Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 110, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1916 — ST. JOE FUMIGATES TO ERADICATE GERMS [ARTICLE]

ST. JOE FUMIGATES TO ERADICATE GERMS

College Undergoes Complete Renovation to Remove Last Vestige of Scarlet Fever. St. Joseph’s College is just completing the work of fumigation since the .epidemic of scarlet fever. The work has been so thoroughly done that the attending physician thought the public should know how painstaking the college authorities had been, not only in protecting themselves but the community from any further dangers in that direction. A visit to the infirmary of the college and an interview w’ith Father Wagner convinces one that neither w’ork or expense has been spared to make the entire plant as sanitary as possible. The following w’as done in the disinfecting process: All walls were washed thoroughly w’ith oloride of lime. All floors given the same treatment. The cloride of lime was the U. S. army specification. All carpets and mattresses, except hair, w’ere destroyed by burning. The hair mattresses and the feather pillows were soaked in formalin solution 5 per cent. The pillows were then washed in the laundry. The rooms in which the greater number of the lads had been detained during the sickness were carefully washed with lye and the lye permitted to dry on the floor.

After all furniture had been removed from the building and washed with formalin solution the building was fumigated with formaldehyde, one and one-half ounces to the 1000 cubic feet of space for a period of six hours in humidity of 80; temperatuie of 80 degrees. ___________ AH walls were then repainted with frescoe colors and part of them with oil colors. All woodwark was. revarnished. Practically all furniture that was old and not fit to revarnish was destroyed. The total cost of this work to the institution was approximately SBOO, not counting labor and supervision, and if this was included it would be many hundred dollars more. Taken all in all this is the most extensive work of fumigation that has ever been attempted in the county.