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Just as the people of Harbor Grace and of Bay Roberts were beginning to breathe more freely - to hope that all further danger to the public health of both these places to be apprehended from the ravages of the dread disease was past and gone - came the unwelcome intelligence that smallpox had made its appearance at Upper Island Cove; that the man - William JANES - who had died there on the 27th of last month had been afflicted with the distemper and that he had been interred with the customary religious services – no one for a single moment suspecting the cause which had led to his death. And then public feeling was further agitated when it transpired late on Friday last that three of the deceased man's children were down with the distemper. These on the following day were removed to the hospital, where they could receive every care and attention. Nor was the feeling relieved by the circumstance that on Sunday a young girl and further that last night two others were also brought down. Still; with all this, we are pleased to be in a position to say that the intelligence was received from Island Cove this morning that is believed the disease is now under control, and that there seems to be little danger of any fresh cases occurring outside the quarantined houses. It is held that the poverty of the people is perhaps more alarming than is the condition of the sick. His Honor Judge BENNETT with Dr. ALLAN yesterday proceeded to the above locality, and personally acquainted himself with the people's state and requirements; their more pressing wants will be relieved; and those afflicted with the distemper will receive the most careful attention. Drs. ALLAN and MARTIN know what should be done, and beyond doubt will do it. With the exercise of every precaution and the greatest attention to those suffering from the disease, the hope is expressed that the distemper will be confined in its ravages. In this every one will ardently join. We feel that is unnecessary to further impress upon our people here the value
and the advantage of vaccination at times like the present. We are pleased to
learn that they are largely availing of the great preventive. A few more words to-day about the unfortunate malady which a short time ago
made its unwelcome, unexpected appearance at Upper Island Cove, after, too,
having been pretty well stamped out both at the South Side, Harbor Grace,
Since the moment that the infection showed itself in the first named place, a regular system of strict quarantining has been rigidly carried out. From the first inst., up to the present time as many as 36 houses have been carefully quarantined. These dwellings hold all the persons who in any way have come in contact with the body of the deceased man JANES, who died on the morning of the 28th . They are situated - 30 at Island Cove, 3 at Bishops Cove, and 3 at Bryant's Cove. They are guarded by 23 special constables. All of these homes, with the exception of six, we are pleased to learn, free from the disease up to the present time; and should they continue to be so until Monday next, the quarantine will be raised, and the occupants given a clean bill of health." This it is more than satisfactory to know. Five of the houses at Island Cove in which the disease unfortunately is, are
occupied by men all by the name of JANES, relatives, of the man, just referred
to. It is apprehended that the disease may perhaps yet develop itself in the
case of some of these; but we are glad to say, that there is every reason to
hope and believe that it will not appear in any of the other Up to the present time 13 persons suffering from the distemper have beenremoved to the hospital. Of these two have died - both young girls, one aged 11, on Thursday; the other, aged 18 yesterday. They were both daughters of the unfortunate man JANES above referred to. As we said, quarantine has been rigorously enforced ever since the infection first made its appearance in the upper part of the district alluded to. The health officer, Dr. Allan, has from early morn to late at night been untiring in his exertions to stamp out the disease, and continue its ravages as much as was ever possible. The first moment it was discovered that smallpox was present in Island Cove, Doctors ALLAN and MARTIN proceeded to the scene of danger, and vaccinated every person that had visited the house of JANES during his sickness, or else attended the wake or his funeral - in all, 97 persons. Dr. ALLAN to-day will again commence in Island Cove, when he will be prepared to vaccinate as many as require the valuable operation performed. "Tis to be hoped that the scores of the people up there will not fail to avail themselves of the great preventive. The present opportunity should not be let slip! Of the three patients lately or now in the hospital, PARSONS, of Bay Roberts, has been discharged; and the two NOELs of the South Side, H.G., are so convalescent, that they too will soon "get their clearance." A correspondent sends us the following clipping. It has for us a value at the present time: SMALLPOX - "I am willing to risk my reputation as a public man," writes Edward HINE to the Liverpool Mercury, "if the worst case of smallpox cannot be cured in three days by the use of cream of tartar. One ounce of tartar dissolved in a pint of water, drank at intervals, when cold, is a certain never-failing remedy. It has cured thousands - never leaves a mark, never causes blindness, and avoids tedious lingering. Since last night, the intelligence has been received that another "case" has
As will be observed, a correspondent elsewhere comments rather severely on the action of the Telegram in publishing on Wednesday that leader of its, under the caption "the Smallpox Scare," in which it endeavors to throw blame on the health authorities, as well as on the owners of the steamer Mastiff for sending two men to the ice who, it asserts, "were inmates of the dwelling in Upper Island Cove where the smallpox broke out on Friday last." Our correspondent handles this baseless statement so well, that we feel it is unnecessary for us to dwell upon it. We cannot refrain, however, from strongly protesting, in the name of the people of this district, against the course now being adopted by the Telegram in giving so much and such very questionable currency to the unfortunate affair. This cannot but result in harm to the interests of this and other places hereabouts. Much indignation is being naturally felt by the people - and no wonder! Cannot our contemporary realize the injury it is helping to do, and restrain its hand? As several unfounded statements are at present current respecting the manner in which the deceased man JANES contracted the distemper, we desire to state for general information that - 1) It is untrue that any clothing of the person who unfortunately had smallpox on board the brig William, was washed out - as it is falsely asserted it was. All of it was destroyed by fire, under the careful supervision of Doctors ALLAN and MARTIN. 2) It is also untrue that any clothing was stolen from any of the crew of said vessel. 3) It is not known where and how JANES contracted the disease. All that is known is that he was on board the William on the day of her arrival; he was down in her forecastle; and it is believed that he then and there stole a pair of drawers belonging to the man PIKE who had died on the passage. The same pair was on JANES when he died. Of course, no person saw him steal them; but there is good reason to believe that he did so. That is all that is known respecting the unfortunate occurrence. We learn that Mr. E.B. THOMPSON and Mr. George WEBBER, Druggists, have been by the Government appointed public vaccinators. They commenced work yesterday. March 20, 1889 We regret to have to report to-day that two more of the persons lately confined in the hospital have succumbed to the fell disease - a young man and a boy; they both died on Sunday last. They were carefully buried within the hospital grounds. It is with equal regret that we make the other assertion, viz., that the Rev. Mr. WARREN, the esteemed C.of E. Minister at Island Cove, has been lately prostrated with the disease. We are very pleased to learn, however, that it is of a very mild form; and, as the rev. gentleman has been carefully vaccinated, the fond hope is consequently indulged that no bad effects may result, but that, after the lapse of a short time, he will be out of all danger, and restored to his accustomed degree of health. In this all his many friends and well-wishers both here and elsewhere will most heartily join. We have to further report that since last issue several persons had to be brought down to the hospital - all, however, from the quarantined houses; outside of these there have not been any fresh cases. Now that the regular time has elapsed, there is reason to hope that we have seen the worst of the trouble; and that the disease is now under control. No doubt precautions similar to those observed on the South Side, Harbor Grace, will be taken - all infected clothing will be destroyed, and the houses thoroughly fumigated. When this has been done, we are hopeful that the further progress of the disease will be stayed, and that no future danger to the public health may be expected to occur. Newfoundland, it seems, is not the only place this side the water which has
lately been suffering from the ravages of the above disease. Not very far to the
westward of us, in two small townships of Ontario, it is also present. These are
Fingal and Southwold. In those two small places, up the 8 inst.., there were 30
cases and 9 deaths. One family lost as many as
For the sake of the best interests of this town and Bay, we have once again
to utter an emphatic, yea indignant protest against the practice now being
indulged by the Metropolitan press of giving so much and so very questionable
publicity to what is thought may result from the regrettable circumstance of
smallpox being lately present in this place as well as a few But to endeavor to lend an importance which is not warranted to that excitable despatch from Grand River (the work evidently of a young, inexperienced operator), which was received on Saturday and published in the Metropolitan papers of that day - with such scare head lines as "Terrible if True" - "Smallpox said to be on Board the Steamer Mastiff" - "She puts into Codroy to land two sick men" - "Victims not allowed to land " - "Eight men desert the ship at Channel" - "Fears that they will spread Disease" - et hoc genus omne; - all this, we say is reprehensible in the extreme, and should be discontinued. We are aware that it has been done thoughtlessly, and that the deleterious effects which were perhaps likely to ensue were not duly considered. Now let us enquire - What does all this "sound and fury" amount to which has
been made about the Mastiff and her luckless crew? - the smallpox that is "said"
to be on board of her? From what little circumstance did it all proceed? Why,
this very simple one, viz., that when it was currently reported around town that
two of the crew had been at the house of the Now, from this one simple circumstance all the talk and the gossip about the Mastiff having the disease aboard has, we repeat, arisen. The bare fact (as the Grand River despatch asserts) of some of the people belonging to the Codroy being on board the Mastiff while there, and, what is more, two men, of Capt HALL's schooner, taking dinner also on board; - this most assuredly does not look as if smallpox was either on board the ship, or as if it was thought that it was soon likely to be. Now, here we desire to distinctly affirm that neither the owners nor anyone else have received a single word from the captain or the crew that the disease was on board the ship, that any one of the men was complaining or that it was feared that the distemper might after a time break out. The assumption therefore is a very reasonable one that the steamer has not the disease on board, or that it is at all probable she will have. Now, in closing we earnestly appeal to the good sense of our Metropolitan contemporaries, and ask them whether it is desirable; whether it is acting fairly towards this place as well as every other place in Conception Bay; whether, lastly, it is acting fairly towards those of our people who have valuable interests at stake in the above ship, to pursue a course of action which, it will be admitted, is not for their advantage? We can anticipate their reply. That other fell distemper, diphtheria, has as our readers are aware, for some time past been very bad at St John's. The extent of the mortality was evident and is still being so from the number of children's deaths being recorded in the daily press. Strenuous exertions have been taken by the health authorities to stamp out or confine as much as possible the ravages of the disease. An official notice has been lately published in the daily press, by order of the Board of Health, for the quarantine and management of diphtheria. It is to be hoped that the efforts now being put forth may have the effect of calling much needed attention to the first necessity that exists of the utmost care being taken in the observance of the various sanitary conditions which a due regard to good health and freedom from disease absolutely demands, and that before very long diphtheria may be conspicuous for its absence from the Metropolis and its purlieus. We notice by a late mail paper that diphtheria has for some time past been doing its fell work in the United States. The disease (and that of a most virulent and malignant type) has, we are told, been lately prevailing at St. Petersburg, Franklin County, Penn., indeed to such an extent that the Town Council has issued an ordinance closing all churches, schools and forbidding the holding of any public meetings. St. Petersburg is an oil town, 24 miles from Oil City, and the country between here (Gloucester) and there is all afflicted with this disease. That which is now present at St. John's can not certainly be worse than the above. The St. John's Daily NewsFEBRUARY 1917 Marriage - Rev. Sister M. Philomena O'DONOVAN, St. Michael's Convent, Belvidere
Halifax Herald - March 2002 SERRICK, Doris Sheppard
At Bryants Cove, Conception Bay on 11th inst., Minnie, dear and only child of William and Ann E. PARSONS, aged 4 months.
which sailed for New York on July 14th. For three years past Miss HEARN was teacher of the R.C. School at Bryant's Cove, where she did excellent work and it is regretted that she has given up the teaching profession. She was accompanied to St. John's by her mother Mrs. HEARN, who returned after the Nerissa sailed. Miss HEARN'S many friends join with her pupils in wishing her boundless success in the land of Uncle Sam.
January 5, 1865
March 7, 1860 On Thursday week last, we are sorry to state that
two cases of fracture of the Thigh occurred from the Capsizing of Catamarans,
owing to the slippery state of the roads, occasioned by the late rains. The one
was a young girl, belonging to Spaniards Bay, of the name of SHEPPARD, the other
that of an elderly man of the same name, belonging to Bryants’ Cove. They are
both poor, and consequently are under the care of the district officers. We
take notice of these casualties merely to show the necessity of a small hospital
being erected here, the want of which is very much felt in this large and
populous district.
(Main Entry: cui bo·no
Pronunciation:
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