New Britain herald., 1918-10-11
PREPARE FOOD FOR
STRICKEN FAMILIES
Home Service Department Of Red
Cross Takes Action
MORE CHURCHES TO CLOSE


Supt. Moore Hears of Only 1914 New
Cases-SchooIs May Remain Idle
For Another Week-Need of More
Nurses.
The Home Service Section of the
Red Cross has decided to open an
emergency canteen in this city and
Mrs. Abel Kronholm of Linden street
is chairman of this work. Food will
be prepared for any families where
all members are sick and unable to
care for themselves and the Red
| Cross automobile service will deliver
the food at the various homes. w. w.
Leland of the Red Cross requests any
one knowing of a needy case where
the family is sick and unable to pre-
pare food to notify the Home Service
department in the City Building.
Only 1914 New Cases
/ DR. H. F. Moore, superintendent of
health, said this afternoon that if his
department has been furnished with a
complete and accurate list of new
cases of Spanish influenza he is in
clined to be of the opinion that the
height of the epidemic has been reach
ed and from now on the disease will
show q gradual decline. DR., Moore
based this statement ON the fact that
up to p. m, only 1874 new cases had
been reported today, and of these 1874
were by one physicion who explained
that he had made no report in three
days. There are now 3,341 cases in
the city. Already several of the Pro-
testant churches have decided to sus-
pend their services on Sunday and
Judge B. T. Gaffney, chairman of the
school board, said that at the monthly
meeting this afternoon he will recon-
mend that the city schools remain
closed for one more week.
May Keep Schools Closed.
When the board met last Saturday
it was voted to close the schools for
this week only with the hope that
the next week would find conditions
about the city so much better that
the schools could reopen on the 18th
While no official statement has been
given out by the school board chair
man or any of its members binding
them to such action, individual opin-
ions expressed by several of the COM
| mittee would indicate that they are
seriously considering keeping the
schools closed. 1t it was necessary
that the schools be closed this week
it would seem no less essential that
they be closed next week as we'll in
view of the increased epidemic, is the
statement made by several members
of the school board who have been
seen.
More Churches Closed.
The First Congregational church,
by vote of its standing committee
last night has decided to suspend all
services until further notice. This
applies not only to the Sunday morn
ing services, but also to the Sunday
school and other services. Yesterday
the South church announced a cessa-
tion of services until further notice,
and the Beth FL Jewish Synagogue
did likewise. The Methodist church
is closed until further notice and 1t
was stated at St. Marks Episcopal
church rectory this morning that it
had been decided to postpone further
services. The First Baptist likewise
has decided to discontinue its Sunday
service and the same action has been
taken at the German Baptist church.
Many Pathetic Cases.
The health department physician,
charity department workers and the
war bureau investigators are daily
discovering new cases of want, and
many of these cases are tragically
pathetic. Last. evening a man from
Wilson street visited the health de-
partment and begged piteously for a
doctor. DR.. Blackledge was out on a
call and it was impossible to secure
| another physician. While impatiently
waiting, the man put in q telephone
call to his own house then almost
collapsed in his chair. No doctor
was then needed for the little child
had died while efforts to get a physt
clan were being made.
The war bureau investigators are
| finding many homes where all are i'll,
and already there have been a num-
| Der of women who have volunteered
| to go into these homes and render
| such assistance as possible. In one
! house it was found that because all
| the inmates were sick the patients
/ had not had the services of a doctor
| or nurse in two days and in addition
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