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Show SAYS LOWELL SCHOOL IS PERFECTLY SAFE ; Principal Bradford Declares That Smallpox Is Hot ' Spread by Pupils . ia His District. "1 do no,t think that correct reports of the true conditions at the school have been made by the papers, and surely wbat they say indicates that they have made no investigation of the matter," mat-ter," said Principal William Bradford of the Lowell school to The Telegram. "The Sunday after the Gunn and Horne families were quarantined we ' had the fumigator from the Board of Education come up to the school and thoroughly fumigate the entire building. , Last Sunday we again .fumigated the building from cellar to garret. So strongly was the building disinfected with formaldehyde that one of my teachers was completely overcome by - the fumes. We had to take her into the air to revive her. "It has been said that we do nbt take any precautions against the prevention of the spread of the disease. Whenever we notice that a child is not feeling as well as usual, we send him or her home at once. If they have but a cold or ' headache, they are not allowed to return to school until they are quite well. . "I know of none of these cases where a child has been sent home and the case has developed into smallpox. "The true source of infection. I believe, be-lieve, is easily traced to those people who are careless. They will let their children run about the streets when some member of the family is ill with what at first is thought to be a slight ailment. When it develops into smallpox, small-pox, they are then kept In the house, but not until they have scattered infectious infec-tious germs broadcast "All the disease we have noted so far has been of extremely light form, therefore there-fore being very hard to detect and much harder to handle. "I know of a storekeeper in this portion por-tion of the city who was quite ill with what at first he supposed was chicken-pox. chicken-pox. His children were out of school, but were allowed to run about the streets and were playing with other children of the neighborhood. The disease dis-ease later developed Into smallpox, and who is there that can say those children did not spread the germs? "The idea that the contagion is in the school is hardly in keeping with good Judgment. How much more possible Is it that a person will be exposed to disease dis-ease on the streets and in cars and in like frequented places than that the disease dis-ease spreads from a sanitary school, well ventilated and thoroughly fumi-gated fumi-gated at the slightest suspicion of infection? infec-tion? "The Gunn and Home families, which have been put forth by the papers as evidences of the spread of the disease from this school, did not contract the disease In this school. have been told that after Conductor Conduc-tor Horne was under quarantine he went to town to see if he should return to work. Returning, he is said to have ridden on the street car. "It Is a very wise measure to have all children vaccinated at this time. We do not want such a siege as we had a few winters ago, and I believe vaccination vaccina-tion to be greatly preventive. "The patrons of the school have been caused a great deal of undue fear by reports re-ports of the alarming condition of the school. The attepdance has dropped off greatly from' this cause. There is no reason why anyone should keep his children away from school on this account. ac-count. The school Is so thoroughly impregnated im-pregnated with the formaldehyde fumes that there is no possibility of contagion, except from children who might come to school with the germs in their clothing, cloth-ing, which is not nearly so likely as It is on the streets." The motor-man who was working with Conductor Horne says that he had violated vio-lated none of the quarantine regulations and that the spread of the disease would have to be traced to another source than that. In this matter the City j Board of Health Is also very emphatic. They say that Horne was properly quarantined and that he violated not one of the rules. The people in the district of the Lowell Low-ell school are greatly alarmed over the situation. The mothers talk of it over their fences. The children hug one side of the street, where a case Is quarantined quaran-tined on the opposite side. The matter Is one 'of grave concern with the residents resi-dents In the northeastern portion of the city. The residents are anxious to locate lo-cate persons responsible for the spread of smallpox, and are doing all in their power to prevent further spread of the germs. Throughout the locality Monday Mon-day the fumes of sulphur were every-where every-where biting the nostrils of those who happened to be In the vicinity. City Physician Wilcox has ordered general vaccination among the pupils of the Lowell school, and those who cannot show well defined vaccination marks will not be permitted to enter school. |