In days past — not so very long ago — small town newspapers acted as backyard fences: Visitors were introduced, trips noted, luncheons reported and activity in general was tracked. And so, it is not surprising to read in copies of local newspapers from the 1918s and 1919s, hundreds of reports of the details of the Spanish Influenza — who had it — who recovered — who was tending the sick — and, sadly — who succumbed to the deadly illness. The trip down memory lane is especially timely as we deal with the coronavirus pandemic today, watching hundreds of thousands die the world over.
Imagine opening the newspaper not knowing if it was to be a harbinger of news good or bad. Readers were torn when neighbor learned that neighbor was ill. Was the house to be avoided — or was needed nourishment to be shared?
Those century-old reports were unlike those of this year’s COVID-19 pandemic, which is shrouded by HIPAA regulations that keep names discretely hidden. Reports today center on numbers. Victims of the 1918 epidemic had names and faces; the scourge was personal, and it was everywhere.
Responses varied. In the same week that one game was canceled, another home team’s victory was touted. The Sharon Messenger portion of The Harlem Valley Times from that time period reported the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was postponed “…owing to the prevailing epidemic of influenza and the consequent closing of schools, movies and churches and the objection to any public gathering…”
Bowling at one church was suspended due to the influenza, while another’s Sunday School was resumed after several weeks of closure. Schools were closed and opened and then closed again although students were allowed to take the required Regents examinations. Life went on as Fatty Arbuckle and Tom Mix invited residents to leave their troubles behind and find entertainment on the silver screen.
Even without the illness, times were fraught. The world was at war. Thousands upon thousands of families had seen their sons leave to fight for their lives — others had seen their daughters leave to nurse those in need.
And now this — a frightful infection.
Betsy Strauss of both the Amenia and North East Historical Societies recently presented a lecture to the former in which she explained that two of that town’s own soldiers had died of the virus — one before he left the country and the other across the sea.
Indeed the country’s military had been sorely hit with the first cases allegedly reported at Fort Funston in Kansas, where hundreds became infected — some dying — others spreading the virus in America and abroad.
The Red Cross called for thousands of masks. Ironically those were sent to military installations instead of staying locally, where they could have also provided protection. Eventually the use of masks did spread to the civilian population, with some laws requiring their use as we have seen today.
Residents looking for good news found some of the year’s best in The Harlem Valley Times on Nov 9, 1918. In a harbinger of the Armistice, Chester, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Reed of Amenia Union, wrote from France.
“…I know that you want to hear that I am still on the job and that Battery B is doing its share in proving to the Hun that he is in for a good licking…”
Sadly, the same page also reported that Amenia’s Thomas Sheehy died of influenza at Camp Wheeler, Virg., where he had gone for training only a week before his death. Happily, it reported three other soldiers were returning home after having survived the virus.
Experts did their best to provide advice, but as William Tatum III, Dutchess County historian, noted, some came at a heavy price. Exercise, it was believed, would provide some protection, and so residents were urged to become fit with gym memberships offered in enclosed buildings with infected droplets filling the air as many breathed those viral droplets in.
Newspapers far and wide, including both The Millbrook Mirror and Roundtable, printed information from the U.S. Public Health Service Official Health Bulletin, including an effort to clarify the source of the pandemic.
“Although King Alphanso of Spain was one of the victims of the Influenza Epidemic in 1893 and again this summer, Spanish authorities repudiate any claim to influenza as a ‘Spanish’ disease,” stated the bulletin.
It went on to warn, “If the people of this country do not take care the epidemic will become so widespread throughout the United States that soon we shall hear the disease called the ‘American Influenza.’”
Regarding unproven treatments, it further warned, “Only such medicine should be given as is prescribed by the doctor. It is foolish to ask the druggist to prescribe and may be dangerous to take the so-called ‘safe, sure and harmless’ remedies advertised by patent medicine manufacturers.” Such words of advice might have benefitted some of our own leaders trying to stay healthy in today’s pandemic.
To aid in providing safe care, the bulletin suggested a clothe covering should be worn by caregivers who would also “do well to guard against breathing in dangerous disease germs by wearing a simple fold of gauze or mask while near the patient.
In the end, according to the Center for the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population eventually became infected with the Spanish Flu, with the number of deaths estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide, with about 675,000 deaths occurring in the U.S.
But end it eventually did, and people continued to read their hometown news, recognizing and rejoicing in the fact that — at least for the time — the word “influenza” no longer blackened the text. We look forward to a time when similarly, the word “coronavirus” vacates the pages.
The Millbrook Library on Franklin Avenue is accepting personal care items for a drive until the end of January.
MILLBROOK — Throughout the month of January, the Millbrook Library is collecting personal care items as part of a donation drive sponsored by the United Way in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Service Week.
Among items suggested for donation are hair care products including shampoo and hairbrushes, soap, alcohol-free mouthwash, dental care products, women’s products, deodorant and shaving needs.
On Sunday, Jan. 26, the Millerton Fire Company will be hosting a pancake breakfast at the fire house on Century Boulevard in the Village of Millerton.
MILLERTON — On Sunday, Jan. 26, the Millerton Fire Company will be hosting a pancake breakfast at the firehouse. Breakfast will be served starting at 7 a.m. Guests can indulge in eggs made to order, home fries, bacon and sausage, toast and — of course — pancakes. Breakfast is served until 11 a.m., and tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for seniors. Children 12 and under will dine for free.
Pancakes will be available in blueberry and chocolate varieties.
The trailhead for the newly opened preserve.
SALISBURY — Another 47 acres of pristine Salisbury woodland are now open to the public, thanks to the completion of a hiking trail on the Hecht Preserve located on Route 112.
The Salisbury Association Land Trust acquired the land from John and Mary Belter and Helen Belter Hill in late 2023, aided by funding from the Connecticut Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s Highlands Act, and a generous donation from the Anne and Rollin Bates Foundation.
A little over a year after purchase, the parcel is now available for public use via a 1.3 mile loop trail, which the Trust rates as moderately difficult. Parking for the trail is located at the entrance to Wack Forest along Route 112 about a half mile west of the intersection with Wells Hill Road.
The trail was originally meant to be opened by summer 2024, though the process was delayed as the parking is along a state highway, meaning the Trust had to apply for approval from the Department of Transportation, Trust Co-chair John Landon said.
As it abuts the town-owned Wack Forest, the opening of the Hecht Preserve has created a much larger publicly accessible protected area. The terrain comprises a wooded hillside and ridgeline, and is dissected by a clean, cold-water stream that provides valuable habitat for native fish and other aquatic species. The rest of the property is ecologically rich with a mixture of younger and older forest and several key habitat types.
“There’s definitely a lot of wildlife in that area,” Landon said, noting that he’s seen bears several times nearby.
The preserve was named to honor Lou and Elaine Hecht, longtime contributors to the Trust. Lou was co-chair of the Trust for 17 years and remains an emeritus trustee.
“Lou and Elaine have been huge supporters of the Land Trust for many years,” Landon said. “They’ve just contributed so much to the town and have educated people about the importance of the environment.”
Becton Dickinson’s North Canaan plant opened in 1961 with eight employees and a 25,000 square foot facility. Today the operation employs more than 540 people and encompasses 385,000 square feet.
NORTH CANAAN — New production lines installed in 2024 at Becton, Dickinson and Company’s Connecticut and Nebraska plants are now pumping out critical medical devices — including syringes, needles and IV catheters — to meet the burgeoning needs of the nation’s health care system.
One syringe production line is already fully operational at the vaccine manufacturer’s 385,000 square foot North Canaan plant, with additional lines expected to start up in the coming months, the leading global medical technology company announced on Jan. 15.
The new production lines will boost BD’s capacity for safety-engineered injection devices by more than 40% and conventional syringes by more than 50%, adding millions of units annually to support hospital procedures, vaccinations, medication preparation and drug delivery to patients, company officials said.
The Connecticut plant manufactures small-size syringes and syringe and needle combination products. Operations take place around the clock and are sold in every region worldwide.
“Domestic manufacturing is crucial for ensuring a resilient supply of essential healthcare devices,” said Eric Borin, president of Medication Delivery Solutions at BD.
“By expanding our production capacity, we are not only meeting the critical needs of patients and providers, but we also are reinforcing our commitment to the nation’s health care infrastructure,” Borin said.
To support this production, the vaccine manufacturer has hired more than 215 full-time employees at its facilities in Nebraska and Connecticut, with more than 145 of those jobs based in North Canaan, boosting that plant’s employee roster to more than 540.
The North Canaan plant, which opened in 1961 with eight employees and a 25,000 square foot facility, is Northwest Connecticut’s largest employer.
In 2024, the company invested more than $10 million to expand its manufacturing capacity at its Connecticut and Nebraska facilities in response to quality issues with plastic syringes imported from China that were uncovered in late 2023 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In late November 2023, the FDA announced its probe into reports of leaks, breakages and other quality problems with China-made plastic syringes not cleared by the FDA, and in August 2024 recommended that healthcare providers “use syringes not manufactured in China, if possible.”
At that time, Fallon McLoughlin, director of public relations and corporate communications for the Franklin Lakes, New Jersey-based company, announced that production lines and production staff were being relocated to North Canaan from other BD plants as part of the expansion.
Becton, Dickinson and Company, which operates more than 30 manufacturing and distribution facilities around the country, announced plans last week to invest more than $30 million in 2025 to expand manufacturing capacity for IV lines at its plant in Utah. That facility, said officials, is the largest producer of IV catheter lines in the world.
The company’s Connecticut, Nebraska and Utah plants alone have collectively 200 years of experience in manufacturing critical medical devices, company officials said, and are the only remaining large-scale manufacturing sites in the country.
