The New York herald., 1875-12-04


injured by time and through the brick work, from
which the mortar had fallen away the foul enuyia had
Its exit
From tho very able report OF the State Board OF
Health OF Massachusetts for 1873 copy the following
a Commission and with such valuable results
rHK VENTILATION or HOUSE, DRAINS
By the Of water closets and their attendant con-
yenences of fixed water bowls bathing tubs and sinks
the interiors OF city houses brought into close com
muncation with the sewers Whatever gases are con
ained In these underground passages seek not only TO
dluse themselves under the law Of nature with regard
gaseous bodies but are also frequently subjected TO
sThese gases are decterious to health. What the
noxious element In them Is no one can define. IL
is evidently neither carbonc acid nor sulphuretted
hydrogen, nor any other OF the gases with which
chemistry Is familiar in the laboratory There some
thing beyond all this coming from the decay OF organ
lied substances in closed, pentup position without
the free OF light and air winch at times gives
rise TO the most vlrulent poison and to the de-
structive forms OF disease.
"The sensible properties Of sewer air are quite re-
markaDle II IS by no means fetd, as many people
suppose neither IS u pungent or ammoniacaL u Is
rather negative in character, faint in odor, mawksh
smelling, perhaps more like soap than any other fam
Thar substance.
Sewer air may escape very freely into dwellings
before It's presence will bo suspected and that this hap
pens very often there can be no sort OF doubt One
for escape and a very active one, is the differ
ence OF temperature between the interiors Of our
houses and interiors OF the underground
rarecaon of the air and an upward current arc thus
There also obvious escape the air OF the soil
pipe, corresponding with its constant daily When
displaced and must 80 somewhere. Unless other
is provided 1t flows directly upward" 4"
An enthusiastic friend who has fed from the city to
the purer atmosphere OF Long Island simply and
solely for pure air. writes me a letter, from which
! extract portion, because forcibly put would be
glad TO append his name thereby to strengthen the
weight OF his words and IDEAS but should violate the
sanctity OF friendship To unity OF expression
shall copy exactly, and the reader will 1t to be
hoped recognize and ascrbe any personally audatory
phrases to the euogstio feelings or ono who sees only
excellence
hciences by his own kind imaginings. AS the origin
OF this series of letters may be Justly ascrbed to the
quotation about TO be made interest may be felt
in IL by those who may not be struck by the great
valuo Of the ideas which scarcely broached in it,
sWill 1875 bring work IRON your pen will
you your talents diurnal literature the best
Of which has but an ephemeral existenceS Why not
go in and build yourself a monument as durable as
the PyramdsS You have the stun in you. Harveys
name descends to poserty as the discoverer Of the
Circulation OF the olood Why 10 you not enhenten
the darkness which prevails on the subject OF zymo-
tic diseases The health wardens OF Gotham will
not lift their noses from the sewers and cesspools
they might, porchance, hnd the real cause Those
men never suspect that fine marble building. six,
eight Stories all new and clean money
make 1t, is more prolific source of zymotc disease
imperfect sewerage far influence extends
around, each one spong the draught OF the chmneys
OF ten or dozen houses and driving the sulphur down
TO poison the inmates Napoleon Ill IS posthumous
fame will brighten when men can appreciate what he,
in conjunction with Haussmann, has done in creating
sewers for vitated air. Long lines OF streets, the
houses and their cnimneys Of corresponding height
give little opportunity for back draught for smoke
OF the streets Zygomatic disease when not highly
innanmatory, is the product OF air that has
passed through fire flame or that has come in contact
with highly heated metals. confined in a close
with q hot fire in a sheet iron stove will got
bronchitis in longer or shorter period; If in addition
10 that he gets foul animal exhaaton, his disease will
get putrd form. Herein think may be discovered
the origin of smallpox and measles in schools-anma
exhaations from the pupils and burnt air combined
Excuse dogmatism; | have not time to rewrite and
aware that you know these things better than do
merely call your attention to the fact in rough way
Il huxya lrnn M for taktn Oft thn
surface water from the streets should not be contam
mated with impurities from dwellings. Each side Of
the should, think be provided with Of
comparative small diameter, air tight, with rush of
water-salt water would be the best-aways running
shine the queen Of civilization for the benefit Of
succeeding generations and the building department.
Heaven save the mark !"
Here are fresh thoughts enough to set an ordinary
man up as philosopher, philanthropist original
thinker and scientist All be pondered over With
interest and many might be practically and benefcally
utilized. They arc introduced in this connection
account OF the energetic way in which the decarbopiz
ton and suphurizaton and general destruction OF our
public and private air spoken OF II almost vain
TO attempt to enumerate the public and private ways
employed TO vitiate the most important element
lives. We may put ntn and impurities decayed meats
and vegetables the poison Of the rattesnake into
stomach with impunity, but cannot with safety
breath masm foul cases. human putridy or the air of
many hospitals
now THE AIR IS POISONED
Let US see what we do, as city, TO deteriorate our
vital breath We make gas in midst and empty
the retorts and permit the suphuretted hydrogen TO
blow all the city. We allow factories with
deadly emanations directly in our midst and go
through the farce Of compelling the owners 20
make high chimneys, so that the heavy
carbonic acid gas may blow aiar all
around IL is not enough that We arc compelled TO
suffer from the stencil Of petroleum refneries east
and west OF because they out OF the cys jurs
dction-this is not quite enough, SO permit fat
rendering establishments with most disgusting
eiluvia TO blow over the cisy with every west wind
each side Of tho city and manure be piled into the
wharves till 10 the sufferers, II sometmes seems as II
life was thing not worth having. We allow ammonia
works exist In the city and the durna changing of
tho retorts renders night hideous clean up Broad
way daily and Fifth every other day, and
Baxter street and all streets and overy street
the wharvea where fine ladies trail their dresses
we clean once a week or once a month during some
months and not at all no matter how open the
winter, from October TO May We sweep
many streets but wo never wash
that the outskirts of the city exisbecause they don't
IT, But death and disease don't forget IL and every
wind from that quarter brings the seeds of disease into
the paatia mansions and death goes in the blast and
the sea breeze OF summer which dows so delightfully."-
into the windows OF Murray Hill blows arst the
dirty slums, and the humanity OF mankind-the rich
and the poor-is established. The rich can't al
ford to have pestilential place mile half mile
from his house st. Paul said If member sufiereth
the whole body suereth. How foolish he sad for
open windows 10 aerate our dwellings when the
air that came in was loaded with the exhalations of
reeKing cutters, pesential gases and deadly miasm.
DR.. Moreau Morris, very able hygienist and ac-
complished physician in orcibe letter to this NEw
YORK HERALD drew attention TO the filthy condition of
the public streets and said that disease must result
from such neglect
Were pagans and worshipped Hygea, and on every
recovery from Ills sent votve offering TO her shrine
Of hoe or brush broom, or sweeping machine,
according 70 individual means we should such
''answer TO prayer in this city before
observed TO follow directly the invocatons TO any
deity
There should be some stringent laws respecting the
business that should be carried in city, some law
regulating the heights of buildings, and localities and
streets be averaged so that huge structure
ehO1 nnt M ipr In not
much that they should not deprive their neigh
burs Of air and sunshine and health and lifo Napo-
leons straight Streets eminenty beneficial per
mttng currents Of air, such streets have but the
principle therein involved Of air sewers should not be
lost sight or
ARE HEATED.
But the destruction OF the mir depends very greatly