October 9, 1918 - Agnes succumbs

Mary's brief entry today reads only: "I was still in bed very sick.  So was Marguerite."  But in yesterday's entry she describes Agnes' condition.  They were finally able to round up a doctor in the evening of October 8, who indicated that Agnes was "a very sick girl."   She says that all she did was cough and no one had realized before that how sick she was.  And then at three o'clock (morning of October 9) "Agnes left us to join Mamma and Florence."

October 6, 1918 - Vincent Visits

Mary's brother Vincent visits today from New Jersey, finding the three family members still sick.  Family lore blames Vincent of infecting other family members.  And although he was probably working at Fort Dix, New Jersey at the time and reported during his October 6 visit that he had been previously very sick with the flu, his last noted visit to the household was for his birthday celebration on September 14, more than two weeks before Agnes' first symptoms on October 2.  Agnes first became sick just four days after the Fourth Liberty Loan Parade (although not known if she attended), at the same time that the epidemic was spreading rapidly Philadelphia.

October 5, 1918 - Mary is sick

Today Mary "came home very sick."  Her two sisters and father seem to be a little better.  Mary goes to bed early.

The Philadelphia Inquirer again implicitly downplays the influenza epidemic, not having any articles until page 11, while the Evening Public Ledger on the front page proclaims: "Grip Breaks City's Death Record, 706 Mortalities out of 1191 in Week Due to Epidemic, 254 From Disease in Last 24 Hours, 1480 New Cases of Malady Reported to Health Bureau Since Yesterday".

October 4, 1918 - More family sick

When Mary returned home from work today, not only was Agnes still sick, but also her sister Marguerite and her father were now sick in bed.

The local headlines are finally beginning to reflect the magnitude of the health crisis.  In today's Evening Public Ledger: "Saloons Shut at 7 PM Tonight by Grip Order, Courts to Suspend for the Next Two Weeks, 788 New Victims of Disease in City in Last Twenty-Four Hours, Thousands of Cases, Third Regiment Armory May Be Hospital -- Situation Grows More Serious".  Also: Lack of Coffins Halts Grip Victims' Burials; Undertakers, Swamped With Funeral Orders, May Have to Make Caskets of Rough Boards".  And on the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer: Theatres, Saloons in Penna. Closed to Halt Influenza, Schools and Churches Shut by Philadelphia Health Board, 75,000 Cases of Grippe in City, 139 Deaths and 636 New Cases".  The Philadelphia Inquirer obituary page now has seven columns of deaths, many in their teens and twenties.  One year prior, October 4, 1917, there were only two columns of deaths on the obituary page, almost all being "wife of" or "husband of" or "widow of", only a few being under 40 years of age.

Today Mary takes a walk down Broad Street with her sister, Kathleen, and finds that "All the theatres and places of amusement were closed until further notice."

October 3, 1918 - Agnes is sicker

Mary first realizes that there is something potentially serious happening: "There seems to be an awful epidemic of the grip going around...."  When she returns home from work she finds that Agnes is sicker than yesterday.  She stays with Agnes to care for her the rest of the day and applies a camphor bag to herself to ward off illness.

Once again The Philadelphia Inquirer does not address the influenza epidemic until one turns several pages with a reassuring headline on page 3 about decreasing cases of flu at Camp Dix in New Jersey, but then this ominous headline about Camden, New Jersey, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia: "Theatres and Churches Closed in Camden, Influenza Spreads -- Drug Supply Low -- 90 Shipworkers at Hospital".

October 2, 1918 - Agnes is sick

Today Mary returns from work to find her 16 year old sister, Agnes, sick in bed.

 The Philadelphia Inquirer has no mention of influenza until page 3 and then with the headline: "Report Epidemic Waning at Camp Dix".  There are again five columns of deaths (at least 200) listed on the obituary page compared to barely over two columns on the same date in 1917.

Mary is generally bored with her routine and seems to make excuses for not writing to her dear Frankie: "If I thought you really would enjoy a letter from me, you wouldn't be able to find a mailman to carry them all."

October 1, 1918 - Influenza

The Philadelphia Inquirer has its typical war-related headlines on page 1, but does not address influenza until page 4.  There are then several headlines, mostly about illness in areas surrounding Philadelphia: "Epidemic Slows Up, Deaths Increase", "Influenza May Close Theatres and Schools", "Wilmington Has 2400 Cases of Influenza", "2000 Children Have Influenza at Camden", "Norristown in Throes of Serious Epidemic", "200 Influenza Cases at Gloucester City", "500 Cases of 'Flu' Reported in Bristol".

Meanwhile in today's The Philadelphia Inquirer obituary page there are five columns of deaths with at least 40 individuals identified per column, i.e. at least 200 deaths.  One year ago, October 1, 1917 there were less than 2 1/2 columns of deaths in the obituary section, approximately 100 individuals.