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SALISBURY HISTORYgiven the ill and handicapped.N. Neal Pike, blind since the age of seven, recalls in aninterview with Historical Commission chairwoman, CarolynSargent, how it happened.He had attended the Everett School at Salisbury Plainsfor one year. July 24, 1918, while visiting with his greatgrandmother and great aunt at Seabrook Beach during hissummer vacation, his great aunt, Mary Stewart had to go forwater as they had no water in the house. She hitched thehorse and wagon to drive 1 1/2 miles to Randall‘s well. Itwas a hot sultry day with the temperature 104° in theshade. Young Neal told his aunt he would “race her to thewell.’’ Running beside the wagon, bare footed in the hotbeach sand, he ran to the well, and then “raced her back’’, atotal of three miles. That night he became ill with cold chills.His Great Aunt Mary wrapped him in a blanket and drovehim home to his mother in Salisbury. When he awoke thenext morning in an upstairs bedroom, he called to hismother to bring up a lamp because it was dark and hecouldn’t see. His mother went upstairs and told him it wasnine o’clock, a bright sunny day. Neal replied, “It looks blackto me.’’ His mother held up several objects for him to identifybut he could not see them.By this time he was violently ill, so Mrs. Pike called Dr.Charles Warren in Amesbury. Upon examining Neal, thedoctor said he was totally blind and should be taken to DoctorNason in Newburyport, an eye specialist. Neal was so illshe called Doctor George Worcester to come to the house.The doctor told Mrs. Pike her son was vomiting blood fromthe brain and would die because no medication could stopthe bleeding. The doctor called again later to say he wasgoing on vacation and to continue giving Neal the prescribedmedicine until he passed away. Doctor Worcester told her it18