Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-10-06
!. IsSECRECATED
Washington Co. Men
At Aver Separated
One of Men Came from Family in
Which There Is Case Of Small Pox-
No Evidences Man Had Been Exposed
|. to pisease-Matter Turner Over by
Health Dept to Military Authorities

The Washington county contingent,
| consisting of IS drafted men, has been
segregated from the other, contingents
at Camp Devens, Aver, Mass, because
one Of the men, Reynolds, from Whit
NEVILLE. came from a family in which
it has since been discovered. there Is
case of smallpox. There is no evil
dence that Reynolds has been exposed
to the disease and he has showed no
symptoms Of it up to the present time
He and the other men from Washing
ton county have simply been sesregat-
ed as a precautionary measure.
Reynolds joined the contingent a
section of which came from Calais and
another from Eastport, at Machias. He
did not know there was illness OF a
contagious nature among his family.
After the party had been on the way
two hours, DR.. A. l.. Smith wired the
State Board Of Health at Augusta that
a case Of illness in the Reynolds fam
lily at Whitneyville had just been dag
nosed as smallpox.
, Inasmuch as the men concerned were
! soldiers in transit. the State Board of
Health turned the matter over to the
military authorities of the State. They
communicated with the camp surgeon
at Aver and asked for instructions,
for the men were in the United States
service. The camp surgeon ordered
that the men in the Washington county
car be instructed to remain in it. that
no other person he allowed TO enter
F! and that the whole outfit be sent
through to camp.
The Maine Central Railroad Off
Gals We're promptly notified of condi-
tons. The trainmen We're ordered to
keep out of the car. Acting Sergeant
Goode. who had been put in charge of
] the contingent by the local board for
Washington county, was told of the
, difficulty and instructed to keep his
men in the car. He is reported TO have
! had a busy time carrying out his or
ders. for even Reynolds didn't know
what it was all about and some Of the
men thought they weren't being used
fairly when they saw men from the
other cars stretch their legs at Port
land. The Washington county boys
took it out in singing and guying their
comrades, but obeyed orders like vet
Grams.
t At Aver the men were detached from
! the others and are in bunk house by
themselves. They are in no sense in q
pest house or isolation camp. Their in
i duction into real military life will be
postponed about a fortnight. With
nothing much to do except eat sleep
and nurse arms that have just had an
! injection of antismall pox serum, their
lot can hardly be called unpleasant
The car in which they journeyed to
camp was promptly and thoroughly fu-
migated though the railroad men say
that there wasn't one chance in a hun
dred that it had any smallpox bugs in
it Il an any car in which the general
i public rides. The fumigation was
Y simply precautionary measure, fol-
not only has young Reynolds l.snseli
not shown any signs of the disease
: but II he has contracted it. he is not
Yet in condition to communicate it.
The railroad men say that Acting
Sergeant Goode not only had his hands
full along the way, but they also as
sert that if ever a recruit demonstrat
ed natural ability to handle men, he
did. The splendid manner in which he
performed the first duty assigned him
will be called to the attention Of his
superior officers.
The camp at Aver has every facility
for handing any contagious disease
that may appear and the men there are
less likely to be exposed to such things
than would be the case in their regu.
lar walks of life