Odd Fellows and Others

Odd Fellows & Others

Only one-fifth ofthe sick could be accommodated atthe fort hospital and complaints of exorbitant charges began to circulate. In September the rains came and with them, an outbreakoftyphus. Manysufferershadonlytreesforshelter, and many died. At the southeastcomer ofthe fort the local Odd Fellows organization opened ahospital on December 8, 1849, andwaslaterjoinedinitseffortstoadministerrelief,by theFreemasons. Care wasgiven first to members and when therewasroom,toothersinneed. TheSacramentoTranscript announced on May 2,1850, thatDr. Dealhadpurchased the Odd Fellows and Masons Hospital atthesoutheastcomer of Sutter's Fort. The announcement praised Dr. Deal:

“Since its establishment the Doctor has faithfully performedthedutiesofMinister,Physician,Friend, andTrustee withoutthe hope ofreward, savethat reward so freely flowing from the approving conscience.” 16

On December 22, 1849, Drs. John F. Morse and J.D.B. Stillmanopenedaprivatehospitalat3rdandKStreets. They had made arrangements with a builder, Priest, Lee and Company,torentthecompletedbuildingfor$1500permonth. It was constructed of Oregon pine, was one and one-half stories high, and measured 35 by 55 feet, depending upon one’s source of information. There was an accompanying apothecary’s office. The private wards were lined with muslin,“thewayhousesarefinishedoffhereinteriorly.” Daylight

was provided by half-windows along the sides of the main ward and two full windows at each gable. 17

Dr. Morse was bom in Vermont, studied medicine at New York University, and came to California in the hope of improving his health. He became one of the leaders in the community and state. He cared for so many non-paying patients that he was forced to look for outside income to supporthimselfand his family. In 1851 he became the first editor ofthe Sacramento Union and wrote The First History ofSacramento City in 1853. He moved to San Francisco in 1862 andjoined the medical department ofthe University of the Pacific.

Dr. Stillman remained in Sacramento a comparatively shorttime. His informative GoldRush Letters was senttobe published in an eastern newspaper, and appeared a century later in book form.

On December 23, 1849, the following advertisement appeared in the Placer Times:

“Drs. Morse and Stillman announce to the Public generallythattheirhospital atthecomerofKand 3rd Streets is now ready for the reception of patients. Thequalitiesofthebuildingaresuchaswill bestrecommendthemselvesbyexamination. They thereforeinvitethepublicand theprofessionespecially to honor them with a visit and inspection of their Home for the Sick. A drug store in charge of J.L.G. Cannon ofNewYork City will be in connection with the hospital. Anything thatentire devotion to our enterprise can do to make our patients comfortable will be done. Our terms will be for main ward, $10 per Diem, for private ward, $20 whenoccupiedby oneperson, and$15each fortwo. Drs. M. and S. will still continue to attendoutdoor patients.” 18

Writing to the East, Dr. Stillman reported,

“We are at lastin ournew hospital building. It is, without doubt, the finestbuildingin Sacramento. We have just opened and are not yet complete in arrangements. It is said to have cost the proprietors $15,000, and is nobetterthan abam athome that could be built for $2000." 19

Although thebuildingwassturdy, thesite was nothigh enough toescapetheyearlyfloods. Recallingtheflood of1850 in his First History of Sacramento, Dr. Morse later quoted notes by Dr. Stillman:

“Weareall,about40 ofus, in theupperstoryofour hospital! Dr.Morseandmyselfwriting,Higgins(of Kentucky) reading Dematine’s Raphael, the cook preparing something for breakfast, two or three othersquartered withus, talkingin an undertone, some asleep, and a few patients muttering in delirium. A lone woman, sick and destitute, is curtained offin onecomeroftheroom. Someare lying on thefloor;others, dead, aresewedupinblankets and sunk inthe water, in a room on thefirstfloor. Dr. Morse pours some brandy in his ink, to give spirit to his letter. I pour from another bottle standing on the table, containing laudanum, to quiet the apprehensions that mine may awaken; then we all laugh and go on as before.”

Stillman continued, on the next day:

“The water is still rising— at the rate of6 inches an hour. Tents, houses, boxes, barrels, horses, mules, andcattlearesweepingby with theswollen torrent. There are few two-story houses. Today there is no first floor in the city uncovered. I have some misgivings aboutourfate,butsure I am that

we will not desert the sick, and if we are swept away, we will all go together.”20

JamesEatonalsodescribedhisexperiencesandthoseof patients in a canvas-walled hospital during the 1850 MBig Flood”:

“There were so manypeoplesick thereatthis time that several people had built private hospitals. Each side of the hospital was rows of berths or bunks built four tiers high. Those patients who were able would use the upper berths, but those who were very serious were in the lower berths. Whenthe wordcametothehospital thatthewater would soon break over the levee, only the nurses were in charge and they were unable to get the patients outiftheyhadhad timeforthere were so many ofthem in there.

“The hospital was built right in the Cut Off, same asourcabin, andwhen thewaterbrokeover, it came down with a rush and it wasn’t longuntil the water was up over them and the sick on the opposite side of the higher berths could only see water covering and drowning their sick companions who were unable to help themselves, neither could they render any assistance to them. It was awful! Asthewaterrosehigheritcameonthosein the second, then the third and even thefourth tier ofberthsandmanyofthepoor, unfortunatesickin these hospitals came to an end, not through disease,butbydrowning. Itwassaidthatthecriesfor helpbytheseunfortunateswasmostheartrending and nobody able to help them. While I did not see these people we could easily hear the cry for help from the people in the city as the water rushed in upon them.” 21

The account ofWilliam Morris Stewart had a happier outcome, as embodied in his 1909 book, Reminiscences. Ill

when he arrivedby boatfromSan Francisco, he was advised by a “young druggistwhose name was Crane” to seek carein ahospitalwhichhehadestablishedinSacramentoin connection with his drug store.” Stewart did, and regretted it:

“The hospital was a sorry looking building. The water under it was about eighteen inches or two feetdeep,anditcouldbereachedonlybyaplatform ofboards.

“An untidy looking Mexican who spoke some English had charge of the establishment, and I inquired ofhimhow manypersons had died there. He undertook to countthem up, but I stoppedhim and told him that was enough.”

Stewart returned to the levee where he boarded a boat andlaydown on abenchuntilitreachedMarysville, wherehe staggered offand persuadedtwo men with a team ofoxen to takehim farther. Beingsympathetic, theygave him a bed of strawintheirwagon. Afterabody-breakingtripofthreedays, theyliftedhimoutandsettledhimbesideafreshspring. They arranged a bucket with a long stick for a handle so he could reachthewater. Helayaloneforseveraldays,barelyexisting, until his fever broke. He slowly regained enough energy to continue on his way. 22

On April 16, 1850, the following advertisement appearedinthe Sacramento TranscripttoutingtheSutter'sFort Hospital:

“Insidethe Fort,byDrs.James S. Martinand R.R. Carman, having been thoroughly repaired, [it] is now ready for the comfortable accommodation of patients. Thesalubrityofthelocation is evidentto everyone. The Hospital being in a large adobe building,itisexemptfromthatextremeheatwhich is incident to this climate during the summer. Terms moderate.” [A list ofnames for references was included.]23

It is not hard to imagine the physical condition of the miners-to-be and the early settlers. The year 1849 was a hospital-foundingyear because there were no public institutions. Doctorswereforced tosetuptheirown establishments to care for their own patients. In addition to those already mentioned, there were the Peyton and Cobb Hospital, the Crane Hospital, the Johnson and Proctor Hospital on 2nd Streetbetween I andJ, and the Hazard andTaylor Hospital at 3rd and K. Most did not last long. The White and Cleveland Hospital at 9th and L and the Thompson and McLean Hospital in the same neighborhood were addedtothe communityinApril 1850. Drs. White and Cleveland advertised their 100-bed hospital in the April 12, 1850, Transcript and added, “One of the parties can always be found [herej andthe other at the counting room of Paul, White, and Co.” When Dr. D.A. Wadsworth from Providence, Rhode Island, opened his hospital on K Street between2ndand3rd,heservednoticethathehad“experience with the diseases ofCalifornia.” 24

There weremore floods andmore suffering. An eyewitnessreportedthatDr. White's canvashouse, used as the city hospital, was on particularly low ground and the patients floated on “freakishlybuoyantcots.” With thedoctorawayin anotherpartoftown, “for sometime the invalids layhelpless on their seagoing beds, watching the canvas ceiling draw nearer as the waterrose.” Some were rescued by Capt. John Sherrod who conveyed them toSam Brannan's store. “Many, however, had rolledfrom their cots and drowned before help arrived. 25

David Dustin a gold-rush pioneer, wrote on August 14, 1850:

"Give me health and California is a pretty good placetomakemoney. Butgivemesicknesssuch as I have seen here andhell can'tbe far off. No place canhardlybe worsefora sickman than California — and there are many serious caseshere I assure you. Thereisnotmorethanoneintenbutwhathas hadafitofsickness soon afterarrivinghere,either Dysentery,Diarrhea,BiliousfeverandAgue,Scurvy orRheumatism—andinmanycasesthediseasein spite oftreatment will lastfor six months or even ayear” 26