2018-2 Remembrances Special Edition1
City of Schertz
Remembrances Special Edition Article 2018-2
Prepared by: Schertz Historical Preservation Committee
Source Writer/Researcher: John Baker
2018 Influenza/Flu Outbreak vs. Historic Epidemic Episodes
Epidemic! As evidenced by recent events, that word carries serious implications.
However, before advances in modern medicine, epidemics were frequent and more deadly. In
fact, an unnamed 1844 epidemic claimed the life of Anna and Affree Schertz, wife and daughter
of Joseph Schertz (among first founding families of Schertz, Texas), shortly after the family’s
arrival in America from Europe. Their deaths, coupled with other misfortunes, nearly led the
family back to Europe until Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, founder of New Braunfels,
convinced them to stay. Joseph’s son Sebastian, would later purchase land and settle in an area
that is now part of modern-day Schertz.
The Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has no way of tracking how
many total cases of the flu there are in the United States other than tracking the number of
patients appearing at health care facilities with signs of “influenza-like illness (ILI).” The CDC
reports that, as of the end of January 2018 almost 8 percent of patient-doctor contacts nationwide
were due to an ILI circumstance. That rate is the highest recorded at this time of year in the past
15 years. The highest rates nationally were in Texas and the immediately surrounding states
where twelve point six percent of patients reported flu-like illness. But, even these numbers are
lower than those posted during the 2014-2015 flu season. In trying to gauge the severity of this
year’s flu outbreak, one thing is for certain, today’s experience pales in comparison to the many
global pandemics experienced throughout the 17th thru 20th centuries.
In nineteenth-century Texas, common epidemics included cholera, dengue fever,
diphtheria, influenza, measles, smallpox, yellow fever, and whooping cough. Among the more
notable instances, a cholera outbreak occurred in 1833 and a more severe cholera epidemic in
1849 claimed approximately 500 lives in San Antonio alone. Yellow fever epidemics were
particularly frightening and it wasn’t until the early 1900s that scientists worldwide accepted the
theory that the disease was spread by insects, particularly mosquitos. Armed with this
knowledge, eradication of the pests significantly reduced the threat.
It is interesting to note that the significant influenza outbreak we recently experienced
comes one hundred years after one of the best-known epidemics of the twentieth century, the
1918-1919 worldwide outbreak of Spanish Influenza. This outbreak infected an estimated
500,000,000 people across the globe. Estimates vary widely on the number of deaths attributed
to the disease, but 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 are said to have succumbed to the disease. In the
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United States, around 25,000,000 contracted the flu and between 500,000 and 675,000 died from
the disease. While no accounts were to be found directly relating to Schertz proper, probably
owing to its small size and lack of congestion at the time, it is reasonable to assume that given
the impact on the surrounding area, Schertz residents were not completely unaffected.
Regionally, San Antonio, with a population in 1918 in the neighborhood of 160,000,
suffered through two peaks of the disease, first in October and later in December 1918. At first,
the Board of Health was hesitant to ban public gatherings, instead instructing residents to avoid
crowds and police themselves by staying home if they were sick. As the epidemic worsened, city
officials finally ordered quarantines and closed public gathering places such as theaters,
churches, and schools, but in both cases, orders came late, when the flu was peaking. In
addition, upon reflection city officials concluded that they lifted the initial closure orders in
October too soon, which contributed to the second outbreak. All in all, incidence reporting varied
significantly with San Antonio physicians tallying 12,367 cases with 881 deaths for a 7.1 percent
fatality rate. However, a United States Public Health Service survey indicated a rate of 535 cases
per 1,000 residents, for a total near 86,000 with a 1 percent fatality rate (approximately 860
deaths).
Another regional account, relating to the 1918 influenza outbreak, comes from New
Braunfels. An interesting story emerges about a grotto erected at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic
Church, located at 386 Castell Avenue, in response to the congregation’s pleas to Mary, the
Blessed Mother, to spare the parish from additional deaths after forty-five members succumbed
to the epidemic there. According to church documents following their petition, the church was
spared any other fatalities from the disease. The church, pastored by Father J. M. J. Wack, vowed
in their petition to erect a grotto mimicking the Grotto at Lourdes, France if its prayers were
answered. Accordingly, Father Wack traveled to Lourdes and secured the exact specifications of
the grotto there. The congregation worked through the spring of 1921 to build the structure
using local flint stones and on June 21, 1929, the grotto was dedicated on the day of the Feast of
Saints Peter and Paul.
Area Military installations were particularly vulnerable because of the large number of
soldiers living in close proximity to each other. During World War I, Camp Travis was
established on land that at the time was adjacent to Fort Sam Houston (later incorporated into
that installation) as a training camp for the 90th Division and other units destined for the World
War I battlefield. Troops were housed in an area that was roughly just several blocks. During
the 1918 influenza pandemic, camp population numbered 34,127 soldiers of which 10,942, or
approximately 32 percent, came down with the flu. The brunt of the epidemic hit Camp Travis
between October 1 and November 20, 1918, a very compressed time period. Immediately,
images come to mind of litters scattered everywhere. However, due to detailed planning, in the
span of a few days seventy-six large two-story barracks were converted to hospital wards and,
according to a War Department report, at no time was there a lack of beds available for new
cases. In addition, measures were implemented to contain the disease, including a quarantine of
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the post, thorough infectious waste disposal, and instruction on preventative procedures. While
the incidence rate at Camp Travis of 32 percent seems high today, by comparison, the
neighboring City of San Antonio’s incidence rate was over 50 percent. Clearly, diligence paid
off. In contrast, at Fort Sam Houston, then considered a separate installation, a decision to lift a
quarantine to allow the post to celebrate the November 11, 1918 World War I armistice
coincided with a spike in new influenza cases there.
Eventually the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 subsided, much to the relief of
people around the globe. Likewise, the flu season has dwindled in Texas, after peaking in
January 2018. It is difficult to pinpoint just how widespread the illness has been in Texas
because the majority of influenza cases are not reportable by Texas law. However, during the
2017-2018 flu season, 6,006 deaths have occurred that are attributed to influenza and pneumonia,
with the vast majority occurring among the elderly. Still, while this flu season can be
categorized as severe, we can be thankful in our day and age that although epidemics still occur,
modern medicine and precautionary measures lighten their toll significantly.
Photos by Dean Weirtz
Photo depicting unmarked tombstones of Children State of Texas Historical; Marker Grotto at Saint Peter & Paul Catholic
who were victims of the early 20th century epidemics. Church New Braunfels, Texas
Location is northwest corner, Saint Joseph’s Cemetery,
Schertz, TX. Photos by: Dean Weirtz