The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-06-21

Portland is situated on neck of land MAX
ing out into Casco Bay, about three miles in
length from northeast to southwest. and about
three-fourths of Il mile in width, on an average,
helm, somewhat wider than this at each end,
aud Somewhat narrower toward the middle
AT the narrowest point, which is a little north
east of the centre of the ridge, the land rises
only 81 feet above the level Of the sea, while at
the eastern and western eXtremities we find it
rising TO the height OF 16l feet at the former
and 175 IL feet at the latter. The mean rise
of water at high tide is 8 feet 3 inches. In the
harbor, which is on the southeastern side of
the city, the water is deep, while in Back Cove
ON the north side, it is shoal nearly all flowing
out at low tide leaving one extensive nlaae of
flats, but presenting at high tide the appear
ance Of ~ beautiful lake. The neck of land
tina connects this peninsula with the main
land Is only ABOUT one-fourth of n mile wide, SO
that VWlce Ill every twenty-four hours the bor-
defs oil the city are washed by the purifying
waves oil the invigorating ocean. BY this
prief notice of the natural history Of the place
an al VIII at once see how o kind Providence has
favored Portland in sanitary point of view.
Inc territory on which the city now stands
was first settled in 1852. In 1876 this settle
ment was laid waste by the Indians, the in
hapltanls being all killed or carried away into
captivity. In 1878 it was again settled in 1890
tne settlement was abandoned, and not until
i.Ii no we ma 1t permanently settled. In
1910, at the beginning of the revolutionary
war, the population WAS about 1000. On the
iotl OF october of this year. the place was
bombarded by the English, set on fire. and
nearly destroyed, and very little was done to-
wards rebuilding it until tine war was over. In
1856 the population again reached the number
OF 2OOO, at which time the town was incorpor-
ated under the name of Portland.
From that time to the present the growth of
the place has been quito steady. In 1865 its
| population reached the respectable number Of
$4,000, and its rank as port of Foreign Com
merce is set down as the sixth in the United
| States. This constant intercourse with for
elgn places has its bearing upon quarantine
and sanitary regulations, as the city is thereby
constantly liable to the importation of con-
| tagiouS diseases and foreign paupers.
| For local scenery few places can be found to
| surpass it An English traveller, in his pub
| iished "Rambles in North America, Says:"W
| found in Portland scenery that for beauty va
| .riety and extent, far exceeded any views of
| the class i'll the States" The Bay on the
| southeast, studded with its numerous islands,
| the Cape the south, with the blue and
| boundless ocean beyond, the beautiful inland
to the west, with the lofty peaks of the White
| Mountains in the far distance, lend a charm to
the lover OF natures scenery which to be felt
/ needs only to be seem And when added to
| such surroundings we find the city literally
| buried i'll the depth of waving forest, with
| numerous steeples towering above the tree
| tops, and school-houses, churches and massive
| bucks OF buildings quite up to the standard OF
| the times, we think wespeak with all due mod
|
4 pleasantest cities in this country.
| Previous TO the great fire OF the 4th of July
| 1866, there We're many places in the city that
| were becoming extremely unhealthy from
| their crowded and filthy condition. From
this cause principally low forms of disease
We're set at work which threatened to greatly
| increase the mortality of the place. But at
1 the present time very few of these pest holes
can be found. BY the building Of barracks
| and small houses about the borders of the city
| tnat class of IFS inhabitants tnrmarlV CROWDED
together to form hot beds of filth, vice and dis
| ease, has been scattered and located in more
| healthy places. To the, change brought about
| by the fire, may, L think, be attributed the de-
| crease in the mortality during the past year
| During the teny years previous to 1865 the NOR
| taiity of Portland was, on an average in go
| In 1865 it reached l in As. In 1866 it was a
little less than in 80 agaiu. 1t has been fire.
| quenty said that the Forest City was one OF
| Cne healthiest places in the world. How well
| 1t deserves this fiattering Recommendation,
| cannot tell, but the following table will show
| how it stands with some of its sister cities in
| its yearly bill of mortality.
| In Bangor the average is in 50 ''A t4 ''''iie
| belfast. The average is i'll only under 5
| years; statistics very unreliable. 81 ,ts.I b.
| Rocklanu ecu Il obtain No statistics. |
l1atl, could 90 ain no statistics. l 'iilW .nii /
Boston, tho average is | in 80
| New YorK the average is / in "a '-''' %
Portland The az rage Is 4 in 80 EtHtIos -tt
| Augusta, the average is III 65-statistics un-
- reliable -' U' 10
| The streets and sewers Of Portland, although
not in every respect what health demands, are
still III as good condition in most cities of it's
| size. Within the past year cess-rooS have
| been arranged at the culverts IN the principal
| streets, winch must have .. salutary effect by
| preventing the terribly foul air, of tae large
| trains from being blown back into the city
| These cesS-pools however need constant look
ing after, as they are continually filling up
with filthy matters washed from the streets
| ana it seems to me that it would be cheaper
| and better III the end TO continue the main
sewers 10 low water mark or little below,
6hus closing them at their lower extremities by
ever changing salt water instead Diminishing
| ut their very mouths a regular box trap for
| filth and poison which has to be shoVelled
back into thehstreet sand carted away. Ii the
sewers were thus closed at their lower cxtrem-
| tiles and furnished at each culyert with valves
| opening with the stream, and closing by their
own weight, it seems TO me all annoyance
! from this direction would be avoided. -@ll4'-.
p One OF the greatest wants of the city is q
Il supply of good pure water. The well water is
lDuniVersally hard, and much OF it is conducted
through. long lead pipes from fountains render
ed horribly impure by being impregnated with
The filth of adjacent privies or Sinking sink
drains. L have no doubt that tn, use of this
water has in many instances caused serious
disease. In few. cases 1 AN sure 1 have trac-
cd disease to this cause. Many of the wells
are within q few feet of large leaky priyies, and
very few in fact, in the most tlickiy settled
part OF the city, are far from some such source
II of contamination, AS a rule, L think it NAV
DC sud the well water OF Portland is not fit to
use either for drinking or cooking PURPOSES
l Clstern water is extensively used throughout
the city, and many Of these eisterns are well
constructed, with good filters, while many 9TH
ers are without filters, and from neglect get
very filthy With the advantages which Port.
land has Tor being supplied with the best of wa
ter, we cannot believe that her people will
much longer remain contented TO drink their
/ own Stops, though ever so much diluted by the
| pure waters OF the clouds and hidden streams
| of earth In a sanitary point OF view, a proper
supply Of good pure water is of the first impor-
| tance to Portland. t'-.'f' ~ ~
\ . OF the public schools of the city would be
A glad to speak in other than the most fayora-
! able terms, The advantages afforded by them
for the mental training of the young can scarce
| ly be surpassed. The school-houses are cener-
| ally roony and well ventilated, and the furlIi-
ture IN them is OF the most approved stye.-
| Viewing the schools OF Portland from the
| standpoint from which our people generally
Judge OF their usefulness, we should feel justl-
| lied IN saying thai they We're A No. l. But
| when we look at them from sanitary point
| and take into consideration the injurious eff
| IectS otKeepInS The Young and naturally rest
less inmates OF these schools confinod six long
| hours every day to benches either bolt upright
or crouching over their books, with scarcely a
| thought given to physical culture, we are oblig-
ed to say that they are lar from being what
| schools for the young should be. Too much
| going to school, too much hard study and too
| little work and play in the open air are tn
great physical prostrators OF the present age
| Thousands OF constitutions are thus broken
before the days of actual usefulness Begin
| Children are men and women in mind and
| men and women are less than children in
| physical powers. This subject, it seems to me,
| Is OF tile utmost Importance, and hope the
| time IS not far distant when steps will be tax
| IN byour leading men to bring about some re-
| form III this direction. Let us not forget that