Yerba Buena Island (San Francisco Naval Training Station) was identified early in our work as a potential escape community that needed further investigation. After some initial research, it quickly became apparent that the naval station was indeed a provisional escape community, and one that succeeded very well in keeping influenza at bay during the course of the second wave of the 1918–1920 pandemic. Because of its proximity to and usual interaction with the city of San Francisco, and because that city enacted a mandatory face mask law on two occasions during the epidemic, we also collected material on San Francisco.

At a Glance:

• Type of Site: Naval Base.
• Population: Approx. 6,000.
• Pop. Density: 33,103 ppl./sq. mi.
• Geographical Considerations: Yerba Buena is an island (116 acres) in San Francisco Bay; in 1918, no bridges connected it to land, and boat travel was only means of access.
• Influenza Cases: 0 during period of protective sequestration; 25 cases after NPI were lifted on 11/21/1918.
• Influenza Deaths: 0 during period of protective sequestration; 3 from influenza and 2 from pneumonia after that period.
• First Reported Case: Dec. 6, 1918
• NPI Implemented: protective sequestration; face masks by medical personnel; daily inspection of sailors; prevention of overcrowding; application of nose and throat sprays; isolation of suspected cases.

Case Study

Historical Background

Yerba Buena, a small island (116 acres) located approximately one mile on either side from the closest points in present-day San Francisco and Oakland, was discovered in 1775 by Spanish explorers entering San Francisco Bay. Finding an abundance of wild mint growing on the island, they named the land Yerba Buena, or “Good Herb.” Use of the island by the U.S. military dates back to 1852, when the government proposed building a line of fortifications in San Francisco Bay to protect northern California and the valuable gold recently discovered there. In 1996, the naval station was decommissioned, but it continues to serve as a U.S. Coast Guard facility and lighthouse.

Located approximately 35 miles away in Vallejo, California, and at the mouth of the Napa River is Mare Island, in reality a peninsula. Originally part of Rancho Soscol, Mare Island was purchased by the U.S. government in 1852 for use as a naval shipyard. In 1854, Mare Island became the first permanent naval station on the Pacific coast. During World War I it operated as a naval yard and dock. Like Yerba Buena/Treasure Island, it was decommissioned in 1996.

The Navy and the Influenza Pandemic

Officials at Yerba Buena Island and Mare Island, and indeed throughout the Navy, were notified of the impending influenza pandemic in early August 1918. On August 9, the Naval Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BuMed) issued a bulletin that warned of influenza epidemics in Europe and Hawaii and of the likelihood of the disease spreading to the continental United States. Bureau officials advised that no quarantine be instituted, as it was deemed “impracticable,” and warned that “The disease is highly communicable and during epidemics it spreads with remarkable rapidity. Just what conditions are necessary to start one of the periodic world-wide outbreaks is as unknown in this as in other communicable diseases like plague, which are prone to become pandemic.” They did recommend the bed isolation of patients and the disinfection of mess gear, handkerchiefs, and similar precautions for infectious diseases spread primarily by respiratory droplets. Where sick bays or isolation wards were not available, the use of sheet screens between patients was advised. On September 20, Bureau officials issued another circular memorandum, informing medical aides that influenza was now included on the list of reportable diseases. Medical personnel were instructed not only to report influenza cases in their weekly telegrams to the Bureau, but also to assist aides of other districts by informing them and the Bureau of the appearance of any communicable disease in epidemic form. Four days later, it had become clear to all that an influenza epidemic was well under way in military installations and urban areas. In response, BuMed officials called on naval officers to avoid the exposure and fatigue of their men, to relieve overcrowding, to avoid the quartering of large groups of men in any single compartment, to isolate all cases immediately, to prevent public assembly, and to use screens in barracks and sick quarters. Patients were also to be masked.

Yerba Buena Island

On September 23, one day before it was reported that influenza had hit San Francisco, Commandant Percival Rossiter of the San Francisco Naval Training Station (Yerba Buena Island) ordered an immediate and strict protective sequestration of the island. All personnel were required to remain at the station, and no visitors were allowed entry. Approximately 6,000 people were on the island, including officers and their families, a few hundred civilians, approximately 5,000 sailors, and about 30 yeomanettes. All interactions with others living in the Bay Area were halted except to receive supplies, and in those cases the crews of tugs were prevented from coming any closer than 20 feet from sailors on the dock. Given the wartime circumstances, some recruits were sent from the mainland to Yerba Buena Island. The nasopharynxes of the men were sprayed with a 10 percent argyrol solution (a topical anti-infective solution prepared by the reaction of silver oxide with gelatin or albumin) and they were required to wear gauze masks before they were allowed to board the ferry bound for Yerba Buena Island. Upon arrival at the island they were placed in a quarantine camp for several days. During this period they were required to wear masks, to have their throats sprayed with argyrol solution three times a day, and to maintain a distance of 20 feet from one another. The protective sequestration policy was to remain in force until all danger of the epidemic had passed.

Although the NPI implemented at Yerba Buena Island may have been effective in preventing an influenza epidemic on the island, they also prevented men from interacting with the wider Bay Area and from seeking entertainment there. Closed off from regular interaction with the outside world, sailors, officers, and civilians on Yerba Buena Island organized their own entertainment, such as circuses and festivals, to keep up morale. In early October, for example, a carnival was held that turned the facility into “a miniature Coney Island.” What we could not document was the availability of mail or telecommunications to all those sequestered on Yerba Buena Island.

By early November it was being reported that the number of new influenza cases was decreasing among both civilian and military populations in the San Francisco area, and that recent cases were milder in form. At the end of November it seemed as if the pandemic had passed. On Thursday, November 21, the protective sequestration of Yerba Buena Island was lifted and the facility was re-opened to interact with the outside world. Nevertheless, influenza cases among naval personnel did not return to epidemic proportions after November 21, and those cases that did develop were mild. Yerba Buena Island experienced its first influenza case on December 6. Throughout the rest of December 1918 and into January 1919, Yerba Buena Island continued to experience influenza and pneumonia cases (a total of 28 of the former, and 21 of the latter), with at least 3 deaths from influenza and 2 from pneumonia.

Research Materials

Because of its proximity and normal interaction with the wider Bay Area, members of the Center for the History of Medicine’s Influenza Research Project consulted primary source materials on San Francisco as well as Yerba Buena and nearby Mare Island naval stations. Digitized sources include:

Newspapers:

• The San Francisco Chronicle
• The San Francisco Examiner

Archival Material:

• Records of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Record Group 52, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD
• Papers of William F. Fullam, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
• Procedings of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and The Papers of Mayor James Rolph, California Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.

The San Francisco Chronicle

Date	Title	PDF
9/24/1918	First Influenza Case is Discovered in S.F.	sfc001
9/25/1918	Quarantine Useless Asserts State Expert	sfc002
10/2/1918	Influenza Far From Checked in Army Posts	sfc003
10/3/1918	Captain Maloney Under Quarantine At Camp Fremont	sfc004
10/6/1918	5 New Influenza Cases Reported Here	sfc005
10/9/1918	Quarantine Is Clamped Over Camp Fremont	sfc006
10/10/1918	Thirty-Seven New Cases Found in S.F.	sfc007
10/12/1918	Health Experts to Map Drive on Influenza	sfc008
10/12/1918	300 Influenza Cases at Dunsmuir; Six Dead	sfc009
10/15/1918	378 New Cases of Influenza are Reported	sfc010
10/15/1918	Hospitals to Be Turned Over to ‘Flu’ Patients	sfc010
10/17/1918	Army Doctors Gain Control of Influenza	sfc011
10/17/1918	Hassler Urges Churches and Theaters Close	sfc011
10/18/1918	Health Board Closes Public Meeting Places	sfc012
10/18/1918	Influenza Spread Fought in thirty States of Nation	sfc013
10/19/1918	Witness Mentions Influenza, Crows Leaves Courtroom	sfc014
10/19/1918	State Health Official Gives Facts on Influenza Crisis	sfc015
10/19/1918	Richmond Health Officer Orders All Saloons to Close	sfc016
10/19/1918	Adjourn Churches, But Not Worship, Declares Bishop	sfc016
10/19/1918	Army Deaths From Influenza Show Decrease	sfc017
10/19/1918	Urgent Call For Nurses at Camp Fremont	sfc018
10/19/1918	State Health Board Closes All Theaters	sfc019
10/20/1918	Hertz to Resume Rehearsals When Embargo Is Ended	sfc020
10/20/1918	Playhouses To Be Dark Temporarily	sfc021
10/20/1918	Influenza Is Being Fought By Red Cross	sfc022
10/20/1918	All Persons Serving Public to Wear Masks	sfc023
10/20/1918	All Persons on Streets Urged to Wear Masks	sfc023
10/20/1918	1054 Influenza Cases Reported at Camp	sfc023
10/20/1918	Influenza Causes Flushing of Streets	sfc024
10/21/1918	Health Board Giving Battle to Influenza	sfc025
10/21/1918	[Front-page images of open-air mass, as required by Board of Health restrictions]	sfc026
10/22/1918	Epidemic Is Now Reported Under Control	sfc147
10/22/1918	Sewers Doing Bit to Spread Influenza Through Flushing City’s Big Need	sfc147
10/22/1918	Wear a Mask and Save Your Life! [Red Cross announcement]	sfc027
10/22/1918	Proclamation of Mayor Asks Masks For All	sfc028
10/22/1918	Don Masks! Rolph Urges as Best Means of Avoiding Risks	sfc028
10/23/1918	City Taking Readily to Gauze Masks	sfc029
10/23/1918	Gov. Stephens Calls on All People to Wear Gauze Masks	sfc029
10/23/1918	28,575 Influenza Cases in State, Expert Says	sfc029
10/23/1918	Influenza Patients Assisted by Mission	sfc029
10/23/1918	Women Urged to Make Influenza Masks at Home	sfc030
10/23/1918	Masks Required [Burlingame, CA]	scf031
10/24/1918	Board to Force Mask Wearing by Ordinance	sfc032
10/24/1918	Three Influenza Don’ts Announced by Dr. Hassler	sfc032
10/24/1918	Wearing of Masks to Be Made Compulsory [Burlingame, CA]	sfc033
10/24/1918	Red Cross Workers Succeed in Meeting Heavy Calls for Aid in Battle on Influenza	sfc044
10/24/1918	Several Days to See Epidemic at Peak, Says Board	sfc035
10/24/1918	Open Air and Vaccine Will Fight Disease	sfc036
10/24/1918	Patients Will Use Relief Buildings	sfc037
10/24/1918	Vaccine for Influenza to Be Given Out	sfc038
10/24/1918	Two Drop Dead; Both Are Epidemic Victims	sfc039
10/24/1918	9 Relief Stations of Red Cross Kept Busy	sfc040
10/24/1918	Three San Mateans Die From Influenza	sfc041
10/24/1918	Archbishop Hanna Turns Over Equipment and Resources of Diocese to Use of Red Cross	sfc043
10/25/1918	How They Look in Their Influenza Masks [images]	sfc045
10/25/1918	Here is Text of City Mask Ordinance; Violation Incurs Fine or Imprisonment	sfc046
10/25/1918	Influenza Now Subsiding in 44 States	sfc047
10/25/1918	Influenza Decreases Stockton Clearings	sfc048
10/25/1918	Everyone Is Compelled to Wear Masks by City Resolution; Great Variety in Styles of Face Adornment in Evidence	sfc049
10/25/1918	Drop in Deaths in New York Forecast	sfc050
10/25/1918	Christian Scientists to Wear Gauze Masks	sfc051
10/25/1918	Emergency Measures Hits All Persons	sfc053
10/25/1918	City Teachers Volunteer Aid For Red Cross	sfc054
10/26/1918	Red Cross Battles Influenza Successfully with Improved Equipment as Crest Impends	sfc055
10/26/1918	9 I.W.W. Defy Influenza Order And Are Arrested	sfc056
10/26/1918	Influenza Vaccine to Be Distributed Each Day by State	sfc056
10/26/1918	Epidemic Spreading in Shasta County	sfc057
10/26/1918	Red Cross Gives Out 100,000 Gauze Masks	sfc057
10/26/1918	Health Chief Urges Full Precautions	sfc058
10/26/1918	Doctors Influenza Spread, Says Hassler	sfc059
10/26/1918	Red Cross Rushes Quarters at Civic Center For Use as a Hospital to Fight Influenza	sfc060
10/26/1918	Red Cross to Open Fourteen City Stations	sfc061
10/26/1918	Dr. Pardee Calls on Citizens to Elect Stephens; Alameda County People Are Asked to Wear Masks and Support Governor	sfc062
10/27/1918	Managers of Theaters Aid Authorities	sfc063
10/27/1918	“A Mask for November 5” [political cartoon]	sfc064
10/27/1918	City Hall Has One Fatality From Grippe	sfc065
10/27/1918	Influenza Cases in Santa Cruz Increase	sfc067
10/27/1918	S.F. Naval Man Dies at Charleston	sfc067
10/27/1918	8 Influenza Cases in El Dorado County	sfc067
10/27/1918	Influenza Bug Cannot Pass Through Mask, Dean Asserts	sfc068
10/27/1918	Mare Island Boys Conquer Influenza With Neilson Cure	sfc069
10/27/1918	War Against Epidemic is Successful	sfc070
10/27/1918	Bishop Nichols Urges Prayer in Epidemic	sfc070
10/27/1918	S.F. Red Cross Moves to New Headquarters	sfc070
10/28/1918	Influenza Cases Begin to Decrease	sfc071
10/28/1918	Public Cautioned Against Relaxing In Influenza War	sfc073
10/28/1918	Call Goes Out For Nurses in Influenza War	sfc074
10/28/1918	Influenza Claims Dr. W.T. Burks, Sanitation Expert	sfc075
10/28/1918	Marysville Reports Additional Deaths	sfc075
10/28/1918	Eight New Cases at Mare Island Reported	sfc075
10/28/1918	Influenza Gains In Santa Barbara	sfc075
10/28/1918	110 Arrested for Disobeying Masking Edict	sfc076
10/29/1918	Sharp Increase in Influenza Shown at Army Camps	sfc077
10/29/1918	Influenza on Wane, San Mateo Reports	sfc077
10/29/1918	Three Shot in Struggle With Mask Slacker	sfc078
10/29/1918	Mask Wearing Checks Richmond Epidemic	sfc078
10/29/1918	100 Mask Slackers Held on Charge of Disturbing Peace	sfc079
10/29/1918	Influenza Shows Little Material Change in State	sfc080
10/29/1918	Decrease In Cases Noted During Day	sfc081
10/29/1918	20,000 Doses of Serum Are Brought Here	sfc082
10/29/1918	Warning and Appeal! Wear Masks and Help Nurse Sick	sfc083
10/30/1918	Influenza Masks Play Big Part in Curbing Epidemic [photos]	sfc084
10/30/1918	S.F. Factories Concentrate on Red Cross Masks	sfc085
10/30/1918	Sick Babies Are Transferred to Children’s Hospital	sfc085
10/30/1918	Marked Drop in New Cases Is Observed	sfc086
10/30/1918	Mask Arrests Net Money for Mercy	sfc087
10/30/1918	Only Eight New Cases at Palo Alto	sfc088
10/30/1918	Salt Water Does It, U.S. Sailor Says; Why Influenza Shuns Goat Island Station	sfc089
10/30/1918	Expected Navy Hospital Unit Not Available	sfc090
10/30/1918	Epidemic Closes Marysville Saloons	sfc091
10/30/1918	Schools Are Used as Emergency Hospitals	sfc091
10/31/1918	Physicians, Attention! [advertisement for flu treatment]	sfc092
10/31/1918	New Red Cross Hospital Will Open Friday	sfc093
10/31/1918	Death Rate in Troops Camps Shows Decline	sfc093
10/31/1918	Billy Gibson, Now a Nurse, Facing Death	sfc093
10/31/1918	Influenza Claims Four in Vallejo	sfc093
10/31/1918	Influenza Epidemic in City Drops Slightly [headline, with photos]	sfc094
10/31/1918	Abatement of Contagion Shown Here	sfc094
10/31/1918	85,000 Cases of Malady in State	sfc095
10/31/1918	6 Men Sentenced to Jail Under Mask Law	sfc095
10/31/1918	140 Policemen in City on Sick List	sfc095
11/1/1918	Officials Get Fighting Grip on Epidemic	sfc096
11/1/1918	92,000 Cases of Influenza Now in State	sfc097
11/2/1918	Continued Masking Holds Influenza in Check [headline]	sfc098
11/2/1918	Maskless Folk Are Taught Lesson by Health Sleuths	sfc099
11/2/1918	Don’t Relax Precautions Says Hassler	sfc100
11/4/1918	Influenza Epidemic Is Losing Fast	sfc101
11/6/1918	Hassler Warns City Against Carelessness in Wearing of Masks as New Cases Decline	sfc102
11/6/1918	Even Influenza Avails Not to Dampen Ardor of Voters	sfc103
11/8/1918	City Continues Epidemic Fight	sfc104
11/8/1918	Influenza Spreads Through Grass Valley	sfc104
11/8/1918	Marysville Saloons Are Ordered Closed	sfc105
11/8/1918	Charge Policeman With Mask Graft	sfc106
11/12/1918	“Daylight scenes in celebration of world…” [Armistice coverage headline, with photos of celebration]	sfc107
11/13/1918	Order Barring Gatherings May Soon Be Raised by Health Board	sfc108
11/13/1918	Ban on Public Gatherings May Be Lifted	sfc108
11/14/1918	City to Handle Epidemic Cases	sfc109
11/14/1918	San Francisco Theaters Will Reopen Saturday	sfc110
11/15/1918	Influenza Is Still Waning	sfc111
11/15/1918	572 New Influenza Cases in Los Angeles	sfc111
11/16/1918	Influenza Not Beaten In State	sfc112
11/16/1918	Masks May Go By Thursday	sfc113
11/17/1918	Did the Influenza Plague Really Come from China? [magazine section]	sfc114
11/17/1918	Throngs Jam Theaters When Ban Is Lifted	sfc115
11/18/1918	Influenza Is Nearly Gone	sfc116
11/18/1918	More Die of Influenza Than on Battlefield	sfc116
11/18/1918	Smokers Hastily Don Masks When Policeman Looms	sfc117
11/20/1918	City to Doff Masks Tonight	sfc118
11/20/1918	Ringside Picture Reveals Maskless Fans to Police	sfc148
11/21/1918	Fremont Remount Escapes Epidemic	sfc119
11/21/1918	Masks Will be Put in Discard At Noon Today	sfc120
11/21/1918	San Francisco’s Mayor Is Caught Without a Mask	sfc121
11/22/1918	Masks Prevent 20,000 Cases	sfc122
11/22/1918	San Francisco Joyously Discards Masks in Twinkling; Faces Beam as Gauze Covers Come off at Time Fixed	sfc123
11/22/1918	Influenza Toll In State 3667	sfc124
11/23/1918	Quarantine Over, 4000 Navy Men Get Shore Leave	sfc125
11/24/1918	R.C. Resumes Delayed Work	sfc126
11/24/1918	Unmuzzled Muse Takes Fresh Fling at Chronicle Contest	sfc126
11/24/1918	Influenza Persists at State School	sfc127
11/25/1918	Public Schools of City Reopen This Morning	sfc128
11/26/1918	Many New Cases of Influenza Alarm Southern Cities	sfc129
11/27/1918	Intensive War on Influenza Opens in Los Angeles	sfc130
12/9/1918	New Influenza Cases For Day Fall Off to 25	sfc131
12/10/1918	Hassler and City Leaders Hold Confab	sfc132
12/11/1918	338,257 ‘Flu’ Cases in Camps Up to Dec. 1	sfc133
12/15/1918	What Made the Epidemic of Spanish Influenza So Deadly? [magazine section]	sfc134
12/21/1918	282 Influenza Cases, Report	sfc135
12/22/1918	Influence of Women Beats Mask Faction	sfc136
12/22/1918	Nurses Wanted on Influenza	sfc137
1/5/1919	Mask Wearing Obligatory in S.F. Schools	sfc138
1/11/1919	Supervisors Pass Ordinance To Protect City Against Further Spread of Malady	sfc139
1/11/1919	Sacramento Fails to Act on Mask Measure	sfc140
1/14/1919	Mask Wearing Increases Fast	sfc141
1/20/1919	Legislator Without Mask Is Arrested	sfc142
1/22/1919	Influenza On Wane, Tuesday Reports Show	sfc143
1/22/1919	Influenza Takes Big Toll in State	sfc149
1/26/1919	Thousands Attend Protest Meeting; Mask Opponents Denounce City Ordinance	sfc144
1/26/1919	Los Angeles Reports Decrease of Influenza	sfc144
1/26/1919	Hassler Will Fight Repeal of Mask Law	sfc145
2/2/1919	Mask-Wearing Order Goes as Epidemic Dies	sfc146

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The San Francisco Examiner

Date	Title	PDF
9/24/1918	Influenza Is Brought To S.F. By Chicagoan	sfe002
9/24/1918	Here’s How To Curb Ravages of Influenza	sfe002
9/24/1918	Epidemic In the East Unchecked	sfe003
9/25/1918	Influenza Strikes Two More in S.F.	sfe004
9/25/1918	350 New Cases Develop On Cruise of the Iris	sfe005
9/25/1918	2,943 New Cases Are Reported in a Day	sfe005
9/26/1918	29,002 Cases of Influenza In U.S. Camps	sfe007
9/26/1918	Dr. Blue Describes Disease Symptoms and Its Treatment	sfe007
9/26/1918	East Aroused Over Epidemic	sfe007
9/26/1918	Two Suspected Cases Influenza Are Found in S.F.	sfe008
9/27/1918	Oct. Draft Call Halted by Influenza	sfe009
9/27/1918	Three More Down With Influenza	sfe010
9/27/1918	No New Influenza Cases in This City	sfe011
9/28/1918	Influenza Epidemic Is On The West	sfe006
10/1/1918	1,577 Dead, Toll of Influenza	sfe012
10/4/1918	16 New Cases of Influenza	sfe013
10/5/1918	Quarantine Proves Time Of Gaiety	sfe015
10/6/1918	Five More Have Influenza in S.F.	sfe014
10/7/1918	Quarantined Sailor Boys Hold Carnival	sfe016
10/9/1918	This Is What To Do If You Get Influenza	sfe017
10/9/1918	Influenza Hits Camp Fremont	sfe017
10/9/1918	U.S. Officials Are Quarantined Aboard Steamer	sfe018
10/9/1918	118 Influenza Cases Quarantined in S.F.	sfe018
10/9/1918	Restrictions Placed on Presidio Troops	sfe018
10/9/1918	Eleven Nurses Have Influenza	sfe019
10/10/1918	Death Rate in Cities in East Takes Jump	sfe020
10/10/1918	Forty New Cases Reported In This City	sfe020
10/10/1918	Grippe Fought With ‘Gas Mask’	sfe021
10/10/1918	Physicians Plan War on Grippe	sfe021
10/11/1918	State Doctors Are Mobilized	sfe024
10/11/1918	Ebright Issues Grippe Warning	sfe024
10/11/1918	Spanish ‘Flue Fence’ Has Advantages; Will Be a Life Saver in Face Powder [with political cartoon]	sfe025
10/11/1918	In This Time of Danger of Infection from Influenza [ad for Kolynos Dental Cream]	sfe026
10/12/1918	Fewer Cases of Influenza in U.S. Camps	sfe027
10/12/1918	U.S. Appeals to Doctors of 3 States	sfe027
10/12/1918	New York To Enact Anti-Sneezing Law	sfe027
10/12/1918	Public Warned by Dr. Hassler	sfe027
10/13/1918	Medical Science’s Newest Discoveries About the “Spanish Influenza” [from American Weekly, the Examiner’s magazine]	sfe028
10/14/1918	Influenza Affects Orpheum Patronage	sfe029
10/15/1918	Influenza In S.F. Increased by 207 Cases	sfe030
10/15/1918	Theaters in Berkeley Are Closed	sfe031
10/16/1918	Each Person Urged to War on Influenza	sfe032
10/16/1918	Veils Urged as Influenza Preventives	sfe033
10/16/1918	Nurse Dies in Fight on Grippe	sfe033
10/16/1918	Influenza Is Spreading in Every State	sfe033
10/16/1918	Influenza Is Not Epidemic in Stanford	sfe033
10/16/1918	Epidemic Halts October Draft	sfe033
10/17/1918	Authorities Claim Check on Epidemic	sfe034
10/17/1918	15,000 Cases of Influenza in the State Reported	sfe034
10/17/1918	Spanish Influenza – What It is and How It Should Be Treated	sfe035
10/18/1918	All Theaters Are Closed For Epidemic	sfe036
10/18/1918	All Public Meetings Are Banned Under City Order	sfe036
10/18/1918	U.S. Directing Influenza Fight	sfe036
10/18/1918	California ‘Flu’ Cases 19,000	sfe036
10/18/1918	Open Air Best Remedy For Influenza	sfe036
10/19/1918	State Health Board Closes All Theaters	sfe037
10/19/1918	Churches Close On Account of ‘Flu’ Epidemic	sfe037
10/19/1918	Workers Wear Masks [San Diego]	sfe038
10/19/1918	Camp Lewis Ordered Rigidly Quarantined	sfe038
10/19/1918	Theaters And Churches Are To Be Closed	sfe039
10/19/1918	No Ban on Athletics, Is Dictum on Health	sfe040
10/20/1918	Influenza Claims 1,101 More; 32 Die	sfe041
10/20/1918	25,000 Cases of Influenza in State Reported	sfe042
10/20/1918	How Red Cross Aids in Fight Against Epidemic	sfe043
10/20/1918	Police Court To Hold Sessions in Open Air	sfe044
10/20/1918	Epidemic in Army Subsides	sfe045
10/20/1918	Shaking For Drinks Off During Epidemic	sfe045
10/20/1918	People Urged to Wear Masks Everywhere	sfe045
10/20/1918	Twenty Deaths Influenza Toll	sfe046
10/21/1918	Epidemic Reaches Height Outside of San Francisco	sfe047
10/21/1918	36 Girls Aid in Grippe Fight	sfe047
10/21/1918	Ward Off Influenza by Wearing Masks on Street	sfe047
10/21/1918	Influenza Is Not Abating	sfe048
10/21/1918	50,000 Cases Foreseen By Dr. Hutchinson	sfe049
10/21/1918	Wear a Mask and Save Your Life [Red Cross ad]	sfe050
10/21/1918	S.F. Churches Give Services in Open Air	sfe051
10/21/1918	San Francisco Holds Its Church Services in Open Air to Avoid Contagion [images]	sfe052
10/22/1918	Influenza On the Increase	sfe053
10/22/1918	How To Make Mask to Balk ‘Flu’ Germs	sfe053
10/22/1918	Mayor Urges Everyone to Wear Masks	sfe054
10/22/1918	“Crowds waiting in line to be served…” [images]	sfe055
10/22/1918	Gauze Masks Must Be Worn on the Street	sfe056
10/22/1918	Sacramento Ministers Ask Closed Saloons	sfe057
10/22/1918	6 States Show Improvement	sfe057
10/23/1918	“Miss Emma Ganzora of the San Francisco Red Cross, making gauze masks…” [image]	sfe058
10/23/1918	Here’s How to Make Masks; Foil Germs	sfe059
10/23/1918	Red Cross Wants 1,000 Nurses; Mother and Daughter Ill in Bed; Many Other Cases Cry For Help	sfe059
10/23/1918	S.F. Dons Gas Mask to Stop Flu Ravages	sfe059
10/24/1918	News In Pictures [image of chiffon masks]	sfe060
10/25/1918	“Examiners” News Pictures From S.F. and War Front [images of medical personnel wearing masks]	sfe061
10/25/1918	Text of Law For Influenza Mask Wearing	sfe062
10/25/1918	Epidemic Subsiding Throughout Country	sfe063
10/25/1918	S.F. Girls Aid in Fight to Conquer ‘Flu’	sfe063
10/25/1918	Keep Your Nerve and Flight Plague; Let’s All Be Sensible and Fearless	sfe064
10/25/1918	Law In Force Till Passing of Influenza	sfe064
10/25/1918	Flu Stories [with political cartoon]	sfe065
10/25/1918	Salvage Shop Is Devoted To Masks	sfe066
10/25/1918	Wear Masks in Public Places, Alameda Edict	sfe067
10/25/1918	Twenty-One Deaths, Toll of Influenza	sfe068
10/25/1918	“Help Your Health Board Conquer Spanish Influenza By Disinfecting Your Home” [ad for Lysol]	sfe069
10/26/1918	Wearing Mask Compulsory in Oakland	sfe072
10/26/1918	Sleep and Food Best Antidotes For Influenza	sfe073
10/26/1918	Mask No Bar to Smoking Sailor	sfe073
10/26/1918	State To Begin Issuing Vaccine This Morning	sfe074
10/26/1918	Red Cross Asks More Women	sfe074
10/26/1918	Red Cross Has Influenza Creed; Ambulance Corps Is Kept Busy; Folks Are Winning Over Here	sfe074
10/26/1918	99 Per Cent of Citizens Wear Masks	sfe075
10/26/1918	Curfew Law Invoked In fighting Plague	sfe076
10/26/1918	U.S. Health Board Supplies Doctors	sfe076
10/26/1918	Los Angeles Reports 852 New ‘Flu’ Cases	sfe076
10/26/1918	Camp Lewis Reports New Cases Decreasing	sfe076
10/26/1919	U.R.R. Will Open Hospital for Men	sfe076
10/26/1918	Epidemic Spreading Throughout Colorado	sfe076
10/27/1918	Influenza Sermons in S.F.	sfe070
10/27/1918	Two, Crazed by ‘Flu,’ End Lives	sfe071
10/27/1918	Two Women and Child Victims of Influenza [Marysville]	sfe071
10/27/1918	Public Warned of ‘Sure Cures’	sfe071
10/27/1918	Hassler Says Masks Prove Their Value	sfe077
10/27/1918	Chico Refreshment Places Are Closed	sfe077
10/27/1918	12,000 Die of 100,000 Cases in New York	sfe077
10/27/1918	First Vaccine Is Distributed	sfe078
10/27/1918	Firemen Driving Flu Ambulances	sfe078
10/27/1918	Flu Stories [with political cartoon]	sfe079
10/27/1918	Red Cross in New Quarters to Tackle Flu	sfe080
10/27/1918	Barred By Flu, Father Sees Baby With Spyglass	sfe080
10/27/1918	Red Cross Site Is Flu Hospital	sfe080
10/27/1918	‘Peak’ of Epidemic At Camp Lewis Passed	sfe080
10/27/1918	Epidemic Cuts Car Receipts $1,000 Daily	sfe081
10/27/1918	Efficacy of ‘Flu’ Mask Is Proven	sfe082
10/29/1918	50,000 Doses Reach S.F. From Boston	sfe083
10/29/1918	No Material Change in Flu in California	sfe083
10/29/1919	Influenza On Decline in This City	sfe083
10/29/1918	Three Shot in Row over ‘Flu’ Mask	sfe084
10/29/1918	‘Mask Slackers’ Given Jail Sentences, Fines	sfe084
10/29/1918	[image of woman being inoculated with flu vaccine]	sfe085
10/30/1918	S.F. Schools Turned Into Hospitals	sfe086
10/30/1918	75,000 Influenza Cases in State	sfe086
10/30/1918	Keep Up ‘Flu’ War, Citizens Are Warned	sfe086
10/30/1918	Los Angeles Epidemic Conditions Improving	sfe086
10/30/1918	More Cities Make Use of Masks Compulsory	sfe086
10/30/1918	Man Talks Court Out of ‘Mask’ Fine	sfe087
11/1/1918	‘Flu’ Menace Passing Says Health Chief	sfe088
11/1/1918	Influenza In Army Reduced 50 Per Cent	sfe089
11/2/1918	50 Without Masks Are Arrested	sfe090
11/2/1918	Gauze Stops Germ Ravage, Says Hassler	sfe091
11/2/1918	Ten Mask Slackers Get 10-Day Sentences	sfe092
11/3/1918	Hospitals In Open Air to Fight Epidemic	sfe093
11/3/1918	‘Flu’ Rapidly Decreased By S.F. Vigilance	sfe094
11/3/1918	Camps Show New Low Mark For Epidemic	sfe094
11/3/1918	‘Flu’ Mask Ordinance Passed in Oakdale	sfe094
11/5/1918	Gauze Masks Prevail Until Flu Is Extinct	sfe095
11/5/1918	Risk Is Small in Influenza Work	sfe096
11/5/1918	Orders Are Orders, Even For Masks; Wise Doctors Know What is Best; Mosquito Theory Once Was a Joke	sfe097
11/7/1918	‘Flu’ Epidemic Believed to Be Checked	sfe098
11/8/1918	…Properly, Is Fly Warning	sfe099
11/8/1918	Over Half of Nome Down With Influenza [Nome, AK]	sfe099
11/81918	121,635 Cases of Influenza in State	sfe099
11/12/1918	Drops All Restraint in Victory [image of Mayor Rolph at Armistice Day celebration, not wearing mask]	sfe100
11/12/1918	Influenza, As Well as Huns, Is Defeated	sfe101
11/13/1918	‘Flu’ Masks to Be Ousted Thanskgiving	sfe102
11/14/1918	Reopening of S.F. Meetings Established	sfe103
11/15/1918	S.F. Rapidly Shakes Off ‘Flu’ Grip	sfe104
11/16/1918	‘Flu’ Beaten, Indication From Report	sfe105
11/16/1819	City is Getting Normal Again; Theaters Are opening Today	sfe105
11/20/1918	Sirens Will Signal ‘Flu’ Masks Off	sfe106
11/21/1918	All S.F. To Unmask at Noon Today	sfe107
11/21/1918	$100,000 Spent to Fight ‘Flu’	sfe108
11/21/1918	Author of Flu Masks Voluntarily Pays Fine	sfe108
11/22/1918	‘Flu’ Mask Wearers Get ‘Bawling Out’	sfe109
11/22/1918	S.F. Feels Good Without Mask; It Hides Only Thing Worth While	sfe109
11/22/1919	San Francisco Wins Victory In Its Battle With Influenza [with political cartoon]	sfe110
12/19/1918	Lone Wearer of ‘Flu’ Mask Breaks Trail [poem]	sfe111
12/9/1918	Epidemic Law Left Up To Supervisors	sfe111
12/11/1918	Nine-Tenths of Flu Avoidable	sfe112
12/11/1918	Dr. Hassler Again to Insist Upon Revival of Masks	sfe112
12/11/1918	Dr. Hutchinson Urges Masks	sfe112
12/12/1918	Mask Ruling To Be Acted Upon Monday	sfe113
12/12/1918	4,214 New Cases of Influenza in State	sfe114
12/20/1918	Flu Ordinance Defeated by 9 to 7 Vote	sfe115
12/20/1918	Health Board Says It Will Use Authority	sfe115
1/1/1919	Masks May Come Again in Oakland	sfe116
1/1/1919	Board of Health Plans Preventives Against Influenza	sfe117
1/2/1919	Nurses Needed in Many Homes	sfe118
1/3/1919	Need of Nurses at S.F. Hospital Declared Vital	sfe119
1/4/1919	Rolph Calls For Navy Nurses	sfe120
1/4/1919	‘Flu’ Postpones Opening of U.C.	sfe121
1/5/1919	S.F. Teachers To Wear Masks	sfe122
1/6/1919	Hassler Calls for Volunteers	sfe123
1/7/1919	Civic League Demands ‘Flu’ Mask in S.F.	sfe124
1/7/1919	Epidemic Toll in S.F., L.A., and Oakland	sfe125
1/8/1919	Bay Towns In Campaign to Check Flu	sfe126
1/19/1919	Marked Drop in Flu Deaths	sfe127
1/19/1919	‘Flu’ Prevents Grizzly Fete	sfe128
1/19/1919	Spanish Influenza More Deadly Than War	sfe130
1/20/1919	Flu Mask Or Jail Is Choice in S.F. Today	sfe129
1/21/1919	Police Take 100 Maskless Folk to Jail	sfe131
1/22/1919	No Flu Masks For Oakland, Council Rules	sfe132
1/23/1919	Marked Drop in Flu Cases in 48 Hours	sfe133
1/24/1919	Dr. Hassler Commended for Masking	sfe134
1/25/1919	Flu On Wane, 75 Per Cent Drop Is Noted	sfe135
1/26/1919	New Cases of Influenza At Low Record	sfe136
2/2/1919	‘Flu’ Masks Banished By Rolph Edict	sfe137

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Records of the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Record Group 52, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD

Box/Folder	From/To	Date	Title or Description	PDF
Box 581/F:130212	Circular	3/18/1918	BuMed Circular to Naval Stations; Navy concerned with high rates of pneumonia; asks personnel to take precautions.	bumed01
“	BuMed Bulletin No. 37	8/9/1918	“Notes on Preventive Medicine for Medical Officers, United State Navy”; indicates influenza pandemic is approaching; lists common influenza symptoms and treatment; does not recommend quarantine.	bumed02
“	Surgeon USPHS, Detailed Sanitation Div., BuMed to T. Crowder, Chief Surgeon, Pullman Co. [unsigned]	8/12/1918	Asks Crowder about use of paper cups at drinking fountains in navy vessels; encloses statement from Naval Surgeon O. Dragoo on “Use For the Sanitary Drinking Cup in the Navy.”	bumed03
“	BuMed to Medical Aides [circular]	9/4/1918	Memo on increased illness rates in men returning from rifle range duty; asks medical officers to note if this is the case at their stations and to report findings.	bumed04
“	BuMed to Medical Aides	9/20/1918	Memo on inclusion of influenza as reportable disease; medical aides to assist by reporting epidemics to BuMed and directly to other districts; copy of “Epidemiological Report” enclosed.	bumed05
“	J. Neilson to BuMed, via Medical Aide to Commandant, 12th Naval District	11/3/1918	Report in response to Navy memo of 9/4/1918; provides number of ill men returning from rifle range duty.	bumed06
“	J. Saurman	Undated	“Suggested Method for the Early Detection of Epidemic Influenza Suspects”; recommends isolation of diagnosed and suspected cases.	bumed07
“	Health Bulletin No. 1, Navy Yard Dispensary, Washington, DC	Undated	“Spanish Influenza”; provides information on influenza symptoms, treatment, and prevention.	bumed08
“	G. Lane to W. Braisted	1/2/1919	Writes that Denver Post printed article stating that none of the 100 sailors exposed to influenza for experiment contracted disease, but that it is being used in Durango, CO to make case against quarantine.	bumed09
“	W. Braisted to G. Lane	1/28/1919	Reply to Lane’s letter of 1/2/1919; writes that the article was correct but that no conclusions can be drawn from experiment; quarantine of value, but cases must be isolated very quickly; urges good hygiene for control of disease.	bumed10
“	E. Chavez	1/1919	“The Influenza Mask and Its Consequences”; pamphlet against San Francisco face mask ordinance.	bumed11
Box 603/F:132570 D-12 “Mare Island”	L. Williams to BuMed, via Commandant of Mare Island	2/1/1919	“Sanitary Inspection of Navy Yard, Mare Island, Calif.”; based on inspection of 1/30/1918; yard in excellent sanitary condition; moderate recrudescence of influenza but in milder form (note: includes endorsement of 2/5/191 as cover).	bumed12
	J. Neilson to BuMed, via Commandant of Mare Island	2/8/1919	“Sanitary Report – Naval Station, Mare Island, California, Month of January, 1919”; decrease in incidence of influenza from previous month; provides influenza rates; new cases not resulting in death; outlines public health measures used at yard.	bumed13
Box 527/F:127510 D-12 “Mare Island”	W. Braisted to A. McCormick	5/12/1920	“Comparative Morbidity and Mortality Between the Training Camps at Mare Island and Yerba Buena Island”; asks McCormick to investigate if Mare Island is more healthful than Yerba Buena, which some data seemed to suggest.	bumed14
“	A. McCormick to W. Braisted	5/13/1920	States that Admiral Jayne believes that Mare Island has more healthful conditions than does Yerba Buena; for this reason, selected pulmonary cases should be sent to Mare Island and not Yerba Buena.	bumed15
“	A. McCormick to Commandant of 12th Naval District	5/21/1920	“Comparative Morbidity and Mortality Between the Training Camps at Mare Island and Yerba Buena Island”; concludes that Mare Island is more healthful than Yerba Buena Island for those who have not become acclimated.	bumed16
“	W. Braisted to A. McCormick	5/24/1920	Acknowledgement of McCormick’s of 5/13/1920; writes that data on Mare Island vs. Yerba Buena should be used with caution, and that vital statistics may not give accurate picture.	bumed17
“	W. McCormick to W. Braisted	5/24/1920	Results of comparison between Mare Island and Yerba Buena show a greater difference in healthfulness than he anticipated; suggests that recruits admitted to the sick list have an indication put on their records to help with future comparisons.	bumed18
“	W. Braisted to A. McCormick	6/3/1920	Acknowledges receipt of McCormick’s of 5/24/1920.	bumed19
“	A. McCormick to W. Braisted	6/8/1920	Reply to Braisted’s of 5/24/1918; states that the two reports are not materially different: BuMed statistics are of entire station, whereas Jayne’s report only examined training camps and raw recruits.	bumed20
Box 545/F:128093	S. Flexner to W. Braisted	12/15/1919	Writes of the successful sequestration of American Samoa vs. British Samoa, and asks if this information is correct.	bumed21
“	W. Braisted to S. Flexner	12/17/1919	Reply to Flexner’s of 12/15/1919; states that Flexner’s information is correct; influenza was introduced into British Samoa about 11/7/1918 and resulted in approx. 19.62% total loss in population on the island.	bumed22
“	S. Flexner to W. Braisted	12/18/1919	Reply to Braisted’s of 12/17/1919; writes that he might make trip to the South Seas, and will plan to stop at Samoa; asks if Braisted would like any medical studies conducted while there.	bumed23
“	W. Braisted to S. Flexner	12/19/1919	Reply to Flexner’s of 12/18/1919; writes he will be glad to see Flexner when he arrives in Washington, DC.	bumed24
Box 588/F:130212 D-12 “Flu”	BuMed to San Fran. Naval Trg. Station	9/24/1918	Order to avoid fatigue and exposure of men, to relieve overcrowding, and to avoid quartering men in large groups; immediate isolation of pneumonia cases; orders segregation of sick cases and use of masks.	bumed25
“	L. Williams to BuMed, via Commandant of Mare Island	9/25/1918	Summary report of medical conference at Mare Island on influenza preventive measures; medical officers agreed on a host of measures to be implemented if epidemic reached the yard.	bumed26
“	Commandant at Mare Island to BuMed, via Commandant of 12th Naval District	9/27/1919	Memo on the recommendations of the Mare Island medical conference report; recommendations have been put into general orders and posted throughout naval yard; public posting on influenza enclosed.	bumed27
“	Bureau of Yards and Docks to Mare Island Naval Station	9/28/1918	Memo authorizing $21,000 for additional temporary isolation quarters for influenza cases.	bumed28
“	W. Fullam to W. Braisted	10/11/1918	Writes that Commandant Rossiter of Yerba Buena is requiring his men to wear knitted undergarments for their health, but that such clothing is a menace and produces overheating.	bumed29
“	G. Rothganger to W. Braisted	10/11/1918	Writes that influenza cases appeared 8 days ago in Port Guard, which was quartered in a pier shed on San Francisco waterfront; first cases were mild but subsequent cases more severe; influenza appeared in San Francisco around same time; new cases will be sent to Mare Island hospital, although that facility initially refused to accept cases; masks being used.	bumed30
“	W. Fullam to W. Braisted	10/12/1918	Letter regarding the uniform issue at Yerba Buena; argues that if Rossiter insists on ordering men to wear knitted undergarments, personal un-cleanliness will be rampant.	bumed31
“	Memo from Medical Officer [Mare Island?] to W. Braisted	10/19/1918	“Sneeze Screens, Naval Training Station, San Francisco”; discusses use of cheap, easy to build sneeze screens in barracks.	bumed32
“	W. Braisted to W. Fullam	10/23/1918	Acknowledgement of Fullam’s letter of 10/11/1918; states that the uniform issue is of minor concern, and that Rossiter should not be disciplined for his opinions, as he is only trying to prevent the development of respiratory diseases that have long been peculiar to Yerba Buena.	bumed33
“	A. Hoff (cover letter from W. Fullam)	10/25/1918	“Quarantine Regulations”; list of 9 regulations for dealing with influenza epidemic aboard US Oregon and in the San Diego area; only married men with homes allowed to go ashore; those on duty in San Diego must wear masks.	bumed34
“	W. Fullam to W. Braisted	10/30/1918	Writes that he has not had a single case of influenza aboard any of his ships; very few cases at shore stations in San Diego.	bumed35
“	G. Rothganger to W. Braisted	11/9/1918	Influenza decreasing among civilian and military personnel in San Francisco area; recent cases have been mild; civil authorities have closed places of public amusement and churches, and are preventing gatherings of more than 20 people; masks are compulsory; encloses two letters (see below).	bumed36
“	A. Barendt, President of San Francisco Board of Health, to G. Rothganger	11/1/1918	Enclosed with above; states that he has completed a letter of thanks to Admiral Jayne for his service in helping San Francisco with influenza epidemic.	bumed36
“	A. Barendt to J. Jayne [quoted letter]	11/7/1918	Enclosed with above; thanks Jayne for his service in stemming the epidemic in San Francisco.	bumed36
“	J. Britton to J. Jayne	11/4/1918	Enclosed with above; thanks Jayne for his service in stemming epidemic in San Francisco.	bumed36
“	Receiving Ship San Francisco to Secy. of Navy	11/15/1918	On 9/22/1918, Yerba Buena Island and the receiving ship were placed in quarantine [protective sequestration].	bumed37
“	W. Braisted to Bureau of Navigation	12/21/1918	Praises Yerba Buena men and officers for carrying out successful quarantine [protective sequestration] of the facility.	bumed38
“	W. Braisted to G. Rothganger	12/23/1918	Reply to Rothganger’s of 10/11/1918; praises Rothganger for his efforts in containing influenza.	bumed39
“	J. Neilson to BuMed, via Commandant of Mare Island	2/28/1919	“Influenza Epidemic, Mare Island, Cal. – Special Report on”; lengthy report, with statistical tables and graphs, detailing the influenza epidemic at Mare Island and measures taken to prevent its spread; provides detailed history of the epidemic at the facility; copies of relevant memos and circulars enclosed.	bumed40

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Papers of William F. Fullam, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, DC

Box/Folder	From/To	Date	Title or Description	PDF
Box 5/F: Sept. 1918	W. Fullam to J. Jayne	9/23/1918	He has been put in charge of the 12th, 13th, and 14th Naval Districts; will not interfere with the commandants.	fullam01
“	H. George to W. Fullam	9/25/1918	Discusses fumigation of the USS Brutus; no influenza at Mare Island yet, but knows of several cases in San Francisco.	fullam02
Box 5/F: Oct.-Nov. 1918	H. Laning to W. Fullam	10/1/1918	Discusses influenza situation in Navy; cases are bad in Naval Academy, on some ships, and at some training facilities.	fullam03
“	W. Fullam to H. Laning	10/2/1918	He has tried to take all precautions against influenza on the West Coast.	fullam04
“	W. Fullam to W. Braisted	10/12/1918	Complains about P. Rossiter at Yerba Buena and his decision regarding the uniforms of the men; trying hard to prevent influenza from getting into the ships and stations on the West Coast.	fullam05
“	W. Fullam to H. Laning	10/16/1918	Has kept influenza out of his ships thus far, and is trying to prevent infection.	fullam06
“	W. Fullam to J. Driggs	10/21/1918	Concerning the fumigation of the USS Brutus.	fullam07
“	W. Braisted to W. Fullam	10/23/1918	Has received Fullam’s letter warning Pacific Coast vessels and stations about epidemic influenza; despite precautions, epidemic influenza has occurred in the fleet and most Pacific stations; the uniform issue at Yerba Buena is a minor consideration.	fullam08
“	W. Fullam to J. Driggs	10/26/1918	Anxious that there be no influenza or other serious illness aboard the Brutus before it sets sail.	fullam09
“	W. Fullam to W. Braisted	10/30/1918	Reply to Fullam’s of 10/23/1918; to date he has not had a single case of influenza aboard any of his ships; has kept his ships either at sea or in “pretty close quarantine” and will continue that policy.	fullam10
“	J. Driggs to W. Fullam	11/4/1918	Report from the Brutus; ship delayed due to influenza among yard workmen; will not allow liberty so as to prevent influenza among crew; this will be hard on men because they have already been under quarantine while waiting for the ship to be completed; health of men is good.	fullam11
“	J. Driggs to W. Fullam	11/9/1918	Report from the Brutus; ship has been fumigated; all personnel aboard are in good health with no cases of influenza.	fullam12
“	J. Driggs to W. Fullam	11/19/1918	Has learned that he will have no medical officers or nurses onboard;	fullam13
“	W. Fullam to H. Laning	11/26/1918	Has reduced the compliment of ships because of influenza.	fullam14
Box 5/F: Dec. 1918	W. Fullam to H. Laning	12/11/1918	Influenza situation is still “raging” in the area, but he has kept it out of the ships “almost entirely.”	fullam15
“	W. Braisted to W. Fullam	12/28/1918	Thanks Fullam for his hard work on the West Coast.	fullam16

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Procedings of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Box/Folder	Date	Description or Title	PDF
	1/7/1918-12/20/1918	City of San Francisco, Journal of Proceedings, Board of Supervisors, City and Country of San Francisco, Vol. 13-New Series (San Francisco: Rincon Publishing, 1919) [selected dates]	SFBoardVol_13
	1/6/1919-2/3/1919	City of San Francisco, Journal of Proceedings, Board of Supervisors, City and Country of San Francisco, Vol. 14-New Series (San Francisco: Rincon Publishing, 1920) [selected dates]	SFBoardVol_14

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The Papers of Mayor James Rolph, California Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.

Box/Folder	From/To	Date	Title or Description	PDF
Box 44/Folder 525, MS 1818	Meeting minutes	10/17/1918	Minutes for Special Meeting of the Board of Health, concerning influenza epidemic; consideration of face masks, public closures, and other measures; actual proclamation of measures follows (same date).	rolph01
“	Dept. of Public Works	10/21/1918	Dept. of Public Works has created addition crews to start special sewer flushing service.	roplh02
Box 44/Folder 526	Copy, Circular Letter N-483, 12th Naval District, Rear Adm. J. L. Jayne	10/22/1918	Order for all personnel to wear gauze masks “on the streets, in street cars, ferries, offices, and places where people congregate.”	rolph03
“	J. Rolph to Board of Supervisors	10/23/1918	Outlines his address to residents of San Francisco regarding face mask ordinance; alludes to a similar mask order by Brig. Genl. J. F. Morrison, Commander of Western Dept. of US Army.	rolph04
“	J. Rolph to Board of Supervisors	10/23/1918	Vaccination developed at Tufts Medical College about to be made available in San Francisco; discusses mask order and some resistance to it; ask Board to issue mask ordinance.	rolph05
“	J. Jayne to J. Rolph	10/23/1918	Notifies Rolph that he has ordered naval personnel in 12th District to wear masks; this information was given to the Associated Press (copy enclosed)	rolph06
Box 44/Folder 527	C. Jones to J. Rolph	10/26/1918	Angry letter protesting how influenza statistics are reported in press, the constitutionality of mask orders, etc.	rolph07
“	W. Hassler and A. Barendt to J. Rolph	10/30/1918	Discussion of flushing streets with salt water; states that it will have no direct effect on influenza epidemic, but that it will remove dust and lessen irritation to the mucous membranes.	rolph08
“	W. Hassler to J. Rolph	10/30/1918	Copy of letter sent to Finance Committee of the Board of Supervisors, detailing expenses related to influenza epidemic.	rolph09
“	J. Rolph to E. Anderson	10/31/1918	Acknowledges receipt of Anderson’s prior letter concerning influenza; discusses use of masks and vaccines in San Francisco; believes both have been effective in dealing with the epidemic.	rolph10
“	J. Rolph to H. Neilson, Mayor of Santa Barbara, CA	10/31/1918	Strongly urges Neilson to order mandatory face mask use in Santa Barbara.	rolph11
“	J. Rolph to President W. Wilson	10/31/1918	Provides information on San Francisco’s epidemic and its use of face masks; cites rapid drop in cases in the city after masks were made mandatory.	rolph12
Box 44/Folder 529	J. Rolph	11/2/1918	Letter to people of San Francisco asking them to stay the course with the use of masks and other preventive measures even though the epidemic appears to be waning.	rolph13
“	J. Rolph to J. Jayne	11/4/1918	Thanks Jayne for his help in the epidemic; states that Jayne’s order to have naval personnel use masks had a moral effect on the civilians of the city as well.	rolph14
“	J. Rolph to Geo. Baker, Mayor of Portland, OR	11/5/1918	Telegram clarifying San Francisco’s closing order; churches allowed one early morning indoor service, with congregants masked; any number of outdoor services may be held with masks.	rolph15
Box 44/Folder 530	Resolutions	Undated [ca. 11/1918]	Set of resolutions urging cooperation with police and public health officials in terms of public gatherings.	rolph16
Box 44/Folder 531	J. Hart, Mayor of Lovington, NM to J. Rolph	11/8/1918	Telegram asking if San Francisco had passed a mask ordinance; Rolph’s handwritten response appears at bottom, stating that masks were used and saved “thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths.”	rolph17
“	J. Rolph to Mrs. Geo. Ashley	11/13/1918	States how important mask law was and how it did not damped the Armistice Day festivities.	rolph18
“	H. Brown, Mayor of Wallace, ID to J. Rolph	11/13/1918	Asks about value of face masks.	rolph19
Box 44/Folder 532	J. Rolph to various USN personnel	11/14/1918	A series of letters thanking the US Navy Hospital Units that served at San Francisco Hospital during the epidemic.	rolph20
“	W. Hassler to J. Rolph	11/14/1918	Acknowledges receipt of Rolph’s of 11/13/1918 enclosing resolutions adopted by the San Francisco Church Federation regarding saloon closures; Dept. of Public Health lifted entire closure order on 11/13/1918.	rolph21
“	A. Smith of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Billiard Table Co. to J. Rolph	11/14/1918	Thanks Rolph for ending the closure order and allowing billiard halls to re-open on 11/16/1918.	rolph22
“	J. Burton, Red Cross, San Francisco Chapter to Editor, San Francisco Chronicle	11/16/1918	Response to news article; recent appropriation by San Francisco Board of Supervisors for influenza relief will be used solely for that purpose and will not be dispensed by the Red Cross.	rolph23
“	E. Rainey, Secy to Mayor Rolph, to H. Brown, Mayor of Wallace, ID	11/15/1918	Telegram stating that rigid enforcement of mask ordinance saved thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths; no cases of diphtheria or whooping cough appeared during mask period.	rolph24
Box 45/Folder 532	J. Rolph to J. Neilson, Yard Surgeon, Mare Island	11/18/1918	Thanks Neilson for assistance in assigning the Mare Island Hospital Unit to the care of civilian influenza cases at the temporary Red Cross hospital.	rolph25
Box 45/Folder 533	J. Rolph to various USN personnel	11/18/1918	A series of letters thanking the Mare Island Hospital Unit for manning the Red Cross hospital during the epidemic.	rolph26
“	R. Abraham to J. Rolph	11/18/1918	Thanks Rolph for re-opening the theaters after Dr. Hassler considered keeping theaters in Mission district closed for an additional week.	rolph27
“	J. Rolph to Board of Supervisors	11/20/1918	Encloses proclamation to people of San Francisco that the influenza epidemic is over and that masks can be discarded on noon of 11/21/1918.	rolph28
“	Minutes	11/21/1918	Minutes of Board of Health meeting to end mask law for general public and to issue guidelines of who should still wear them (the ill, the exposed, etc.).	rolph29
Box 44/Folder 534	H. George, Commandant Mare Island, to J. Rolph	11/23/1918	Acknowledges Rolph’s thank-you letter; expresses admiration of how San Francisco handled the epidemic.	rolph30
“	A. Hendrick, Secy. of American Public Health Association, to J. Rolph	11/25/1918	Invites San Francisco health officers to report on their experience during the annual meeting of the APHA in Chicago.	rolph31
“	Assistant Secy to Mayor to W. Hassler	11/25/1918	Encloses copy of Rolph’s proclamation of 11/20/1918 ending the mask ordinance [proclamation not enclosed].	rolph32
“	L. Dixon, Mayor of Provo, UT, to J. Rolph	11/26/1918	Asks if mask ordinance lessen spread of influenza.	rolph33
“	J. Rolph to L. Dixon, Mayor of Provo, UT	11/26/1918	Reply to above; states that mask use was responsible for San Francisco “beating the usual course of influenza by several weeks,” and for saving lives.	rolph34
Box 44/Folder 537		12/5/1918	Certificate of appreciation from Board of Health to Rolph, thanking him for his service during epidemic crisis.	rolph35
“	W. Hassler to J. Rolph, via Rolph’s asst. secy.	12/5/1918	Encloses an article on the influenza epidemic and asks that the Mayor’s office keep it on file as reference when the budget comes up for consideration again.	rolph36
“	J. Kennedy, Secy. of the Board of Fire Commissioners, to J. Rolph	12/6/1918	Informs Rolph that the Board of Fire Commissioners has adopted a resolution of appreciation for the firemen who served during the influenza epidemic.	rolph37
“	J. Rolph to People of San Francisco	12/7/1918	Statement that influenza is once again epidemic in the city; asks citizens to wear masks again.	rolph38
“	W. Hassler to J. Rolph	12/7/1918	Informs Rolph that an alarming new number of influenza cases developed in the past week from people arriving in the city from infected centers throughout California; provides short table of new cases for week of Nov. 30 through Dec. 7.	rolph39
“	Mayor’s Office to W. Hassler	12/9/1918	Informs Hassler that the Mayor has called for the re-masking of the citizens of San Francisco.	rolph40
“	J. Rolph to Editors of all local newspapers	12/9/1918	Informs them that, because of slight decrease in number of new cases, the decision to re-mask will be postponed until Dec. 12.	rolph41
Box 44/Folder 539	Mayor’s Office to the Third Street Improvement Club	12/16/1918	Acknowledges receipt of letter of protest against the mask order.	rolph42
“	Mayor’s Office to W. Hassler	12/16/1918	Transmits copy of protest letter from Third Street Improvement Club to Hassler.	rolph43
“	Columbia Dairy to W. Hassler	12/17/1918	Returns $100 check for milk and dairy delivered to the Red Cross hospital during the epidemic, stating that he does not want to profit from the city’s misfortune.	rolph44
“	J. Walsh to J. Rolph	12/17/1918	Complains about the mask order.	rolph45
“	? to E. Shmitz, City Supervisor	12/18/1918	Letter complaining about mask law, objecting especially to use of masks for children.	rolph46
Box 44/Folder 540	W. Hassler to W. Benedict, Asst. Secy. to the Mayor	12/21/1918	Acknowledges receipt of letter from E. Jeanne Bolte, principal of Bolte’s School; Bolte complained about Board of Health keeping an ill pupil out of school, an order that she disregarded; copy of Bolte’s letter enclosed.	rolph47
Box 44/Folder 547	E. Chavez	1/1919	“The Influenza Mask and Its Consequences”; broadside against the mask law.	rolph48
Box 44/Folder 548	Dr. J. Miller to J. Rolph	1/5/1919	Provides medical information and his observations on influenza.	rolph49
Box 44/Folder 550	A. Johnston to J. Rolph	1/13/1919	Wonders if a referendum on the mask issue might be held to allow the citizens to vote on the issue.	rolph50
Box 44/Folder 553	J. Kemp to J. Rolph	1/29/1919	Writes in protest of mask order.	rolph51
“	A. Gallagher, City Supervisor, to J. Rolph	1/31/1919	Urges a re-examination of the mask laws, since so many are not complying; Gallagher is pro-mask.	rolph52
“	E. Chavez to Board of Health	2/2/1919	Letter in protest of mask law; has submitted a revised mask law for consideration [not enclosed].	rolph53
“	E. Harrington to J. Rolph	2/4/1919	Thanks Rolph for his stance against the masks, in opposition to Hassler.	rolph54

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