New-York tribune., 1908-11-14
sTRIkEIN SANAT0RlUM
STY HEBREW PATIENTS
OTTT OTISPILLE HOME.
Consum ptiues Up in Arms Because
They Haze to Clean Room
Want to 90 Back No1c.

4,,.;c-,s IN the C1isvslIe Sanatorium. where
,,,be-~ulosis sufferers are sent by the Health
Department went on strike this week Ihere
we're only six Of the 17o patients who defed the
authorities, but they gave Or. Thomas parllng-
ten. the Health Commissioner. two exceeolhgls
busy DAYS The elimination Of the critical Sil-
uaticn came yesterday afternoon in the COM
rpissioner'S Office. where the six. several weep
Ing violently. begged TO be sent hack =" ue
sznatoriun They will meet the ComHlsz H7r
IN his Office this morning. where he VIII give 's
decision and il is proha bic that they VIII be sent
to the Riverside Hospital for time before be-
ing permitted TO enjoy again the advantages OF
the OtiSviile treatment.
TIE six men are Hebrews. They struck be-
cause they did not wish TO clean the dining
room. and also charged that they were being I'll
treated. locked up and otherwise Disseminated
against That charge sent DR.. Darlington up
"a OtisvilIe in hot haste. He learned that one
Of fhe employees had used epithet toward one
OF TIE Hebrew patients. but that the complaints
Of fll treatment unfounded in every par
ticula- The reason for refusing to clean the
dining room was also discovered. and this was
found to be the real pretext for the strike
TIE dining room is about 20 feet by so in size.
1t had been customary n tell of nine men to
do the work They were so much in one an
sweeny. decided that FIVE should do the work
Then came the rebellion. DR. Darlington found
that FIVE could do the task much better than
rfn= and that il was after all. light task,
Furthermore. il was poorly done by the nine
and net much better by the five. The strikers
were sent home much against their viii. and
yesterday headed by with fine persua-
sive powers thcy descended upon the Commits
sioner with the intent Of having the embargo
removed.
Patients at 0tisville are expected TO keep their
rooms clean and to wait on the table. also to
clean the dining room and the halls and entries
The work, Dr. Darlington said. is light. and does
nor in the least interfere with the weIlheing Of
!. The patients. They have foar-ffths of the day
FOR rest The Health Department has about
80 men employed 10 do the heavy work, men
who are not Patients They do the repairing
II the buildings cooking. gardening and all the
other tasks incidental to taking good care Of
the inmates.
The men who struck are charity patients. Ac
% rordinE to the records each has gained in
. weight and as they appeared before the Com
missioner yesterday they looked as If they were
: en Toying the best Of health. But they were
; longer strikers
" Dr.. Darlington felt that 20 send them back
would be subversive Of discipline. and told
them So He gave them the alternative OF going
hack to their homes or to Riverside It was
then that the weeping began. They we're will
ing. they said. 10 do anything to get back to
OtisviIle would do the work required of them
gladly. anc did not mean what they said in
tliar complaints anyhow one Of the men Yyespt
;, 60 Joaldls- that the doors had to be closed. for
+, fear Of upsetting the work in the other rooms.
- They were then told to call to-day. when the
; final decision would be made. Dr. Darlington
s. said 10 a reporter for The Tribune;
7 discharged the man at once who called
one OF the patients a name. That the only
breach of attention to the patients. They are
wei treated throughout-in fact. have a most
delightful home. They acknowledged that they
= had done wrong. but they caused a consider
able disturbance st the home, and We cannot
:, overlook the fact that TO send them hack at
pnce would endanEcr discipline.
THE tasks the patients have 10 perform are of
the iightest They would be better off if they
4 had some light instructive occupation. but we
have not the facilities for il. I made a thor
eugh investigation in the two days 1 was up
at the sanatoriunf and found that there was
not the least foundation for the complaint ex-
ceptiag. OF course. the language used by the
= man 1 discharged There are about seventy
Hebrews among the 10 patients. and they are
most certainly not disseminated against. Oh,
yes they want to go back now. They shall go
hack but not al once That is the way ! feel
about ii now
: The OtisviIle Sanatorium is the especial care
If Dr.. Biggs. and Dr. Darlington also devotes
much time and attention 10 it. 1t was said
yesterday that it had proved Of great benefit
% those from this city suffering from tubercu-
loss, especially 70 those who sleep in the pavil-