Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-11-09


butter, and / think the law should be Sd
amended as 10 prevent the continuance OF this
fraud. We have law In force here which pro
viGes that 1t shall only be sold as oIeomarga-
FINE. and that It shall be plainly branded. g.:
but In attempting TO enforce this law on several
parties last spring 1t was found next to impos-
knew the same to be oleomargarine when offer.
ing II for sale as butter, and findiug that they
could escape on this plea of ignorance, they
were not slow In making it,
Under the head of marine products, he notes
the passage OF the law for the protection OF
ne FISH products and lis enforcement after
that thousands upon thousands OF young shad
ana herring were saved from destruction. Some
space is devoted 10 the pound service and the
care of the sick poor and ne notes that the
appropriation for the latter has been SO reduced
that he fears this service will have to be dis
contlnued; A table shows number OF patients
curing the year IL 534, 1889 being colOred.
Amount OF food orders. s2,3Ol; cost OF medi-
ciDes, 81, 1905.
He SAYS OF a city hospital: "While referring to
the subject OF charities / would invite your
speclal attention 10 the necessity Of supplying
long felt want by providing our cities with
general hospital There is not another city OF
other civilized country, which has not city
hospital. We have hospitals, 1t is true. several
OF them, institutions which are a credit to the
Capital They are not pubic hospitals though.
Some OF them receive assistance from the gen
eral or local governments, and provision is made
ior the accommodation. under certain condi-
IL.
They are generally under the charge OF some
religious Organization Or corporate body. and
admissions can only be secured by permit from
cer ain OF the. officers. We should have a
general hospital with all facilities for
rendering immediate assistance in cases of ac-
cidents on our streets; with morgue coroner's
Office and proper ambulance service attached,
and organized under such system that no per-
son would be refused admlttance, and no danger
Gus delays could occur: The only place now
provided In the way OF hospital for the sick
poor OF our cities Is that attached to the Wash
lDgton Asylum. This is good one OF its kind
but falls far short of the requirements for city
hospltai, on the modern plan. The Providence
Hospital Is first class institution, but tt does
not supply our wants. / trust You may be
oroug nc to see, as We dc, the necessity for such
al Institution. and that Congress will be urged
at the next session TO provide for construction
thereof"
a chapter is given on pumps and In one On
The small pOX he gives quite q sketch OF IL for
several years past. and, in conclusion, urges the
necessity or providing more commodiou3 hos
pital for contagious diseases and institution OF
regular periods for vaccination
Under the head OF sanitary survey, he saws:
The city Is amphitheatrcally surrounded By
range OF hills ranging In he:ghth from IS TO 800
feet above tide water. Confined 20 the immedi-
ate river banks on the south and east are
marshes OF considerable extent, subject to over
TOW O. the tides and upon which rank Ve5eJa-
ton flourishes. These marshes are in close
proximity to the city, and are a fruitful source
Of miasma Their nature and extent are too
well known to need description here. The city
farms and market gardens. The site OF the city
is uGdulating. with general surface slope to
the south. Its original conformation has been
streets and lots. The original water '' courses
have not been diverted, but one or two OF the
river streams have been covered or modified.
The highest elevation above sea level IS 1874
81 100 feet the lowest 65-100, and the average
90. There is no considerable area of what is
Known as made land in the District. The
streams passing by Or near the cities are the
Eastern Rranch Anar0Stia
Rock and Tiber creeks; all of which are affected
oy the rise and fall OF the tides. The sides OF
alluvfaL The only canal entering the District
Is the Chesapeake ard Ohio which passes
through the southern portion o. Georgetown. II
Is supplied from the Potomac river, and It's 1
water is usually clear. Surface drainage AMI
sewage enters all the streams named aud the
sewage carried back by the tides Is deposited
and remains uron the Hats or marshes on tue
north shore Of the Potomac fronting TIE city
The geological formation OF the site and vicinity
belong TO the LauTentian system; the surface
rocks are gneiss,, and the undertaking strata
loan, sand, gravel and clay, in the order OF sue
cesSlon given. The surface soil is clay, sand or
gravel, and when generally upturned maiarial
influences have been observed. No diseases
considered due to soil or geological formation
have been noted, nor has the spread OF any cpl
demic followed the direction Of the flow OF un-
dergrOund water.
He speaks Of the water supply from the Poto
mac river giving the capacity, &C. and says the
use OF shallow well and spring water is limited
to three or four hundred families and there are
10 well authenticated cases OF lead poisoning
from the use or the lead pipes.
Speaking or drainage and sewers he says
The surface drainage IS mainly received by the
sewers; their capacity is lot sufficient during
heavy storms, but they will be much relieved
upon completion Of the auxiliary sewers now
IN course CT construction. No attempt has ever
oeel made TO utilize the sewage The only
INT MS CT ventilation USED Is the perforation OF
TIE covers OF man. holes. Offensive odOr5 are
pcIceptibe at many OF the openings. IT, Is re-
& q n DHtt-a hnrfn
public sever shall De connected Herewith and
shall era ali slop water, water closets, &C..
therein whenever The health department shall
determine the necessity therefor" OF habita-
lions he says: There were 81 houses con-
denned as unsafe last year and 139 as unfit for
hahitation for sanitary reasons About one
tnlfu u1 ne houses have sewer connection pipe
drains with traps. No houses with special ar
engagements for ventilation are known. The
cellars and Easements OF houses ON the lower
levels OF the city are detective in drainage aud
subject to refoW from the Sc TerS Cellar5 are
used to considerable extent for storing fuel
&C, but no disease has been known 80 result
nom their condition"
He refers. under The head OF Gas and Light
ing. TO about s-lotn OF the houses in the cities
nelng lighted by gas, ana TO the fact that no
provision is made for the inspection OF tllumi-
mating ellis or restriction placed on their SALE
In the paragraph on garbage, sc, he says
10 zoo houses have privy boxes. and under the
head or markets he notes the duties OF the food
INSPECTORS Herewith. Under the head OF
slaughter houses, &C., he says: 1.-The animals
slaughtered 1Or our markets are obtained from
Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland. Ohio and
sometimes from the states further west. There
are from is eco to 10000 cattle and from 30 600
TO 30, 600 sheep slaughtered annually In the Dis.
trict. A majority OF these animals are driven
to cur drove yards from adjoining states; some
lew. however, come by rail-. The system Of
washing before slaughter Is not pursued. The
effect or terror Ia animals has been observed to
make the flesh what Is termed by the butchers
'hery'-that IS. or DARK reddish color, caused
by the retention OF blooG in the minor yesicles
Meat OF this kind will decOmpose more rapidly
than other meat but no instance Of injury to
health resulting from its use as food have come
TO our knowledge. Depriving animals Of food
Tor "a or As hours previous TO slaughter seems
to have 10 perceptible effect upon Their flesh.
The usual mode or killing is by cutting the
throat. We have no abattoirS- The business
OF Strengthening is conducted In small slaughter
houses scattered throughout the suburbs OF the
TWO cities and the county adjacent"
Appenoed Is report On vital statistics. which
shows that there are now on file In the office
2l.00d certificates OF DEATH 5000 certificates of
oirthS 4 GOO certificates OF marriages, $500 Ger
tfcafeS OF still births, 800 certificates or foreign
deaths, and large number OF transfer certl1-
Gates for the removal from one cemetery to an-
other. The mortality list for the year shows
4,20I deaths In the District and In addition, 155
deaths from beyond the District 1000 births
l,t35 marriages and 35S still births. The annual
death rate per thousand per annum was 233k
decrease or 1902, or 1857 per cent as compared
VA Ilrx.-