The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-02-16
-. ~. >ess York Commercial.

- s.ouse-T.se Mortality Ia
tho p,orn Famiiy--Dr. Morris ftfH.'
~, AZ, CauSe.-A Ikir.s iOr h.:sss0iof"N
and Tcnasts.
r,.or since the illness Of the Prince Q!
Vale, was asccrtaincd 10 have had It's origin
in The bre,ting Of air poisoned by eXhala-
TONS from an old sewer, the subject Of dram
an, and sewerage Of cities has deaerreGiF
attracted a great deal Of attention anon
l,ymcn, as it had for u long time among phs-
scans. 1t is matter OF suc'l Nieii li!'
variance that something should ne uohe ~
once by the Legislature to c2mpci Dom hi.a"I
lords aud tenants, rs well rs Tue i!un'i,;
authorities in all our cities, 10 oe'isc ",'I.
carry out some efficient system Oh prevents
this in,idious and deadly poison ito'i' -
Gaping into our houses. ,:.,os, ;r,ercst
Nr rive ~ a matter Of the highest in'efcs.
- .,;. ann1rcction. the following drcunen,
,r,,,, IJr,ltb Inspector DR.. Morris, when VIII
io .,,nmittrd TO the Board OF Hca'th ms III
tnrnoon. II will repay careful perus;'i, rs II
,.|.,. far IN cxplaiu the extraordinary mortal
e.. ~ some Of our most dcnsciy populated
districts:
BUREAU OF SANITARY 1HsfEcTloN,l
INV YORK, February ii, 1877.
To the Board Of Health:
Northumberland reports have been re-
cr;y,d II this Bureau of sudden deaths nav
;nr occurred at No. Ais Eleventh avenue, i'll
tho family of Mr.. Brown, said TO be by spot
ted fever (ccrebro spinal mcningitis). The
first WAS reported on the seth Of January,
rEino. The second death occurred FeDrt-
nrv 3. the third February !, and on tic llth
fourth.
These deaths ali occurred among children
tb,;r arcs being G8 wears, 1 years, III years,
and Is months. One other child, presenting
similar SYMPTOMS, aged 10 years, was taken
sick February 6; she is now conva!cscei'.
II will be observed all OF these were children
under the age of thirteen years, ana the hiH-
tory of all exhibited the fact That they were
taken sick at night; that there was piooa
poison which had produced these results
there could be no doubts; that there should
he found q direct cause there seemed no
oiles:inn. 1t was diligently searched torand
found. Upon a careful examination OF the
system of drainage belonging TO these pre-
misses, the following conditions were discoV-
cred
This house, No. AS, and the adjoining
horse No Alb, were found to have COM
mon priyy vault, and one sewer connection
therrtroln TO the sewer in the street: all the
house drainage from Kitchen sinks OF both
houses connecting with it. The drain was
OF earthcnwarc pipe, and entered the ccillr
of the rear wall of the house no. l4", closely
adilinin" the partition between II ana No
4t5. This pipe had an elbow at the po!ht
where it entered the cellar, extending about
two feet above the cellar bottom. The lower
opcniug of the elbow WAS loosely fitted into
the shoulder OF the next length OF pipe,
which passed downward and underneath the
ground of the cellar bottom, thence TO the
sewer i'm the Eleventh avenue. AT this loose
Doint Of the elbow there was no cement to
prevent the escape Of sewer gases, which
PISSED outward and upward through
the Eath and plaster partition, base
board, and loose flooring OF the rooms
above the cellar. 1t WAS on this floor, level
with the street and yard adjoining, that Mr.
Browns family, consisting OF himself, wife,
and six children, dwclt. This floor was d-
yidcd into four rooms, as follows: a front
room, used us tin store; 4 rear room, used
for Ill tie ordinary family purposes, being
kitchen and living room, with two sinai!
bedrooms intcryening-onc having doo.s
from front and rear rooms, the other having
au entrance only from the store ii front. lii
the rear room, i'll one corner, there Is Il c!oscl
without lining, simply shelves. Upon qucs-
tiouing the inmates they described Il most
offensive odor as issuing from the closet, trc-
qucntly so bad rs to produce nausea, ana as
the sick girl of thirteen years said when she
heard the inquiry abou! the stencil, "Gh, sir,
it's awful smells like dead dogs and rats; ii
.ias often made me sick"
The Investigation of the scwCT-pipcS be-
fore mentioned disclosed the fact that this
loose jointed elbow was almost directly
underneath this closet, being in the cellar
adjoining, close to the partition wall. At The
top OF this wall was IN opening under the
1loorin@ and communicating with the open
iatll and plaster partition dividing the houses.
Again, there WAS found an enclosed wood bin
boarded up to the floor above from the cellar
bottom in which this elbow was located, pre-
venting in Il great measure the escape Of
these sewer gases into the cellar, but causing
them TO pass almost directly upward through
the opening above into the closet through the
flooring and base board.
In the history Of these cases it will he OBJ
served that each child was attacked ut night,
and with nearly identical symptoms--pain i'll
the head, vomiting, sometimes Il chill, great
prostration, and rapidly fatal. What can
illustrate more positively cause and effect:
With the rooms closed at night, ventilation
entirely INSTRUCTED, inhalation Of poisonous
Sewer-waS, in constitutions vitiated by want
OF proper nourishmcnt (thc family being
very poor, what other result could be anti
cipated. either slow fever of typhoid
kind, or as in these cases, with an active
poison, sudden death.
Immediate steps were taken by notifying
the owner Of the premises to remove tits
earthen sewer-pipe and substituting an iron
pipe with tightly-lcaded joints, and placing
stench-traps under each sink in the waste
pipes.
In connection with these cases may be
allowed to add that experience in the obser-
Walton of house-drainago and sewerage
thercirom has convinced myself, as well as
the corps of Health Inspectors, that to these
direct causes may he attributed by far the
larger proportion of cases of typhoid and
other fcrcrs of sthcnic and asthenic char
acter, aud that contagious diseases here find
their most active factors. IouSe-dralnagc,
tight painted pipes, efficient traps in waste
aud sewer-pipes, with free outlet for gases
bya continuous open-mouthed sewcr-ppe,
beyond and above the roofs Of house, care
fully provided IN all dwellings and other
buildings where human life Is exposed,
would unquestionably prevent much sick
ness, suffering, and death, now often attiibu-
table to mysterious and ineXplainable causes.
Respectfully submitted,
MoREAu Norris, N. D.,
City Sanitary Inspector.