HISTORY: Altoona Hospital, Blair County, PA, 1898 Report, Charitable Institutions of Pennsylvania Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _______________________________________________ Charitable institutions of Pennsylvania which have received state aid in 1897 and 1898, embracing their history and the amount of state appropriations which they received. Compiled under authority of an act of assembly, approved July 26, 1897, by Alexander K. Pedrick ... under the direction of Amos H. Mylin, auditor general of Pennsylvania. [Harrisburg] W. S. Ray, State Printer, 1898, pages 28- 33. _______________________________________________ ALTOONA HOSPITAL [photo] CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 29 ALTOONA HOSPITAL, ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY.* For a number of years the necessity of a thoroughly equipped hospital had been quite apparent to all thoughtful citizens and many considered it a reproach to the people of Blair county that the tenth largest city in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did not contain a hospital for the reception and medical or surgical treatment of the sick and injured. As time progressed, however, public interest in this important subject did not in the least abate, but rather increased as the population increased and accidents and misfortunes multiplied. Colonel Theodore Burchfield, a member of the House of Representatives from Blair county in 1883-84, being in hearty accord and sympathy with the people in the matter of a hospital, determined, after consultation with prominent citizens, to introduce a bill making an appropriation to aid in establishing a general hospital. Accordingly Colonel Burchfield prepared and on the 21st day of February, 1883, read in his place in the House of Representatives a bill entitled "An act making an appropriation towards the erection and furnishing of a hospital at the city of Altoona." On the 26th day of February, 1883, a public meeting was called for the purpose of adopting such proper measures as would tend to secure favorable action on the bill, and in pursuance of the call a large number of prominent and influential citizens assembled in the common council chamber. John P. Levan was chosen to preside at the meeting, and H. C. Dern was appointed secretary. Great earnestness characterized the deliberations of this meeting, and it was resolved to make a vigorous and systematic effort to raise the sum of $15,000, and also to secure a lot on which to erect the hospital buildings. At this same meeting the several provisions of the bill recited above by its title were thoroughly discussed, and Milton Alexander, Esq., ex-recorder Thomas H. Grevy and Henry H. Herr, Esq., were appointed a committee to appear before the committee on appropriations of the House of Representatives and urge an affirmative report on the bill. On the 28th day of February these gentlemen proceeded to Harrisburg and on the 1st day of March the committee on appropriations accorded them a hearing. On the 2d day of March, 1883, the committee made an affirmative _____ *Compiled from reports of Jno. P. Levan, President. 30 CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA. report and it passed the House on the 24th day of May, 1883, by the decisive vote of 150 yeas and 16 nays. On the 24th day of May, 1883, the clerk of the House presented the bill to the Senate for concurrence, and it finally passed that body on the first day of June, A.D., 1883, by a vote of 41 yeas and 1 nay. On the 12th day of June, 1883, at the request of the president of the citizens' association, the following named gentlemen: A. J. Anderson, Christ. Houser, Sr., Milton Alexander, A. V. Dively, T. B. Patton, F. W. Olmes, D. K. Ramey, George W. Arthurs and S. B. Trees, repaired to Harrisburg for the purpose of prevailing upon Governor Pattison to approve the bill. An interview was arranged for the following day, and at the appointed hour the Governor received these gentlemen in the executive chamber, and heard, in turn, the reasons adduced by each in favor of the appropriation. The bill became a law on the 5th day of July, A.D. 1883. The act conditionally appropriated the sum of fifteen thousand dollars toward the erection and furnishing of a general hospital, and provided that before any of the above sum be paid by the State Treasurer, the President of the Board of Trustees of said Hospital should certify to the State Treasurer on oath, that suitable grounds had been secured for said building, and that the further sum of fifteen thousand dollars had been subscribed and paid toward the erection and furnishing of the said Hospital. The public meeting held on the 26th day of February, 1883, having adjourned to meet at the call of the President, on July 10th, following, the citizens again convened in the common council chamber at the call of the president, and by vote continued the president and secretary, and completed the organization by the election of D. K. Ramey as treasurer. Committees were also appointed to solicit subscriptions to the hospital fund in the several wards of the city. The officers of the organization were by resolution designated a committee to call upon the proper officers of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and solicit a contribution to the hospital fund. On the 6th day of September, 1883, the citizens interested in the hospital again met. The committee appointed to solicit subscriptions in the several wards of the city made satisfactory reports through their respective chairmen. The committee appointed to solicit a contribution from the Pennsylvania Railroad Company read, as their report, a letter from S. M. Prevost, Esq., General Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad, in which he stated that the Company would make a liberal contribution in cash, and would also convey to the corporation a lot or piece of ground on which to erect hospital buildings. On the 1st day of September, 1883, a fourth public meeting was held in the common council chamber, and counsel, to whom had been CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 31 referred the subject of incorporation, submitted a charter and certificate of incorporation as required by law, containing the name, purposes, objects, articles and conditions of the proposed corporation, which, upon consideration, was adopted and counsel instructed to obtain a charter. As the certificate of incorporation was required to contain the names of the trustees chosen for the first year, at this meeting the following named gentlemen were chosen trustees for the first year: John P. Levan, Theo. N. Ely, S. M. Prevost, George W. Strattan, H. J. Cornman, H. C. Dern, David K. Ramey, F. L. Sheppard, A. J. Anderson, William Stoke, Benjamin F. Custer, William Murray and Theo. H. Wigton. On the 26th day of November, A.D. 1883, in the court of common please of Blair county, the Hon. John Dean, law judge of said county, ordered and decreed that the subscribers to the charter and their associates should be a corporation by the name of "The Altoona Hospital." On the 18th day of September, 1883, the charter and decree were duly recorded at Hollidaysburg, in the office for recording deeds, etc., in Letter Book Vol 2, page 471, etc. On the 2d day of January, 1884, the thirteen trustees named in the charter and certificate of incorporation organized by choosing John P. Levan, president; Benjamin F. Custer, clerk and Theo. H. Wigton, treasurer. On the 9th day of August, 1884, a special committee reported to the Board of Trustees a body of by-laws for the government of the corporation. They were approved of by the Board of Trustees, and were duly adopted by the members of the corporation at a general meeting called for that purpose on the 16th day of August, A.D. 1884. At the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees held on the 15th day of September the president appointed all the standing committees prescribed by the by-laws. At this same meeting the Board of Trustees elected Andrew J. Riley solicitor of the corporation. At the meeting of the Board of Trustees held on the Third Monday in November, the treasurer, Theodore H. Wigton, reported that there had been paid in cash to him the sum of $15,177.09. Of this sum, $6,086.04 was received from D. K. Ramey, treasurer of the unincorporated association, and the sum of $9,091.05 from subscribers. On the 26th day of November, 1884, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company conveyed, in fee, to "The Altoona Hospital," a lot or piece of ground situate in the city of Altoona, containing four acres and twenty-seven hundredths of an acre. The lot is a very valuable one, well situated for the humane purpose for which it is intended, and easy of access. At the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees, held on the Third Monday in December, 1884, the committee on real estate and 32 CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA. construction of buildings made an exhaustive report through their chairman, S. M. Prevost, Esq. It embodied the very best experience in hospital architecture and the recommendations of the committee were unanimously adopted by the Board. A hospital building containing twenty-four beds, as also a central building suitable for offices, dispensary, kitchen, etc., was ordered to be erected in accordance with the plan recommended by this committee and approved by the Board of Trustees. During the year 1888, additional funds were raised to construct and support the hospital by voluntary contributions on the part of the employes of the machine and car shops and other departments of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona, to the extent of ten cents per month each. The business houses of the city also contributed to the same purpose. The operations of the hospital during the year 1888 covered one hundred and eighty-two cases, of which eighty-eight were surgical. During the following year, a large sum of money was expended by the corporation in furnishing medical and surgical treatment to the sick and injured poor of the county, the expense of whose treatment was not properly chargeable to the county poor fund. Efforts were made to obtain a recovery of some of this amount from the county, and the matter was finally arranged by the payment to the hospital annually of $200. Two hundred and ninety patients were treated in the hospital during the year 1890, of, which two hundred and six were cured. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, which had annually contributed a sum sufficient to maintain six beds in the hospital, informed the trustees on March 9th, 1891, that the appropriation of the Company would be increased to an amount sufficient to maintain ten beds. The company also notified the hospital authorities that Mr. William Minot of Boston had donated $4,000 to be held in trust to establish a free bed to be known as the "Henry D. Minot Memorial Bed." The Pennsylvania Railroad officials also informed the trustees that at a meeting held on March 11th, 1891, an appropriation of $5,280.37 had been made to the support of the institution, this sum representing the unexpended balance of contributions which had been made by the Railroad Company for the relief of sufferers by the Johnstown flood. In the year 1892, under the will of John S. Morrison, the institution received $5,000 for the support of beds for the use of injured employes of the Morrison & Cass Paper Company. A thorough overhauling of the hospital building took place this year. The number of cases treated in 1892 was three hundred and fifty- seven, of which two hundred and sixty-six were discharged cured. An enlargement of the buildings took place in the following year, at an expense of over $16.000. Additional funds were received from the executor of William T. Marriott who devised $2,000 to the institution, to be especially CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 33 applied to indigent sick and injured who were born in the United States or in England. The largest number of patients received up to that time was in 1893, when there were three hundred and eighty-six admissions. The hospital was crowded beyond its comfortable capacity. In addition to the patients within its doors, 1,316 outside received medical and surgical treatment. Up to November 1st, 1897, the inside patients treated at the Hospital numbered 2,209 surgical cases and 1,177 medical cases, while those treated outside numbered 9,019 surgical cases and 3,767 medical cases. Officers, 1897. Board of Trustees. - John P. Levan, F. D. Casanave, George W. Strattan, H. J. Cornman, H. C. Dern, David K. Barney, F. L. Sheppard, A. J. Anderson, William Stoke, L. B. Reifsneider, W. W. Murray, A. E. Reed, Albert F. Hess. President, John P. Levan. Clerk, L. B. Reifsneider. Treasurer, J. G. Davis. Solicitor, Andrew J. Riley. Medical Staff. - John Fay, Chief of Staff; William S. Ross, M.D., Joseph U. Blose, M.D., Geo. F. Arney, M.D., Frank M. Christy, M.D. Superintendent and Matron, Harriet H. Fetherman. Resident Physician, Dr. O. H. Shaffer. State Appropriations. Buildings, Maintenance, etc. 1893 and 1894, $15,000 00 1885, - 1886, - 1887, 2,500 00 1888, 2,500 00 1889, 3,000 00 1890, 3,000 00 1891, 4,500 00 1892, 4,500 00 1893, 9,500 00 1894, 9,500 00 1895, 6,000 00 1896, 6,000 00 1897 and 1898, 12,000 00 Total, $78,000 00