Short Account of Malignant Fever in Philadelphia – Chapter V (1793), 
Philadelphia County, PA

Contributed to the PAGenWeb Archives by Marjorie B. Winter [marjw@cox.net]

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CHAP.  V.  Distress increases.  Benevolent citizens invited to assist the 
guardians of the poor.  Ten volunteers.  Appointment of the committee for relief 
of the sick.  State of Philadelphia.

	In the mean time, the situation of affairs became daily more and more 
serious.  Those of the guardians of the poor, who continued to act, were quite 
oppressed with the labours of their office, which increased to such a degree, 
that they were utterly unable to execute them.  I have already mentioned, that 
for the city there were but three who persevered in the performance of their 
duty.  It must give the reader great concern to hear, that two of them, James 
Wilson, and Jacob Tomkins, excellent and indefatigable young men, whose services 
were at that time of very great importance, fell sacrifices in the cause of 
humanity.  The other, William Sansom, was likewise, in the execution of his 
dangerous office, seized with the disorder, and on the brink of the grave, but 
was so fortunate as to recover.  The deceased persons became daily more 
numerous.  Owing to the general terror, nurses, carters, and attendants could 
hardly be procured.  Thus circumstanced, the mayor of the city, on the 10th of 
September, published an address (Page 29) to the citizens, announcing that the 
guardians of the poor, who remained, were in distress for want of assistance, 
and inviting such benevolent people, as felt for the general distress, to lend 
their aid.  In consequence of this advertisement, a meeting of the citizens was 
held in the city-hall, on Thursday, the 12th of September, at which very few 
attended, from the universal consternation that prevailed.  The state of the 
poor was fully considered; and ten citizens, Israel Israel, Samuel Wetherill, 
Thomas Wistar, Andrew Adgate, Caleb Lownes, Henry Deforest, Thomas Peters, 
Joseph Inskeep, Stephen Girard, and John Mason, offered themselves to assist the 
guardians of the poor.  At this meeting, a committee was appointed to confer 
with the physicians who had the care of Bushhill, and make report of the state 
of that hospital.  This committee reported next evening, that it was in very bad 
order, and in want of almost every thing.

	On Saturday, the 14th, another meeting was held, when the alarming state 
of affairs being fully considered, it was resolved to borrow fifteen hundred 
dollars of the bank of North-America, for the purpose of procuring suitable 
accommodations for the use of persons afflicted with the prevailing malignant 
fever.  At this meeting, a committee was appointed to transact the whole of the 
business relative to the relief of the sick, and the procuring of physicians, 
nurses, attendants, etc.  This is the committee, which, by virtue of that 
appointment, has, from that day to the present time, watched over the sick, the 
poor, the widow, and the orphan.  It is worthy of remark, and may encourage 
others in time of public calamity, that this committee consisted originally of 
only twenty-six persons, men mostly taken from the middle walks of life; of 
these, four, Andrew Adgate, Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, Daniel Ossley, and 
Joseph Inskeep, died, the two first at an early period of their labours – and 
four never attended to the appointment.  The heat and burden of the day have 
therefore been borne by eighteen persons, whose (Page 30) exertions have been so 
highly favoured by providence, that they have been the instruments of averting 
the progress of destruction, eminently relieving the distressed, and restoring 
confidence to the terrified inhabitants of Philadelphia.  It is honourable to 
this committee, that they have conducted their business with more harmony than 
is generally to be met with in public bodies of equal number.  Probably there 
never was one, of which the members were so regular in their attendance; the 
meetings, at the worst of times – those times, which, to use Paine's emphatic 
language, tried men's souls, were composed in general, of twelve, thirteen, and 
fourteen members.

	Never, perhaps, was there a city in the situation of Philadelphia at this 
period.  The president of the United States, according to his annual custom, had 
removed to Mount Vernon with his household.  Most, if not all of the other 
officers of the federal government were absent.  The governor, who had been 
sick, had gone, by directions of his physician, to his country-seat near the 
falls of Schuylkill – and nearly the whole of the officers of the state had 
likewise retired.  – The magistrates of the city, except the mayor  and John 
Barclay, Esq.  were away, as were most of those of the liberties.  Of the 
situation of the guardians of the poor , I have already made mention.  In fact, 
government of every kind was almost wholly vacated, and seemed, by tacit, but 
universal consent, to be vested in the committee.(Page 31)