Quarantine: Armed Guards Preventing People In or Out of Rockingham, Oct. 24, 1918

“QUARANTINE,” from the Rockingham Post-Dispatch, Oct. 24, 1918

1,300 Cases Influenza in County. 90 in Rockingham. Quarantine of Rockingham Made Tighter; Possibility of Its Being Lifted Next Week

The influenza epidemic in Richmond county continues unabated. The estimate of cases is 1,300.

On Thursday of last week Health Supervisor J.M. Maness placed Rockingham under strict quarantine, with guards at each exit to prevent passage coming in. Up until Wednesday no effort had been made to prevent people leaving the town. But now to better enforce the quarantine, the guards have been instructed to shut the city tight—to prevent people leaving or coming in. this also applies to railroad traffic.

Also, effective Wednesday night, that portion of Great Falls mill village which lies in Rockingham was included in the city quarantine, and the guard placed at Great Falls creek bridge instead of at the “Rockets” corner as heretofore. (When the quarantine was instituted, the village of Great Falls was not included in the city quarantine; now, however, in view of the new hospital built at Great Falls, the lines have been placed at the creek.)

On Monday night the barber shops of the city were ordered closed until the quarantine is lifted.

So far there have been reported to health officer Maness, at his office in the opera house building (phone 321), 90 cases for the entire town, including the town portion of Great Falls. Two deaths have occurred, one white and one colored.

On Monday the quarantine was made even more effective by quarantining the homes where cases appear. Placards are placed on each home in which is a case, and no one can leave that home until four days have elapsed after the latest case in that home.

Dr. Maness can really give no estimate as to when the quarantine can be lifted. He informs the Post-Dispatch that it will certainly continue all the present week; and lifting it next week depends upon the further spread of the disease.

Eight new cases were reported for Rockingham for Wednesday.

As will be noted from the relatively few cases in Rockingham, the epidemic is well in hand and the conditions vastly better than in a majority of places; but the quarantine and other precautions is to KEEP the health conditions good and to PREVENT a real spread. “A stitch in time.”

The cases so far reported daily for the county total 1,009, and are as follows: (There were several hundred cases before the reports began.)

Oct. 15^th, 220

Oct. 16^th, 144

Oct. 17^th, 161

Oct. 18^th, 112

Oct. 19^th, 79

Oct. 20^th, 68

Oct. 21^st, 69

Oct. 22^nd, 79

Oct. 23^rd, 77

Almost the entire county is under quarantine. Ellerbe, Norman, Hoffman, all of Wolf Pit township, Rockingham and the 10 cotton mills are under strict quarantine. Bars are across store doors at Ellerbe, and customers are being served goods by bringing it without. The same applies to stores at Roberdel Nos. 1 and 2. Two guards are on duty at the two leading roads at Roberdel No. 1 to prevent entrance.

The Rockingham Red Cross Chapter has been doing splendid work. Sewers are busy morning and afternoon (including last Sunday) making masks, averaging 225 each day. People who come in touch with patients are urged to wear these, but not over two hours at a time; the mask should then be sterilized by boiling and a new one put on. These masks can be secured from Dr. Maness, with whom the Red Cross is heartily co-operating.

The Great Falls mill company, through Mr. Gore, at the beginning of the quarantine last week began the erection of a hospital on the hill 300 feet east of the mill, on the main street. The building is 24 feet wide by 75 feet long. The sides are walled four feet up with heavy 13-ounce government duck. This allows an abundance of fresh air ventilation; at the tops of the sides are other rolls of duck that can be lowered in inclement weather so that the building can be completely encased. A stove is within. Running down the length of the building is a duck partition to divide the male and female patients. The mill built the hospital and the Red Cross has equipped it and will supply soups, etc. Three Red Cross nurses are in charge, the mill paying for two and the Red Cross for one; they are Miss Lillian George of Wilmington, Mrs. Morgan of Henderson, and a colored nurse from Raleigh, Mary Griffin.

The hospital was opened Wednesday afternoon; seven patients were at once carried there, these being Mrs. J.W. Goodman, Mrs. Martha Andrews, Miss Grady Hart, Mrs. Ella Coble, Miss Viola Andrews, Mr. J.P. Jenkins and a Mr. Yates. Four additional patients will be placed there this afternoon, and more Friday.