Page XVIII -
their hall, at the corner of Second and State
streets. No deaths have occurred since its organization.
BLESSING POST NO.
126, GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
The post of the Grand Army
was organized in August, 1881, the charter members numbering
twenty-five. The time for their regular meetings is the first
and third Mondays of each month at the Knights of Pythias rooms,
corner of Second and State streets. The present officers of
the order are J. L. Guy, Post Commander; L. Z. Cadot,
Senior Vice Commander; J. R. Safford, Junior Vice Commander;
H. R. Bradbury, Adjutant; A. F. Moore, Quartermaster;
W. B. Trump, Officer of the Day; Charles Stuart,
Officer of the Guard; I. F. Chapman, Sergeant Major; C. B.
Blake, Inner Guard, and D. S. Trobridge, Outer Guard.
A great deal of interest has recently been awakened
among the ex-soldiers of the vicinity and the post is now in a
flourishing condition and has a membership of seventy-one.
they have recently undertaken, with the assistance of the patriotic
citizens of the county, the erection of an appropriate monument to
the memory of deceased soldiers. It is the intention of
placing it upon the public square, near the center, and fronting on
Second street, and the estimated cost is about four thousand
dollars.
THE GALLIPOLIS FIRE DEPARTMENT
GALLIPOLIS MAILS AND GALLIA COUNTY POST-OFFICE
THE GALLIPOLIS GAS COMPANY
YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC
OF 1878
Gallipolis has passed
through many seasons of local excitement, that, given in detail,
would make volumes of interesting history. Of particular note
among them was the yellow fever visitation of 1878 - the only severe
epidemic that ever occurred in the city - when Charleston,
Huntington, Ironton, Middleport, and other towns in the vicinity
were quarantined against her.
On July 18th, of that year, the tow-boat John Porter
left New Orleans with eighteen barges and a crew of thirty-five men.
The boat was one of the finest on the river, valued at $40,00, and
her barges $30,000, all belonging to the Cumberland Tow Boat
Company. Soon after starting, one of the firemen was taken
with yellow fever, followed by two other cases. All that were
supposed to be afflicted were put off at Vicksburg, but the epidemic
again broke out, and the patients were continually sent ashore.
Upon reaching Cincinnati, (which was quarantined), two young
physicians, (Drs. Carr and Slough), came on board.
After this the fever spread rapidly, and upon their arrival at
Gallipolis, Saturday evening, August 17th, at 8 o'clock, ten were
laid up with it, among whom was the commander, Captain
Bickerstaff.
The hardships up to this point were
beyond description. People along shore avoided the boat as
they would a wild beast - not permitting her to land for supplies,
and threatening the crew with direful punishment whenever the
attempt was made. Great blame was attached to the health
officers at Cincinnati for allowing the boat to proceed up the
river, knowing her condition, with the patients in charge of two
inexperience young physicians. Seventeen deaths occurred among
those who were on the boat. On her arrival at the marine
docks, one mile below Gallipolis, the authorities of the town were
informed, and steps were immediately taken by Dr. Needham to
have her quarantined by authority of the board of health. A
committee was appointed to visit the Porter, and the crew was given
every possible assistance, but notified that they must go out of the
reach of the city, which they agreed to do next morning, claiming
they could not pass a difficult place in the channel, opposite
Gallipolis island, that night, where lay the sunken wreck of the
exploded steamer Brilliant.
The Porter started next morning, but her cylinder
packing blew out and she fell back. This was soon repaired,
and, starting again, she broke her shaft, and came drifting back in
a helpless condition. Enos, Will & Co.'s large foundry
was immediately put in blast, by order of the authorities, and a new
shaft completed by twelve o'clock Sunday night. Two or three
of her crew, however, died during the night, and when Monday morning
arrived, all energy among them had given way to a hopeless state of
demoralization, and they declared they could go no farther.
Captain Porter, (one of the owners), was telegraphed to, and
sent $1,000 for their relief. As soon as the crew obtained
money, they began deserting until none were left but the helpless
ones who could not get away. Captain Bickerstaff,
Dr. Slough, and the mate, Andy Armstrong,
who remained until the arrival of John T. Case, sent by the
company to take command, when he was taken sick, but afterward
recovered.
The Porter lay here for some time, in charge of
Case, who guarded her by night, while a watchman on the bank, in
a hut, guarded her by day. She was an object of great interest
and curiosity, and, after having been disinfected, was visited by
any who thought there was no danger, an din a very short time a
number of these persons were taken with the yellow fever. The
first to die in the city were two men who had been employed to clean
the boat. The fever also commenced spreading among other
families living near where the boat was anchored. The
following is a list of the victims of the dread disease:
Shepard Sheldon and James T. Myers 9the two first cases);
Wellington Blazer, Mrs. J. J. Blazer, William Walker, Grant
Walker, Laing Walker, Alice Walker, c. J. Brothers, Mrs. C. J.
Brothers, James Brown, Mrs. Charles Forth, Mrs. Samuel H. Morton,
Clayton Coffman, Charles Dehlman, William Buck, Joseph Martin, Hugh
Plylmale, senior, Mrs. Elizabeth Brothers, Simon Gibson, Richard
Blazer, Max Harger, Mrs. Max Harger, William Hull, Mrs. Margaret
Beard, Caroline Davis, W. J. Holcomb, J. W. Skinner, Sarah Kerns, S.
B. Curry, George D. Curry, Margaret Brown, Thomas Gibson, Mrs.
Claudius Roberts and Mrs. Captain A. M. Halliday - thirty-five
in all. Besides these there were many other cases that
recovered.
During this reign of terror, that occupied but a few
weeks, there was an almost total suspension of business - hotels
were closed, hundreds fled from the town, the streets were almost
deserted, and the only chance of egress was by private conveyance.
Fires of coal tar were kept burning night and day at the corners of
all the principal streets, and at each of the roads entering into
the town, and all people form the afflicted region were compelled to
submit to fumigation. Happily, several brisk frosts occurred
early, which broke the epidemic.
Page XIX -
In the meantime, until
September 13th, the Porter and barges remained anchored two or three
miles below. On this morning, a heavy rise in the river,
accompanied by a heavy drift, broke all loose. Drs. Needham
and Vance were on the steamer at the time, disinfecting her, and
they succeeded in fastening her, but the barges were carried away.
The Porter, now being declared freed from all taint of fever, a new
crew was advertised for, and at Gallipolis and Middleport one was
obtained, and the boat was supplied at Gallipolis warf. Crowns
went to see the ill-fated steamer that had brought such desolation,
but few ventured on board. As soon as possible she started
down the river after the barges, securing all but three. The
barge Mingo, which cost the company $5,000, was so badly infected
that it was impossible to purify it, and it was burned by Captain
Porter, just above Cincinnati. The two hter lost barges
were destroyed by the frightened people along the shores.
Thus ended the first and only visitation of yellow
fever at Gallipolis, and it will long be remembered. It cost
the town and county thousands of dollars, carried away, almost
entire, some of the most respected families, and for a period of
about six weeks, put a stop to all business.
See Page XIX -
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