St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-09-10
VERMONT NEWS
Case of Infantile Paralysis Has APP
peared in burlington

peared in Burlington
The first case of infantile paralysis
to appear in Burlington was diagnos-
ed Saturday in Maxwell Powell, son
of Mr.. and Mrs. Max l.. Powell OF
South Willard street. The child had
been i'll for a week but no one sus-
pected the dread disease until Sat
urday The patient who is two and
one-half years of age, is reported
better than he was a few days ago
and the physicians in charge feel
assured that he will received on ac-
count of his robust condition. If he
does not recuperate rapidly he will
be taken to Boston in a few days
for treatment by a specialist. The
child became i'll about a week ago
and the illness puzzled the physi-
clans. A consultation was held on
Saturday and a quarantine was or
dered. Mrs. Powell and some of the
servants are now confined to the
house and the child and a nurse are
isolated in two rooms. Infantile
paralysis has baffled the most bril-
liant medical men in this country
for many years. On rare occasions
the child RECEIVERS the full use OF
his body, but usually the disease re-
suits in Gripping the victim for life.
At one time the stable fly was be-
lieved to be the transmitter of the
germ but later discoveries have dis
credited this theory and the investi-
gators are pretty nearly back where
they were at the beginning. Hard
wick has been the center of the dis
ease in Vermont and there are at
present reported by the state board
of health to be 10 cases there. In
adjoining towns there are about two
more and outside Of that the only
case known is that of the Powell
child. How he contracted the disease
is a mystery as he has never been
anywhere near the infected territory
Charles Baysdorfer, a young New
York aviator, narrowly escaped
death September 3 when attempting
to land on the Bannlster farm
about three qarters of mile from
the Mortified Fair grounds. He lost
control of the biplane 200 feet in
the air and fell with the machine
to the ground. The physicians
who were called said he had severe
burns and cuts and of course was
badly shaken up.
Triplets were born to DR.. and Mrs.
]. B. woodruff of North Bennington
recently. All the babies, two girls
and a boy, seem to be in perfect
" healthy, strong condition and the
mother is doing we'll. The combined
weight Of the babies was 1874
pounds.
Frank H. Gill, age Sc, a Bolton
farmer. died August 20, as the re-
suit of a fracture Of the neck caus-
ed by being thrown from his wagon
when driving to the mill He left
a mother and grandmother who were
dependent on him.
According to the statistics recent
" revealed by the U. S. Department
Of the interior, Vermont led the
United States in the production of
granite for the year 1912 and
stood second to Pennsylvania in
the output of stone which includes
granite. The value of the total pro-
duction of granite in the country
is $20.324,041, while that Of Yer
mont is $3,O74.3O6.
A fatal accident married the last
hour of the Rutland fair Sept. 2,
when George Schmidt of that city
was killed. He with his passenger,
J. Dyer Spellman. a Rutland attor-
ney. was making a successful flight
i'm his biplane, Red Devil" and
were about to land, when something
happened which caused Schmidt to
lose control of the machine, letting
the occupants fall about 100 feet.
There are various stories as to just
what happened. Schmidt suf-
fered internal injuries, a fractur-
ed jaw and ankle, and died that eve
ming. Spellman suffered mostly
from burning gasoline and bruises
and will have to remain i'm bed for
several DAYS. Schmidt was "a years
old and commenced aviation in
glider which he made himself while
in school in Rutland. For the last
two years he had been a profession
al aviator, making a tour of South
America and appearing in a num-
Der Of the principal American meets.
The little town of Weston was
nearly wiped out of existence Sept.
2. when the buildings on the east side
Of the common from Edward Whites
dwelling TO that of Mrs. AlOnzo
Drury, were burned. The fire started
about nine o'clock in a barn in the
rear Of the old Drury store building
and spread until daylight when its
force was checked. Ready aid was
summoned from the neighboring
towns Of Ludlow, Chester, and Lon
donderry but il was a most difficult
thing to stop the fire after it had
such a start. The loss is estimated
at about $4,000.
Governor Fletcher announces
that he has decided to appoint Park
Pollard of Proctorsville, to fill the
vacancy on the Public Service COM
mission caused by the resignation of
G.. Fl. Babbitt of Westminster.