The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-07 00:00:00

"OUR VILLAGES-THEIR SANITARY

-.c stopple,
REFORM." patent is admirable, it is as a buffer defective in the
In London, on Moreday evening, a general meeting extreme. Indeed, as far as I could see or feel it
of the members of the Farmers' Club was held at the was absurd to call it a buffer at all. 'I he train is
Salisbury Hotel, Salisbury-square, to hear and discuss to all effects and purposes rigid from end to end.
a paper by Mr. James Howard, late M.P. for Bedford, When a carriage is added to the train, or when the
on "Our Villages ; Their Sanitary Reform." Mr. E. engine, after being disconnected at a station to go
M. Major-Lucas occupied the chair, on to take water, runs back to the train again, the
Mr. Howard said that although the Farmers' Chit shock is felt from end to end. As people are not par-
tied already discussed the great subject of the sewage of ticalar in this country, the engine comes back, or the
towns and cities, it had, singularly enough, never once train is run back into a siding to pick up additional
turned its attention to the more home question of carriages at a rate which would astonish an English
village sewage and the sanitary coudition of our railway official, and the result is a shock of a violence
rural population therein involved. He would not of which, with our English system of buffers, we can
take up time in attempting to prove that our vil- form little idea. These shocks are in the day time ex-
lages stood greatly in need of sanitary reform, for all tremely• unpleasant, but at night, when one is lying
would admit that a state of things existed in many, down mono s berth, they are absolutely dangerous for
if not most, of our villages which a civilised corn- a person with a weak Heart. But if the arrangement
munity must deplore and would gladly see remedied, of the buffers is defective, that of the brakes is admir-
Until the passing of the Public Health Act of 1872 able. So powerful are they, that a train at full speed
the various sanitary acts, so far as rural districts were
I can be brought to a standstill in little over its own
concerned, were almost a dead letter. This act, al- length. Several times in the steep inclines down the
though deficient in some particulars, was important, western slopes of this rocky mountain, when the train
as it rendered the action of local authorities com- was dashing along at a very high rate of speed, we
pulsory, so that most of the evils must be dealt with in were arrested in two or three hundred yards by the
some way or other. Proceeding to the practical ques- action of the brakes, and this without any shock, jar,
tion—what could be done to remedy existing evils? or jerk. Nothing could work better. The brakes are
Mr. Howard said he attached primary importance to upon the pneumatic principle.
the water supply, because, next to the food of the The traveller west has a choice of several different
people, it was the most important requirement for routes; from Chicago to Omaha. I went by what is
every community, and an abundant and pure supply known as the Rock hilatal route, selecting it because
was one of the greatest blessings of life; whilst, on the the station was close to my hotel at Chicago. The
other hand, there was no more fertile source of disease journey
thus far occupies about twenty four hours,
and human dread than bad and contaminated water, and the scenery is flat and monotonous in the extreme.
(Hear, hear.) At present the majority of villages The time, however, passes rapidly in a Pulmares car.
suffered from scarcity or impurity of water, or both. It is not that the Beata are more comfortable. fir
There were no natural causes for tinh a state of they are not as comfortable as those of an English
things, and the fault rested with the community, ~ first-class carriage, but you have plenty of room—
which grievously wasted and neglected one of the most ! for you have two seats—you can open a table and
precious gifts of nature. It was the general opinion ' play a game of chess or ecart6 with your friend.
of sanitary adthorities that where good water could be Theee long journeys should always be made in coin-
obtained at a depth nut exceeding thirty feet a well was PatlY. You can go out and smoke your cigar on the
, the best provision ; but there were wide tracts of platform, can wash when you feel dusty. and read
' country where wells were quite out of the question, , when you are tired ef every' thing else. Better still,
1 and in such cases he recommended storage of surface , you can, at least as far as Ogden, which is three-
rain water in open reservoirs, which could be con- , fifths of the journey between Chicago and San
1 strocted at a comparatively small cost, and pro- , Francisco, have a state-room to yourself at a Mali
1 vide an abundant supply during the summer months, additional charge. These state-rooms hold four berths,
He had found frem experience that rain-water E 0 but can be retained by two or three passengers. When
' stored kept good enough for domestic use throughout the beds are stowed away for the day you have a snug
the year. Another plan was to collect in tanks the little room about Bft. by 7ft., vri•h a sofa, two arm'
rain falling on the roofs of houses. A tank sufficient chairs, and a table. This is luxury and here you may
for two ordinary-sized labourers' cottages could he smoke if you choose. The general car is really so well
constructed at a cost of £2 per cottage. The value of arranged that there would be but little advaida.ie in
such a means of storage was illustrated by the esti-
mate that from the roof of an ordinary cottage , being
these private cab.ns were it not for the privilege of
able to smoke without being exposed to the
as much as 7,100 gallons per anti= might be col- driving dust upon the platform, and also that you
lected with a rainfall of only 20 inches. Care, how. thereby avoid the children. . . . With a state car and
ever, should be taken to present the influx id impure a pleasant companion the journey passes quickly, and
water from surface drainage. Passing to the subject I I can safely say, that at th. end of five-anil-a-lialf
of drainage and sewerage, he said a great variety of I days' travelling I arrived at San Faancisco no more
schemes had been before the public for dealing with tired than I should have been after as many hours in
sewage, but practically there were only two systems an English railway carriaee.
open for rural districts, viz., earth or box closets, From Chicago to Omaha the change from a high
and water sewersge. In scattered villages a general cultivation to the lonely prairie comes very gradually.
syste mof drainage WM in most cases out of the ques- 'ii if, i.t the villages and small towns are thickly scat-
ton, not only on account of the expense, but because ti 'I, while betweeli them are farms with extensive
wataiworks wein an essential portion of the plan, and I i. 11,0 an I siell-kept fences. Gradually these be-
sewage irrigation, whilst eueuessful and economical on cow° fewer awe is ~,aa The village are uow few
a large scale, was troublesome and expensive on a gud far between, the Earmhoumee are little better than
small one. Although favouring the system for Tog huts, and the fences altoirther disappear. At times,
" populous pins', he thought that for Tillages the for long distances, not a house or a sign tt human