Smallpox at Weston

The following transcription, made by Mélissa Martin for the Weston History and Heritage website, was taken from Pioneering Days of the Coalfields, No.11, by Brian J. Andrews for the Coalfields Heritage Centre . Sep. 2000, pp.18-25. 

See aslo:  1911-1920

No.43:  SMALLPOX AT WESTON

The little settlement of Hebburn, which once lay across on the opposite side of Hebburn Dam from the town of Weston, was a collection of huts and humpies occupied by miners and other employees of Hebburn Colliery.

It sprang into national prominence in February, 1915, when it was discovered that no less than twelve cases of smallpox had been found there by Kurri Kurri's local Government Medical Officer, Dr A.R.Heupt.

The people had been under the impression that their illness was nothing more than chickenpox. or Australian itch, whatever that was.

At the commencement of February, 1915, a couple of isolated cases of smallpox broke out in the Newcastle suburbs' of Merewether and Adamstown.

All these cases of the highly contagious disease were removed to Stockton, where they were quarantined in isolation wards.

Meanwhile, health authorities attempted to track down the source of the contamination.

Dr Heupt, writing of the smallpox outbreak for the Medical Journal of Australia, in March, 1915, wrote that in his opinion, the disease had been imported from Sydney.

The outbreak was discovered through a family in Newcastle catching the disease from a relative who had been visiting them from Weston.

This led Dr Heupt to the little settlement at Hebburn, where he was shocked to find the disease raging.

Dr Heupt reported, “I made enquiries, and was surprised to find they had already been treated by a local doctor, and were told by him that they were suffering from “Australian itch,” and so, when other neighbours contracted it, they took little notice, believing it to be exactly as diagnosed.”

HEBBURN ESTATE

During the course of the outbreak, which lasted throughout February, and March, 1915, Tarro Shire Council's sanitary inspector, Mr E.Branch, made house to house inspections of the Hebburn Estate.

His report to Council provides an insight into the Hebburn settlement, which no longer exists today, with the area giving very little indication of ever having been resided upon.

Nature today has all but reclaimed the entire area.

Upon inspection, Mr Branch found most of the home-made dwellings were kept clean, but some were untidy, and their condition left a lot of room for improvement in construction and otherwise. They would never have passed today's stringent building requirements.

The conditions prevailing at Hebburn gave little encouragement to the tenants to improve their premises, owing to the fact that no lease was given them.

They had to pay a 'ground rental' of five cents (six pence) per week to the Australian Agricultural Company for the right to remain on the ground. This had the effect, no doubt, of preventing them to a great extent, of building better and more up-to date houses.

BAD INDUSTRIAL POSITION

At the time of the smallpox outbreak, in February 1915, the Kurri Kurri end of the Coalfield was in a depressed industrial state, with each of the collieries closed due to long standing disputes continuing, associated with the Afternoon Shift issue.

Despite this industrial situation about the Kurri Kurri – Weston districts, there had been a fair number of new arrivals to the region. From the conversation of many of these new immigrants, who had arrived in the country not knowing of the labour troubles until they got here, then finding themselves stranded owing to an inability to find work.

At the same time the collieries at the Cessnock end of the coalfield were operating in full swing, but they already had sufficient hands, leaving the new arrivals with little chance of employment.

They simply made the smallpox situation worse.

When Dr Heupt first visited Hebburn he found a few youngsters, in the later convalescent stage of the disease, playing about the place, their parents having no idea of the nature of their illness.

Twelve cases of smallpox were diagnosed, four of which were bad examples of the disease, then bodies being completely covered. The problem now was that there had been no less than 67 contacts at Hebburn, who had freely been coming and going about the district.

INCOMPETENT DOCTOR

Throughout all the dozens of reports on which this history feature is based, the 'medical man' of Weston who had been treating these victims, was never identified, and his gross incompetence never dealt with.

In fact, his continual opposition of the smallpox diagnosis, led his patients, who trusted and followed his advice, almost force the Government to introduce Martial Laws to force the people to undertake vaccination, and to obey quarantine regulations.

It appeared that during the previous few months numerous cases of body rash occurred, but they were treated simply as chickenpox, with little notice being taken of the symptoms.

In some cases the rash occurred as long ago as five months earlier, with many of those affected being completely recovered.

Symptoms began with what resembled a touch of severe gastro-enteritis. This condition was followed by severe periodical chills, some being very severe. These symptoms lasted for about 10 to 14 days, followed by a dark coloured skin rash.

The rash first appeared on the forehead, wrists and feet, gradually spreading to the face and body, and later to the legs. During all of this the temperature rose and fell irregularly.

Dr Heupt was accompanied by Dr L. St. Vincent Welch, Government Medical Officer at Abermain, on his inspection of Hebburn, after which they declared eleven houses under quarantine, and prompt measures were taken to prevent the spread of the smallpox.

The Hebburn smallpox outbreak was identified on February 8th, 1915, with all of the twelve identified cases being at either Hebburn, or what was known as Weston's second subdivision. However, a couple of suspect cases existed out at Sawyer's Gully.

BAN ON COALFIELDS

The seriousness and effect of the Weston smallpox outbreak should have been brought home to any doubters, with two bans, or restrictions, being imposed the very next day.

The first came from the Maitland Hospital's secretary, when he advised that all visitors from the Kurri Kurri district would not be admitted to the hospital to visit friends and relatives.

Secondly, the Inspector-General of Police advised that no army recruits, living within a radius of twenty miles of Hebburn, could be forwarded to Sydney, Australia, then in the early stages of World War One, was prevented from having reinforcements enlist in the Lower Hunter.

The following police stations were advised of the restrictions, thus giving some idea of the lengths the health authorities resorted to in order to prevent the epidemic spreading. The station advised were Kurri Kurri, Weston, Abermain, Cessnock, Greta, Branxton, Lochinvar, Morpeth, Paterson, Mulbring and East Maitland.

The suspension of military recruitment came into effect immediately. Unfortunately for five new recruits, who had previously been passed medically fit, they reported to their local police stations to obtain free travel passes, but were disappointed to find the police refusing to issue the passes.

Undeterred they paid their own train fares, but on arriving in Sydney they were again rejected, as they came from within the restricted area.

ISOLATION COTTAGE

During the first week, following the outbreak, a number of new cases were identified at Weston and Sawyer's Gully.

With so many smallpox victims it was decided that a portion of the grounds of the Kurri Kurri District Hospital should be declared a quarantine area, and an Isolation Ward established within that area.

Originally it was envisaged that a number of tents would need to be erected, but since the existing Isolation Cottage at the hospital was vacant, it was taken over by the State's Board of Health.

As time went by the outbreak extended to Cessnock and Aberdare, with patients from that area also being housed in the Kurri Kurri Isolation Cottage.

Mr Grahame, a member of the Kurri Kurri Hospital Committee, became a bit upset by the Cessnock patients being brought to Kurri Kurri. In reply to question posed by him, the president, Mr Aubin, said that the Isolation Cottage just happened to be empty at the time of the outbreak's discovery, and therefore the local patients were sent there. Neither the hospital officers nor the matron had been consulted on the matter.

He pointed out that the occupation of the cottage by smallpox patients only, would lead to inconvenience and trouble, as cases of other infectious diseases could not be treated at the hospital.

Apart from that, the smallpox patients were being fed at the expense of the Kurri Kurri Hospital. Mr Aubin was of the opinion that the government should at least bear that expense. Complaints, he said, had also been made of patients from Cessnock being sent to Kurri Kurri for treatment.

SHIRE DIFFICULTIES

Not only was the Hospital Committee having difficulties in dealing with the outbreak but so too were the two shire councils that served the Coalfield area.

Normally, local government authorities were responsible for handling infectious diseases, but smallpox, being far more serious, was elevated to the State's Board of Health.

The Hebburn Estate, where most of the cases were located, fell within the boundary of the Tarro Shire Council, whilst Weston and Sawyer's Gully were part of Cessnock Shire. The sanitary inspectors for both shires took immediate steps to fumigate infected residences, irrespective of shire boundaries and the fact that they had no authority to do so.

Added to this was that the Shires had never been officially contacted by the Board of Health, as to what was happening, and what they should be doing. Relations between the Shire Presidents and the doctors, representing the Board, became somewhat strained.

The president of the Cessnock Shire Council, Councillor T.L. Johns, when asked by the press if the council intended taking any action, respecting allegations that smallpox contacts were freely going about the district at will, some having escaped from quarantine, replied that he had received no official intimation that such was the case, but he would make inquiries and do all that he could to conserve the health of the community.

At the same time, he thought the local Government Medical Officer, Dr Heupt, who was evidently aware of all the circumstances, should report to either himself or the Board.

It was certainly the council's duty to keep a watchful eye on matters pertaining to the health of the community, but they could not undertake the whole of the work and responsibility, in connection with the smallpox outbreak, which was principally the duty of the Board of Health.

ISOLATION COMPLAINTS

In the meantime, a fairly large section of the townspeople of the region objected to one patient, who recently contracted smallpox, being treated in his own home, instead of being removed to the hospital's isolation ward.

The authorities isolated the house, placed a trained nurse in attendance, but the objectors considered that this method constituted a danger to the community, and that all patients should be removed to the recognised quarantine area.

The feeling became so strong that a hurried public meeting was called. This was held in Kurri Kurri's King's Hall, on Sunday afternoon, February 28th.

During the meeting, attended by about 200 persons, the authorities were questioned as to why a couple of alleged smallpox patients had been allowed to leave the hospital's isolation ward on their own account.

If this sort of thing was allowed to continue, the disease would certainly spread far and wide.

The meeting at times drifted into arguments about vaccinations, sanitation, etc., and there were some very lively and heated exchanges.

Dr Booth-Clarkson, of the Board of Health, attempted to defend their actions. He explained that the isolation and treatment of a smallpox patent in his own home, exactly the same way at Weston. All precautions, he pointed out, were taken in these cases, and when spoken to after the meeting, he said he was quite satisfied that everything possible was being done to prevent the spread of the disease.

A couple of days later, on Tuesday, March 2nd, another hastily convened meeting of the local shire and municipal council was held in Maitland.

Again the Board of Health came under attack from the various councils, mainly for their lack of communicating information as to what was going on.

By then the outbreak had been raging in the area for nearly a month since being first identified, and still many Hebburn residents still preferred to believe their own doctor that it wasn't smallpox at all. The result was that they refused to be vaccinated, broke quarantine when and wherever they liked, with the result that the outbreak spread to Cessnock.

WINNING OVER PEOPLE

Speaking of the indifference of these indifferent people's attitude towards vaccination, Dr Armstrong, who had been sent up from Sydney, said that vaccination was the only infallible safeguard against the disease, and if people continued to refuse to be vaccinated, and the disease continued to spread, the only action then to be taken would be to quarantine the whole Coalfield district. and impose stringent regulations regarding travel.

He strongly advised everyone in the district at go to the free vaccination depots at Kurri Kurri and Cessnock, and do the right thing.

Finally the message got though. In fact they ran out of vaccine on the first day and had to wait another week for more to be imported.

By the end of March, 1915, the outbreak was beaten after an eight week battle against more than just the infection.

More good news came to the area with the Afternoon Shift dispute being settled and work resuming at the local collieries.

Even though there were government regulations governing smallpox outbreaks, the local authorities of the time, lacking a disaster plan for such an incident, were caught utterly unprepared.

This smallpox outbreak, which coincided with the commencement of Australia's involvement in the Great War, was only a small incident, when compared with the action they would have to be prepared for at the end of the war, in 1919, when the Influenza Pandemic would hit hard, taking with it hundreds and thousands of lives across the land. But that's another story.

[Transcribed for the Weston History and Heritage website by Mélissa Martin]