Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-07-02
FIRST EDITION.
is the CITY CLEAN =?

| SANITARY CONDITION oE THE CIrY-AN INSPECTION
OF THE HIGHWAYS AND BY-wAYs-How MUCH
TEMPTATION WE OFFER THE CHOLERA.
Representatives OF the COMMERCIAL, in view
of the threatened approach Of the cholera, have
been making careful inspection of the condi-
ton of the city, with regard to cleanliness.
| Through the indefatigible exertions OF the
Board of Health, pig pens have almost entirely
disappeared, except here and there one stuck in
a secluded corner, or out-of-the way place, where
| 1t has escaped the officers OF the law,
As may be expected there are places in the
/ city where the tenement system prevails, where
but little precaution IL taken to prevent the in
i PRODUCTION and spread OF disease. No effort is
i made by some families to have the cutters and
i privy wells cleaned. Thanks to the heavy rains
Of yesterday, however, the cutters received
i thorough cleansing, aud that welcome visitor
/ did for us what those moro deeply interested
| neglected to do.
SOME OF THE BAD PLACES
AS result of our visits to all parts of the
| CITY, we are able to point out some of the locali-
| ties whose condition might we'll bear i'm
provement. Among these are Liberty and
| Logan Streets They are now much cleaner than
formerly but they need more frequent cleaning
| OF the paved cutters, and the paving OF the
others. The irregular visits OF the garbage carts
| have had much to do with unclean condition OF
the cutters. not only here, but in all quarters OF
| the city. 1t il no Unusual thing to hnd, rotten
oucumbers, potatoes, and other vegetables,
| bones, and a pr0mscuous variety OF ofal lying
/ in the cutters, aud fostering under the rays of
| the sun, emitting odors which are not only very
offensive to sensitive olfactories. but extremely
| injurious to health. The condition OF these
streets and alleys is a standing invitation for
visit from King cholera.
sHIPLEY RUN.
This is locality along which the dreaded visi-
tor would delight to iinger, and count his victim
by the score True, the pig-sties that formerly
lined it's banks have generally disappeared, but
Notwithstanding this fact, from near its source
to its mouth, it il scarcely any thing but recep
tacle for filth, aud offal. Here and there. es-
pecally at the crossings of the streets, it has
been culverted bnt whore exposed 1t reeks with
an accumulation of every imaginable sort OF
article, rendered useless in the household. In
some places privies built over it. and the Of
fal Of the kitchen including dish-water, is daily
swept into it, and broken dishes, tin cans, cast
off rags, dead cats, pups, and chickens abound
along the ''stream.'
TATNALL STREETS oFPRsoEs
Tba odor from tho works of the Hide and Tai
low Association has been complained of, and the
question OF the powers OF the Board of Health
to interfere was debated at a recent meeting OF
that body. 1t is contended, however, by the AS
sociation, that the smell, though offensive, is
not prejudcial to health.
At the other end OF Tatnall street, from 18th
to the Brandywine, is a little stream Of water
the lower end OF which is surrounded by a village
murky and filthy, and although the flow OF the
stream is carried over the Brandywine race, 1t is
emptied into the main stream.
ELIZABETH STREET.
This little street or alley sometimes better
known by the not very euphonious name of
"Hell's Point is now, as it always has been in
extremely filthy condition. and yet we were in
formed by tidy looking colored woman that it
never was in a better condition, within her rec
ollection which embraced several years, than it
"a Trun tba Fiat Rpl-
lected in the CUTTERS from the back yards OF the
dwellings, had been scraped out into piles, in the
middle of the street, but there it was allowed to
lie and under burning sun emit its poisonous
oder, auu MI tho air with miastna. At tits ond
of the street, a deep g1tter washed in tho earth
conveys a regular stream OF green water along
Thirteenth street to Walnut, and from thence to
the Brandywine. spring head in lot at the
northwest corner OF Thirteenth and Walnut
streels, has become very filthy from the.accumu-
lations from the several yards in the vicinity,
and although it is covered by growth OF rank
tall grass which partially hides 1t from sight it
i'd standing invitation for visit from disease
OTHER LooALIIIEs
What has been said Of the places already no.
ted may with slight variation be applied to tue
locality OF Twelfth and Pine streets. Here there
| are small pig-pens in close proximity to the
dwellings and the privies and cutters are in
bad condition. With the Exception of pg-pens,
| the same may be said of the locality of Eighth
| and Spruce streets. A stagnated pond hore can
| not fail of sending forth pestilential vapors.
One of the worst localities ia the vicinity of
Decatur and Greeley streets. The cutters, and
even the streets iIt this neighborhood reek with
offa and filth, and yet the sanitary condition Of
| the place is superior to that OF last year.
NINETEEN HOUSES OUT OF OLD STABLES.
person who owned, here, a couple Of old
| frame stables, procured permission from the
| City Council to convert them into dwelling
houses. At All expense OF not more, probably,
/ than $500 or 5G00 ho converted his old stables
| into 10 dwelling houses, with two rooms each,
| one above the other, without any cellar These
| tenements are occupied by colored families, who
| each pay to the landard sS per month, netting
| him an annual rent of 1924. As has already
| been said, this locality is iii filthy condition,
| and is a place where the cholera would revel.
| Among other places not quite 30 bad yet COM
| lag under the same category as those already
| mentioned are some parts OF Lord street, Me-
chanic street, Davis alley, Spring alley, Latay-
cite street and other places along tho low
| grounds bordering on the Christiana and Bran
| dyWine. They are places where an ounce OF pre-
| vention would be worth pound Of cure, at this
moment.
| Without rejecting upon the efficiency of our
/ Board of Health but rather commencing them
for their efforts in abating nuisances, we would
| call their attention to the localities named and
/ urge every effort in their power to be made to
place our city in an improved sanitary condition
| with it we may be reasonably sure of escaping
| the visitation Of summer diseases, the cholera
included.
|