Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-14
influenza and TRADE
DON'T MIX IN RICHMOND
Every Glass of Business Experiences
Setback on Account Of tho
Prevailing Epidemic.
JoBBERs CALL AGENTS HOME
Country Merchants Keeping Away
From Richmond While the Ella
Holds Forth-Shoppers Quit, and
Retailers Have Slack Business.

The visitation of Spanish influenza.
as might have been expected. mad L
demoralizinG effect upon all branches
of business in Richmond. and 1t Will
probably be several weeks after tho
FLU" has gone before all recover from
It. The manufacturers who were al
ready behind In filling orders have had
their working forces so materially re-
duced by the epidemic they have been
thrown still further behind. The dis
ease has also crippled the transporta-
ton lines by reducing the man-power
of the freight offices and on the freight
trains. On account of the influenza one
of the steamboat lines. the Furman.
running boats between this city and
City Point and Petersburg has had to
discontinue business entirely. as it was
impossible TO find the people to man
the boats In the place of those who had
been taken down with the influenza.
The Furman line has for the past sew
eral months had all the business it
could possibly attend to, as it has been
carrying pretty much all OF the freight
great deal for Petersburg and Camp
Lee. The Old Dominion Steamship
Line came to the rescue last week and
handled as much OF the business of
boats of the Old Dominion were al
ready chock a block with its own
through business and could not handle
all of the City Point freight that was
offered.
The wholesale merchants in every
line felt a decided slackeninG Of trade
because OF the infienza. In the first
place, many of them called the travel
ing statesmen in for fear that they
Nigh, be taken with the dread disease
away from home. In the second place,
seck eun IN ihiT riH VINO SIS their
Richmond because OF the "nu." and
there was last week practically no buy
ing in person from the ioobcrs. The
exceptions. and in the very nature or
the case their orders were larger tnan
usual. In fact. they were put to it to
rF 9rae e lss elsar The
sufferers from the epidemic than their
brethren in the shoe. clothing and dry
goods line. for the reason that people
then. too, all OF the doctors have been
urging the people 10 eat moro as
preventive TO the spread of the flu"
In the drug and grocery lines. business
was feaTfully interfered with Every
store IN the city was short OF force
many statesmen and saleswomen being
oVertaken with the malady, but all had
enough force to wait on the traders
AS far as they could possibly do so. the
people OF Richmond obeyed the instruc-
tons of the health departments to keen
of the streets. and this kept hundreds
OF shoppers. who had planned to visit
the retail stores. at home
PROBABLY every retailer in the city
especialy the dry goods, notion. shoe
and clothing dealers. had expected
much out-of-town trade from visitors
TO the State Fair. and had prepared
TOR the same. This was also true OF
On automobile sellers and the dealers
IN auto supplies. The calling on Of the
Fair. and the failure Of the country
cousins 10 show up last week was a
severe setback to all of these.
n,a atoeether the Spanish in
uuenza has seriously interfered with
business al. over Richmond, and tie
end is perhaps not yet.