The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-06-19
Matter Was Brought to Attention
OF the Commercial Club
Last Evening.
That Organization will Lend Its
Aid to the Improvement;
Boosting Spirit.
From Fridays Daily


Emmanuel hospital is to be doubled
in size if plans now on foot are car
ried out. Instead of being able to care
for about thirty three patients, it will
be made large enough to care for sixty
five. This will be brought about by
constructing a $4,000 addition on the
Washington street side of the present
building, so as to get a south frontage.
Money with which to construct the ad-
dition is now being collected.
The matter was brought to the at
tention of the Commercial club last
night by Rev. C. ]. Messerli of Louis
vile, general manager and financial
agent for the Lutheran Hospital asso-
citation. He appeared in the absence
of the president, Rev. A. F. Winter.
because the latter had to attend an
other meeting at New Ulm last night.
He said that at the last board meeting
the question of securing more rooms
had been brought up, as it had been
found that the present hospital does
not nave enough rooms to handle the
patients that apply for treatment. Man
kato was famous already on account of
the efficient work done by the physi-
clans. Nevertheless, the association was
running behind because of it's debt and
because the building was not made a
little longer when it was constructed.
The same force of nurses could care for
six more patients on each floor 1t
was felt that the hospital never would
be made a success unless an addition
was built to it.
Decided to Enlarge.
The last meeting of the board had
directed Rev. Winter to nave plans and
an estimate made for an addition, and
he had presented these at another meet
ing held last Monday. Architect Schip-
pei had prepared the plans for an add
dition 80 by 80, feet, with eleven more
proviate rooms OH each floor, making
thirty three more rooms, and beds for
fourteen nurses in the attic. The cost
of the addition would be $4,000 and it
could be heated from the same plant,
have the same ianitor, same elevator
same kitchen and operating rooms
With one more nurse on each floor,
all of the rooms could be cared for
Instead of thirty two to thirty -five
patients, as now, siXty-five patients
could be cared for. The addition would
overlook the park. The hospital had
had bad luck, with its fire and con-
tagious diseases and unavoidable chang
es in head nurse, but in spite of this,
1913 patients had been cared for from
the time the hospital opened Nov. a.,
1906, until June s, 1908, 400 being
operative and 233 medical cases, and
200 more would have been handled but
for the i'll luck.
Over 500 of the patients had
come from abroad and most OF
them bring from five to eight friends or
relatives to the city, who spend their
money here among the merchants and
others. The hospital advertises the city.
Rev. Messerli said That he had been
appointed general financial agent for
Southern Minnesota, Northern Iowa and
Eastern South Dakota to collect funds
for the new addition. Subscribers were
entitled to ST a week credit when pa
tients at the hospital. Nobody gets
any personal benefit out of the hos
pital for any surplus would be used
in charging the hospital and taking
care of the needy poor. The hospi-
tai had spent $4,000 for provisions
and supplies, mostly in Mankato. The
motto of pratronizing home trade should
apply to hospital work. What was
wanted by the hospital association was
the good will of the citizens of Man
kato and their hearty cooperation.
The hospital death rate is only about
three per cent.
At conference of ministers to be
held at Good Thunder the last of
August, call for general meeting
of the hospital association would be
made if $4,000 could be in the mean
time be raised toward paying for the
addition. Some subscriptions raised for
the proposed new hospital have been