WB WWfc
NEGLIGENCE BLAMED FOR SMALLPOX SCARE
AT MUNICIPAL LODGING HOUSE
Gross negligence on the part of
Dr. Edward McCarten is blamed for
the recent smallpox "scare at the
Municipal Lodging House, 162 North
Union street.
Monday night 600 inmates of the
place were vaccinated when it was,
discovered that Ed Waters, a lodger,
had been stricken with smallpox.
It is claimed by other lodgers of
the place that Waters was admitted
as are all the other lodgers, with just
a cursory glance, and that medical
examination has been practically
abandoned.
Several "down-and-outs" who have
drifted into The Day Book office tell
practically the same story as to the
lax system with which the lodging
house is operated.
"Every man in the place might
have gotten smallpox," said "Min
neapolis" Martin, who was there at
the. time. "Waters was allowed to
bathe with the others for twd nights
before the doctor got wise to the fact
that he had smallpox.
"There are only two shower baths
for all the inmates of the lodging
house, although they claim they have
twenty. When you first enter the
house you're jammed down into the
basement, where you undress and
toss your clothes on the same table
from which you get a small piece of
bread and some coffee-colored hot
water. Then after you have stripped
you go into the shower bath with
about 5 or 20 other men. Here you
are forced to rub against men who
might have any kind of sickness.
"After the bath comes the medical
examination they speak of. It con
sists of a glance at you. Then you're
sent upstairs.
"Here most men sleep on the floor.
They claim they have 175 cots, but
500 men are usually housed there at
this time of the year.
'In the morning you have to get
tip at 5-:30. You're then given an
other hunk of bread and some more
hot water, dressed up to look like
coffee. v
"But your hardest time is in get-
L ting out of the place. Before you can
go you are put through a regular
Spanish Inquisition and forced to tell
the history of -your life, how vou cot
I to he a 'bo' and so forth.
"If they don't like your looks
you're told not to come back. If you
Iqok husky, however, they make you
stick around and -work. And as a re
ward you get a other portion of
bread and1 coffee.
"Wheneyer more men apply for
lodging than the 'Municipal' can .pos
sibly jam in, the overflow is sent to
the Palace Hotel, run by the Salva
tion Army, on Madison. The whole
gang is led through the streets like
a lot of convicts.
"When you get there you're put
in the "Bridal Chamber,' which is an
other name for a concrete floor.
"After being put through the third
degree at the Municipal you get an
other one at the hands of the various
Salvation Army men. I was dragged
over there once. We arrived and got
to bed about 11 o'clock. About one
hour afterwards we were awakened
by some captain coming around and.
demanding our pedigree.
"At the Palace you don't even get
coffee and bread in the morning, but
are pushed out about 5 o'clock.
"The city is right now talking a
whole lot about taking care of 100,
000 unemployed inen. Why don't they
learn to take care of the 500 or 600
men who come to the Municipal
every night?
"The Hearst papers the other day
said there was plenty of work for
everybody. The unemployed ought
to demand that Hearst tell where all
this work is. Maybe he means in his
Mexican mines."
Dr. McCarten hasn't as yet an
swered the charge of neglect.
lAAAAl