Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-10-26
STORY
SMALL PON FIGHT
ASSISTANT HEALTH COMMISSION
ER TELLS or EPIDEMIC IN
TllE STATE CAPITAL.
ZOO Cases At one time
Horrible scenes We're Enacted
Throughout the Squalid Sec
lions OF the city.

The story of how 700 citizens OF
Oklahoma CITY were afflicted with tho
dreaded disease OF smallpox at one
time was told in all its dramatic de-
tails, by Peter Biewor who was in
Tulsa yesterday. Mr. .Biewer, who is
now assistant state commissioner OF
health, was superintendent of health
in Oklahoma city during the smallpox
plague last winter The extent Of tho
plague was never made public and
Mr.. Biewer yesterday consented TO tell
for the first time Of the horrible CON
ditons that existed in the capital dur
ing the few weeks in which the dis
ease was prevalent.
one night Mr.. Bicwer received a
call from Broadway hotel in Okla
hpmn city. He responded immediate
ly. When he arrived at the hotel he
was directed TO a room in which lay
man whose skin was covered with
eruptions. A physician was called
He calmly stated that the patient was
afflicted with smallpox. Immediate
ly Mr.. Biewer removed the man to the
county poor house, lie then declared
quarantine on the hotel and every
guest within its walls was kept within
the hotel for fifteen days under police
guard.
There was no pest house at the time
in Oklahoma City. Mr.. Biewer erect
ed a number of tents on the out
skirts of the city and these served the
purpose of pest house. The disease
spread rapidly and in ten days time
a total of Gao cases of smallpox were
under the supervision of Mr.. Biewer.
who worked increasingly, day ana
night, in his attempt to stop the
spread of the disease.
"One night" said Mr.. Biewer yes
terday, in speaking Of his experiences.
Il walked into negn) shack on Cali
fornia street. A negro woman was on
the inside, dishing out some hash to
four or five men. The woman was
covered with SMALLPOX marks. ! wan
dered into a back room and there ]
found three men, all afflicted with
the worst form of smallpox. In a
squalid bunk at one side of the room
lay the dead body of a man. Small
poX had killed him. He had been
dead three days. ! left the place
quietly and soon l had a Gordon of
police surrounding the place. The
smallpox patients We're loaded into
police patrol and taken to our tempo
rary pest house All of the furniture
and other effects pf the shack were
hauled to the edge of the town and
burned. The fire department then
razed the shack and the adjoining
srucures"
Mr.. Biewer old Of an uncanny sight
that was presented to his gaze one
cold morning when he arrived at tho
pest house.
Three negroes had died the night
BEFORE" said the health officer, and
after life had left their bodies they
had frozen, owing % the measc1
warmth given out by the gasoline
stoves with which We were attempt
ing to heat the tents. Some of the
patients in a spirit of grim humor,
mad taken one Of the oorpses and
stood 1t erect on the outside Of one of
the tents"
An epidemic of smallpox was re-
Gently reported in Delaware county
and Governor Cruce sent Mr. .Biewer
to the scene to handle the situation.
Two hundred cases of the disease de-
veloped in few days time, but Mr..
Biewer, by exercising the strict meth
DDS that had been used in the Okla
homa City campaign, succeeded in
stopping the spread pf the disease In
three days.
At the present time Mr.. Blower Is
touring the state, making pure food
Inspections and assisting in organiz-
ing boards of health In the various
cities. A few days ago. he succeeded
in organizing strong city health de-
partment at Cpllinsvlle. While there
he condemned ninety pounds Of beef
in u butcher shop. He exercised tho
usual method in condemning stale
meats, 10y pouring coal oil on the
product.
Mr.. Biewer declares that Tulsa is
one of the leading cities in the state
from a sanitary standpoint and is un-
usually healthy at the present time.
He says that the reports Of his inspec- !
tors on Tulsa are always highly flat |
tcring. |
Mr. Biewer, before coming to Ok /
lahoma. was a prominent politician in /
Chicago, having served as alderman
in that city for several years. He was
acquainted during that period with C. I.
A. Sanderson, secretary of the Tulsa /.
Commercial club. who was at that |
time quite prominent in Chicago polit- |
Jcal circles.
$500 Reward for Slayer.