Prior to this novel coronavirus, the most serious pandemic to sweep the globe occurred was the 1918 Spanish flu. Gadfly has been running an excellent series of stories about how it affected us locally, based on the dusty archives of The Morning Call. I recommend it highly for its historical perspective. The series, which includes an excellent video presentation, from historian Jim Higgins, notes the many similarities in government reactions. There are also important differences.
South Bethlehem at that time was so crowded that boarding homes were running three shifts of sleepers on the same mattresses. The feds were basically hands off in those days. But local and state officials got involved. They banned large gatherings, closed schools and houses of worship and banned large gatherings. Saloons and "coffeehouses" were shuttered. There was some resistance by Allentown's Mayor, who insisted “that Bethlehem was filthy and dirty, and that a wagon load of refuse could be secured from three blocks of the highways and that the streets were covered with thick layers of dust, the worst breeder of disease.”
Bethlehem, thanks primarily to Mayor Archibald Johnston and Bethlehem Steel Health Director Loyal Shoudy, organized a response seen nowhere else. In those days, there were far fewer hospitals. They established one in South Bethlehem. Police were sent to visit homes, and the sick were taken there. This local consortium convinced the state to ban gatherings and close places where demon drink was dispensed.
Significantly, no businesses were closed. Bethlehem Steel remained very busy.
Gadfly's essay today recounts the tale of brothers Brindamour and Brick O'Donnell, who were caught inside Sam Roth's shuttered Allentown saloon. Poor Brick was found in a "state of stupefaction" behind a tapped barrel of whiskey, but Brindamour made his way out a window. An Allentown police officer emptied his revolver at Brindamour, who escaped unharmed. Police searched "every rat hole and railroad yard" in the first, sixth and fourteenth wards, but were unable to find that damned elusive Brindamour.
No word on whether he ever got the flu.
15 comments:
They knew how to do pandemics.
Back then healthy people died, it didn't just knock-off the old and sick like a bad cold, along with popular candidates, and change how we vote like now.
I've read that story before except it was the O'Hare brothers.
Lol. Brick and Brindamour are two of the coolest names I ever heard. Bernard, not so much.
"Back then healthy people died, it didn't just knock-off the old and sick like a bad cold, along with popular candidates, and change how we vote like now."
It did hit the young harder.
With some local governments now laying off staff members, I read the City of Bethlehem's Eric Evans say something to the effect of the City is "Self Insured" and if the city were to layoff, they would get a bill to pay the unemployment?
Is that true?
Yes, and you're off topic.
Thanks Bernie, I enjoyed reading the series.
We lost about 650,000 people of about 1.6 million then from flu. The First World War or then know as the Great War ,we lost about 46,000 men but a lot were dead because of injuries,others were dead because of flu and not actually killed directly as result of combat. My grandfather was there. He departed from Easton Armory. Some of the readers of this blog have a relative across the street on AmVets building that has a bronze roster and don’t know it. . They took it off the armory and put it across the street . The names are on there. The Device belongs to thePa.Army National Guard .
11.55
"Bernard, not so much."
try
https://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/name/bernard/
"English Baby Names the meaning of the name Bernard is: Strong as a bear. See also Bjorn."
I deleted a comment from the Wolf apologist who has falsely claimed businesses were shut down. That applied to saloons and coffeehouses, nothing else. I am not interested in hosting comments in which you twist what I and others say, and will delete you.
Why layoff then? Save money?
Wolf is the greatest governor ever.
Sounds like a Mike Royko article
8.49
your bat your ball your blog.
You claimed no business was shut down.It is right in the article you wrote.
Now you say i falsely said businesses were closed.
You said" falsely claimed businesses were shut down. That applied to saloons and coffeehouses, nothing else."
Then either a saloon is not a business or you admit some businesses were shut down.
Which is it?
The reality is that the powers that be shut down what they considered non essential in an attempt to control the pandemic.that included the coffee house businesses.
It has nothing to do with Wolf.
Thanks for sharing such a great blog Keep posting.
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