The recent threat of the so-called swine flu pales in comparison with the influenza that swept across the country in 1918.

According to news accounts in the Patterson Irrigator, more than 50 cases of the Spanish flu were reported in the community in late October of that year, just weeks before the end of World War I. All public gatherings here were cancelled and local schools closed.

Then flu claimed its first local victim, it was reported in the Nov. 2 issue of the newspaper. Since there was no local hospital, an emergency medical facility was set up at Patterson Union High School, and 16 patients were soon admitted. By then, more than 130 local cases had been reported, but health officer Dr. A.M. Field thought the epidemic had reached its peak here.

Unfortunately, the doctor was wrong. Within 48 hours, five more local residents died. A week later, the emergency hospital at the high school was caring for 40 patients.

Then came a welcomed lull in the spread of the epidemic. The hospital emptied, and Sunday, Dec. 1, was set as the date for the resumption of public meetings and church services. By then, 368 cases had been reported here, 86 of which were treated at the temporary hospital, and California had recorded over 10,000 deaths attributed to the flu.

But the jubilation soon ended. On Dec. 7 it was reported that public meetings, church services and the theater would again be discontinued, although the next week it was announced they could resume as long as all attendees wore flu masks. The county Board of Supervisors made masks mandatory for everyone a few days later. By Dec. 21, Dr. Field had treated 420 patients in the Patterson area.

It was planned to reopen local schools on Dec. 30, but that didn’t happen. One more local death was reported that week. The newspaper’s Jan. 18, 1919, issue reported that the flu epidemic here was “growing worse daily.” Fifty more cases, some extremely bad, were being treated here. A quarantine law was put into effect.

Then on Feb. 1, it was reported the dreaded flu had been nearly eradicated throughout Stanislaus County. All restrictions against public meetings, church services and gatherings of all sorts were lifted. The Patterson grammar school reopened.

At that point, the costs of operating the emergency facility at the high school were found to be about $3,600, or $4.53 per patient per day. John D. “Jack” Patterson and the Patterson Ranch Company chipped in $1,800 to help cover the expense.

Then a year went by before the epidemic struck the Patterson area again. Uncertain conditions created by the reappearance of the flu bug caused cancellation of the Feb. 14, 1920, dance planned by the American Legion. Five more new cases were reported here. That figure soon grew to 65 and was rising. By Feb. 19, it had jumped to 130. Volunteer nurses were sought by the American Red Cross, and the schools and Patterson Theatre closed for a week.

Early March brought another death attributed to the flu, that of Frank Homen, 38. His daughter, Bea Rose, and granddaughters Belmira Lopes and Madeline Homen, remain Patterson residents today.

Late that year, one of Patterson’s pioneer businessmen succumbed to the flu. Robert Edwards had come to the community in 1911 and opened a hardware store on South Third Street after erecting one of the first brick buildings in town.

A near tragedy was avoided about this time at the Fred Weber home. A nurse caring for Weber and his wife, who were ill with the flu, turned on a gas stove that burst into flames. A passerby rushed in and smothered the fire with quilts.

The Spanish flu saga makes the swine flu seem tame, indeed.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

The bleak economic enema most of us are currently experiencing is nonetheless providing opportunities for a few.

Those few certainly include the telemarketing personnel who are persistently calling day and night about our housing mortgages.

FOR THE SPORTS FAN

Many of us don’t care much for TV commercials.

I use commercial time (with the mute on) to blow my nose, read a short newspaper article or make a pit stop down the hall.

Except when it’s a Charles Barkley commercial. Sir Charles is a born entertainer.

AND FINALLY …

Readers may remember my recent saga with credit cards.

Over a period of time, HM and I ended up with 72 bank cards, not counting retail cards issued by Sears, etc., and gas company cards. About half of the 72 were issued by Bank of America, Chase and Citi. Over the years, these financial institutions were especially generous with their credit offerings, even issuing us cards in the name of Patterson Irrigator and Irrigator Patterson.

A couple of months ago I trimmed the number down to fewer than 50 and last week dropped the count to 42. But it wasn’t easy.

First of all, the cancellation involved talking with a real person. On a couple of calls, there must have been about 25 customers ahead of me — all on hold.

Then came a long series of probing questions about why I was closing the account, new generous offers if I would remain a customer and explanations of what I was giving up by slicing and dicing their particular card. It came close to actually begging me to remain a customer.

Closing, my friends, is far harder than opening a credit card account. One young man asked why we didn’t want nine accounts with his bank, then followed with a question about how we acquired that many.

“You offered them to us,” was my reply. “Every one.”

• Ron Swift is editor/publisher emeritus of the Patterson Irrigator. His column appears weekly in this space. He can be reached at ronkay@evansinet.com.