Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-10-14
DR. NJ 'DOWALL
NOW IN CHARGE
Of MEDICAL END

DR.. ]. L. MacDowell, who has
charge of the medical work in connec-
ton with the influenza epidemic here.
at the present time. said this morning
that the situation is far better and
tina There are fifty per cent less cases
here alta the present time than there
were forty-eight hours ago.
The deaths over the weekend
totalled about fifty and the work OF
burying the dead took on rather
gruesome aspect, but the situation Is
getting better the medical authorities
believe. !,
The doctors and nurses are rushed
all the time as are the outside AIDES
send hefe to help. Nurses and doctors
are needed, however. as are volunteer
workers.
At 0 o'clock last night an alarm OF
fire was sounded from box Al at High
and Washington streets. The firemen
had all prviously been notified by
Chief Deveny when this alarm had
been sounded thatsthey were to report
at the Standard Underground cable
Works where he wanted to have talk
with them.
When the firemen responded the
chief explained that the uhdertakers
had asked that the fire department
members be called out to make
house to house canvass for the dead
In this city. as they were about ex-
hausted and could not do all or this
work alone any more.
The flremen started to work al
once and visited all houses in the city
where they had reason to believe there
were any dead. The dead were taken
to the different undertaking estab-
lishments and place the bodies were
later placed in plain collins, which
n hy nfnr a
undertakers found 1t impossible to get
collins from out of town.
All of the vaults in the city ceme-
teries were piled high with the collins
Of unburied dead Saturday and yester-
day, the number of grave diggers be-
ing inadequate to prepare the graves
for the large number of people who
have died in this city since the infiu-
enza epidemic started. Mayor Ten
Broeck was appealed to by the priests
and ministers who had charge of the
funerals and he sent large force OF
men from the street cleaning depart
ment to the different cemeteries where
they were put to work as grave dig
gers and today most of the dead have
been buried.
In Alpine Cemetery vault at one
time there. were over twenty collins
and the number threatened to in
crease until the mayor was appealed
to.
The local undertakers have had
considerable trouble in securing cas-
kets enough to bury the dead and the
necessary undertaking material for
their work.
More than fifty deaths from inf1u-
enza and pneumonia occurred in and
about the city over the week end ac-
cording to what figures can be OBJ
tanned this morning. Every under
taker and embalmer is rushed to the
limit and It is impossible to get an ac-
count of each death as they are all 30
busy attending to the cases they have
on hand. Burials are being held In
the various cemeteries Of the city fol-
lowing private funerals from the
homes.
President Edward L. Dilts, of the
board of health. gave notice today
that there would be no public funer-
ais allowed until further notteG
The holding of such funerals ham,
pers and delays the work of the local
undertakers to a great extent at a
time when they cannot keep up with
the calls for their service.
The order Is official and comes from
DR.. ]. C. Price of the state board of
health