Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-08-30
SANITARY MATTERS.
Meeting of the Roa rsl nj EdeaIfh


last evening, all the members present, and DIR
Bliss, from the sanitary committee, submitted
report on the charges OF esrenesa9n % Int.
! found that a nuisance was caused by the over
flow of certain lots during the absence of Mr.
! Craig from the city, which Nuisance might hav,
been prevented had a proper notice been given
| yet in view of the valuable services of Mr.
Craig, and the energetic manner in which h,
mend that he be continued in Office; repor
| adopted.
rxcAvATISe "a VAST MOUND OF HUMAN
| BOSEs1
The report of the health officer (Dr p. T
| Keene) on the condition of the Potter's field
under the resolution of the board relating to the
| opening of road through the burial ground OF
| the Almshouse was presented. DIR. Keene, aftel
| stating that he visited the locality in company
with Inspector Peters, says:
| 1.-The unknown and pauper dead of the city
| have, until a recent date, been buried in a hill
| just east of the alms-house. not far from the
| shore of the Eastern Branch. The dread reaper
has been planting hisl harvests in this hill for
! sixty-three years-bodies being piled one upon
another nearly to the surface, so tibet il is now
! vast mound of human bones. In the spring
of 1852, at the instance of the Board of Health,
| steps were taken to provide a more suitable
cemetery for the cOnstantly-increasing numbers
sent there for burial. Between this hill and the
river is marshy land, now partially overlooked,
where sportsmen hunt reed-birds. 1t was pro-
posed TO fl a portion of this low land, and as a
grave necessity might require, extend the bord-
ers OF the Peters field. This proposition the
intendant of the alms-nouse commenced to
carry out by carrying the hill into the marsh
always carefully collecting the bones in new
collins and again buryiDg them in new ground
as the workmen exhume them. The convey
ance of heavy blocks of sandstone from the
river wharf to the site of the new Jail now con-
structing near by necessitated the cutting a
road through this hill. Some one hundred and
fifty boxes of bones from that cut were
collected and reinterred. 1 could find in the
earth thrown up from the road only q few
very small bones washed out by the recent rains
The excavation of the hill facing the river,
from day to day exposes the long buried, mould
ering coftins and their contents, dry bones, and
these only, which are collected and buried and
have no offensive COR. From the nature OF the
work II is impossible to aToid this, and every
precaution, apparently, is taken 70 prevent
such complaint as occasioned this inspection.
Ih1s exposure, as the work progresses, can only
entirely cease when the hill shall have been en-
trely leveled. The remedy Is, then, a vigorous
and continuous prosecution of the work, which,
with GOOD force Of men and carts, could be
accomplished in a few weeks. The intendant
80. .....urms me ,ia. ~ would have been done long
ago had not the prisoners from the workhpgssss
been withdrawn for employment on the build
ingof the new jail. / was assured that every
precaution had been and would be taken to
keep the place in such condition as would not
shock the sensibilities of any stranger who
might be wandering in that uninviting local.
ity-the region of the appointed abode of small
pox, malaria, criminals, and the paupers' char
mel house."
Mr., Marbury said he was glad the inspection
had been made. He saw 10 necessity for dig
gipg road through the graveyard, and asked
who ever heard OF digging down a hill of bones
TO fill up a marsh. He thought that even more
care should be taken of such a cemetery as this
than of those in which the rich are inferred, for
the poor have no one to see to them. He re-
peated that the information which led him to
offer the resolution at the previous meeting was
perfectly reliable, and that the parties had seen
bones in the field.
The report was adopted.
on the recommendation OF the health officer
the following
PREMISES WERE DECLARED NUisANCEs,
and ordered 70 be abated Frame house in al
ley between F. and + and 81 and IL streets
southwest, the property of Henry Messer; one
at the northeast corner of and G streets
southwest; frame shanty in alley between Sd
and * and f and streets southwest; three
frame shanties on School street, between ID and
and x and 9th southwest; one in alley be-
tween Z and + and Sd and X streets southwest;
two in alley between G and ID and 18th and Is 4
streets southwest; two in alley between / and X
and IL and 9th streets southwest; brick house
in alley between 9th and 10th and + and +
streets northwest; frame house In alley between
and G and I'd and Sd streets northwest; and
frame house No. 116 10Th street northwest.
The health officer offered resolution, which
was adopted, declaring the frame barracks and
premises situated in square 397, between Sth
and 9th and p and Q streets northwest, recently
used for school purposes by the white schools,
and more recently rented for the same purpose
by the coored schools, a nuisance and Injurious
to health; adopted.
MI. LangstOn submitted resolution, that
correspondence has been had with Board OF
Public Works with regard to the removal by
that board of buildings within the cities of
Washington and Georgetown, by this board
and said Board of Public Works has declined,
for certain well-considered and satisfactory
legal reasons, to perform said services; there
fore resolved, that the subject, with cOmmuni-
cation and papers, be referred to the commit
tee on ordinances with directions that said
committee, after due consideration, report as
to how, by contract or otherwise, such service
shall be ordered performed by this board;
adopted.
THE NIGHT SOIL NUISANCE.
DR.. Cox (Dr. Bliss in the chair said that he
desired to discuss the resolution regarding night
soil, but would submit if the board was willing
TO make it the special order for the next meet
Mr.. Marbury suggested that DR.. Verdi had
report on the subject which ir perhaps would
be well to hear first.
PARTIAL REPORT OF DR.. VERDI.
DIR. Verdi read his report which he said was a
partial one. In il he saws:
After many trials and experiments in the
cities OF Europe to relieve the people from the
poisonous civilizations from accumulations of
human excreta and garbage, and from the in
convenience from the collection Of ashes, with
out mourning a serious expense in the removal
OF the same, the corporation of Rochdaie, Eng
land, has adopted the system which herewith
respectful. submit to His Excellency the Gov
ernor, the honorable Board of Health and the
people Of the District of Columbia. After three
removing the nuisance, the safest In a sanitary
point of view, the simplest in its application,
the cheapest in the manipulation of IL. Nay, 1t
has solved the difficult problem, and proven
that garbage, night soil and ashes are such val
liable materials as to be source of revenue in
stead of expense to a city. In 1869 this system
went into operation at Rochdale under the i'm
mediate management of the sanitary committee
of the city council, and the superintendent OF
Alderman Taylor, who was the inventor. The
official reports of the sanitary committee, after
three years experience, fully prove the claims
of the inventor. The finance committee of
the council SHOWS that the system has paid
for all expenses connected Herewith, and
promises an income when generally adopted.
DIR, Buchanan and Mr.. j. Netten Radcliffe, of
the staff OF Mr. John sin.c.. cs.c. medical on
Ger of the Privy Council of England, in their
report to the government on Certain Means of
Preventing Excrement Nuisances in Towns and
villages, confirm the statement of these COM
mittees, as does, also, the special committee OF
Wakefield appointed TO visit and TO inspect the
working of the system adopted at Rochdale. Mr..
Simon, DIR. Buchanan and Mr. Radcliffe assured
me that il was the most successful, in a sanitary
sense, and the most economical system known
in England. And 1t was through their advice
and Recommendation that / visited Rochdale
and inspected this sanitary work; and / must
express my unqualified opinion that, after my
inspections in London, Liverpool, Manchester,
Rrussals LYONS Marseilles. Paris Turin. Milan