The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-10


in Jackson W aro... 100000
What proof of the fact that our street i'm
proyemept system taxes the whole for the
benefit of the few could be adduced half 20
conclusive as the remarkable proportion eX.
hibited by those two tables, made by differ
ent officers, and with no reference to the
point maker The Engineer calls atten.
ton to the need OF some settled plan of pub.
Tic improvements, and in referring to It'll beg
to supplement the suggestion that some set
r. tied plan of grading be adopted, and adhered
to. Within the past two years the grades Of
certain streets have been changed three
times, to the great Inconvenience, and some
times loss, of property holders. Some sys.
tenn should also be devised to secure concert
of action between the committees on streets,
light, and water with respect to the opening
of the roadway for grading, and for the in
PRODUCTION of. gas and Water-pipes.
1t sometimes happens that the road-beds
of populous and much-traveled streets are
opened up two or three times in the course
of single year, at intervals, to the Guys
great and useless expense, and to the serious
obstruction oil public transit. II the heaas
Of these departments were required 70 NO"
tify each other whenever an improvement
Involving any large disturbance Oh tne SUI
face Of street was contempia anu SUN
Client time given for the others to prepare toI
such improvements at the same locally ~
might be needed in their special lines, mucn
OF the useless cost and trouble now eHls'lnS
might be escaped.
- - WEALTH. ~
The information contained in reports Of
the Board of Health and the Comm,ttee on
Health viii be found unusually complete and
valpahla. As matter Of interest, / con-
dense and compare the birth, death, and mar.
rage statistics Of the two gears:
$40 = as1G9a 1872 - 60 1873.
- white. Cord. Toll. White. Cord. Toll.
Es:: sss 80 sss ,S 81, s$S
The absolute increase in births Is but 8
the increase In marriages, 90; in deaths, 1913.
AS have no reason to suppose that there
was any considerable increase of population
from 1877 to 1S73-as indeed the statistics: OF
births and marriages teLd to show-this In
crease in the death rate is well worthy OF at'
tention, especially as We have been entirely
free from any epidemic disease. On an eS
animation of the tables some curious facts
present themselves IN this connection, the
most startling being the appalling mortality
among children of FIVE years and under
This amounts to $50, or more than forty.
three and half per cent. Of the entire deaths
In the city.
As none Of these attend the public schools
Che reflections Of the Board Of Health on the
subject Of the sanitary effects Of our school
system do not apply. That this mortality
among children Is not only large, but grow
1ng, glance at tho table of causes Of death
Will demonstrate. Take, for example, the
two most fruitful sources of infantile death
IN our climate-diphtheria and cholera4in.
fantum-and we fad the deaths from the
former to have been % in 1872, but ga n
1873; while the deaths from cholera-infantun
rose from Oh Ia 1872 to 1873 in 1878.
A further examination Of the tables dis
close the fact that disease Of miasmati
origin, IN which are included not alone thos,
which are 90 In the popular acceptation o
the phraee, bus those so classified In scien
title reateEories OF fiiBease, produced IA
Seaths In 1872 and SO deaths Iii 1878. II
!! other words, assuming, as ether statistics en-
title us, 70 do that the population OF Rich
mond Increased two Thousand last year. ant
] believe this estimate large, the deathsAso 90
this form Of disease were IS one to one hun
Gred and thirty three Of population m 1877
and rose to one ia one hundred and six, o.
nearly one per cent. Of the whole popnlatior
IN 1873. 5,'y d
Tho large and growing mortality from
feyers Of malarious origin is likewise no
tscesble. In 1872 the deaths from these
causes were 90; 10 1878 they amounted to
101. From these circumstances the death
rate In Richmond. which is SO In ], 600 pop.
ulatIen, IL somewhat In excess Of the aver.
age OF American cities. in 1872 Memphis,
Saysnnah, VickSburg, Troy and Hotfoken
had On equal OF larger death rate, Memphis
bayipg 4G4. The other cities bad less