visiting staff of physicians, an abundance of milk and eggs. and deck chairs and hammocks in which to sir out of doors and watch the passing craft, fifty men and women are keep ing cool and trying to get back their health and strength.
 Since the Department of Docks aud Ferries has been operating it's new boats on the Staten Island ferry the Southfield has been out of commits sion, and Commissioner Bensel was therefore able to acQuiesce in the plan that was put before him to per init the boat to be used as a day camp under the medical supervision and at
 
 ton Society.
 Patients are sent by physicians in charge of the Associated Tuberculosis Dispensaries, to which anyone uesir- ing treatment may go. After examl nation, if the applicant proves to be able to be up and around, card of admission to the boat is given, and thereafter each day the patient goes oh ming with the taking of temperaJTre and weighing at o'clock in the morn ing.
 At 5 o'clock all the patients go to their homes, excepting a few men who stay all night, cots being pro vided for their comfort
 Each patient takes from three to eight eggs and from three to eight glasses of milk daily. other food, ex- cept bread and butter. hot tea 0" cOf- fee, which are given out at noon, being brought by the patients tnem- selves. Once each week the commit. teen in charge meets on the boat. the medical members serving each tive weeks in turn as visiting physicians. In speaking about the boat member of the committee said:
 
 that fresh air and medical oversight are needed to cure tuberculosis, but in a long, narrow. congested place like the Island of Manhattan now IS this fresh air to be had? There are not parks enough to go round, and daily trips to the great open spaces in the Bronx are out of the question for the ordinary sick consumptive, who Fply do this. We looked into this matter carefully some time ago, several good sites having been very generously of- fered to us, but we considered them too far from our base of supply, the crowded tenements where tnhS.culo- sis is bred Then some old buildings that the city had condemned were about to be put at our disposal. but we could not get any assurance that we might not be put our right after making expensive improvements, So We had to give up that ided
 We then thought of the water front and found a helpful ally in Commissioner Bensel and it was due to his interest and broad view of | things that we now have our camp in full swing aboard the SouChfield. It | " eAo SpAalCA4AiAAS OA a JUL SJ NlGdll AAGI I up and fix things as we needed them, | but it was well worth while. If any one doubts it. let him go down and 1 see for himself.
 The patients are putting on pounds | and the color is coming back in whit 1 ehed cheeks in most wonderful l manner. Now and then a good friend l sends us some fruit, magazines CT flowers, and with these and the ex- tra diet and good, fresh air, ous pa- tients are getting along iIInously.
 There's an idea in all this. too, that's worth giving a good deal Of thought to. With all cur talk about the impossibility of getting fresh air in our tenement districts. have we not the means ready at hand in our large waterfront or on our bay tO pro vide resting places were our 10000 consumptiyes and our thousands of others needing fresh air can get this absolute essential to cure?"
 CURE FOR THE BLUES.