October 17, 1918

The  Evening Star https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1918-10-17/ed-1/seq-1/

The death toll climbed to 87, surpassing the previous day’s 83.

An increase over yesterday’s figures of four deaths from influenza in the city was reported to the health department for the twenty-four hours from 12 o’clock yesterday up to noon today. For the previous period there were eighty-three deaths; for the period
of twenty-four hours ending at noon today there were eighty-seven deaths.

Following the action of Secretary Lane of the Interior Tuesday, and that of Secretary McAdoo of the Treasury yesterday, Secretary Baker today ordered that no more employes for the War Department be brought to Washington during the influenza epidemic without express authorization of the Secretary of War.

Secretary of War Newton D. Baker

Secretary of the Interior Franklin Lane

Health Officer Fowler said today that a survey of the health situation for the last twelve hours showed no encouraging signs that there was any subsistence of the influenza epidemic. On the contrary he was of the opinion that the disease was not yet under control, and was gaining headway.