The daily gazette., 1880-07-27
Board of Health.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON I'M
PURITIEs IN THE BRANDYwINE.
The Board of Health met last evening
in adjourned session President Singley
In the chair.
The Committee on Impurities in the
Brandywine water to whom was referred
resolution offered by Mr.. Thatcher in
regard to a nuisance existing in Riddles
Run, made the following report:
CITY HALL, July 26, 1880.
Your committee, to whom certain re-
solutions which were being discussed be-
fsre the board at our last meeting and re-
terred to us to report on at an adjourned
meeting, would respectfully report as
follow ws:
First, we visited the premises and the
run where the said nuisance exists. We
examined the sJream of water both above
and below Riddles Road, also along the
road up to the brewery, on purpose to
find out If there was any other purified
matter of any kind besides that which
came from the brewery. We found Lone
There were leaves and pieces of wood
and dead limb which we raked out, and
after we had, washed the same. They
themselves had no offensive smell. We
further examined the privies, and the
nearest one belongs to Hartman &
Fehrenbacb, which had been cleaned by
order of the committee. The house
where there were some DRAWINGS from
the kitchen also belongs TO the same
parties. From the prlvy there was no
sign OF anything to be seen or smelled.
On the other side of the run there were
some stables, which your committee Is
attending to. These minor things we
will attend to without bothering the
I'd In aIo mi ira oh
road and found nothing there that was
offensive in any way.
Now, we will return to the main ques-
ton. Where does the refuse matter
come from which causes the said run to
be nuisance, which IN emptying i'm
purities into the Brandywine? Your
committees answer TO the question is:
From the facts presented to them OF
their searchings, and evidences, both of
smell and ofsight, 1t comes from the brew
cry on Riddles Ro ad, which is occupied
BY Messrs. Hartman g Fehrenbach, in
the manufacturing Of beer, which WIS
builtsome twelve or thirteen years ago
From appearances their business has been
ON the increase every year up to the pres
eat time. And 1t Is fair to suppose that
the refuse mater has also increased IN
the same ratio, and this refuse, which &C.
cumuates, either from the manufactur-
ing OF the beer or the washing the beer
casks, and is discharged from said place
into the run, has become impreg Dated
more and more until it reached its pres
ent climax.
Your committee, without any intention
on their part of injuIing either the busi-
ness or character of said parties, must
be guided by the facts presented to them,
and point out the above named place
where the cause of the nuisance in said
run come from. This is the unanimous
opinion Of your committee. And if
Messrs. Hartman & Fehrenbaoh will car
ry this refuse away or dispose of 1t in
some other way than it Is now disposed
of this run, will in a short time become
as pure as 1t was before the brewery was
built, when there was no complaint about
1t.
Therefore, your committee would pre-
sent to the Board, for consideration, the
following resolution as a substitute for
the second and third ones, which were
not passed at our regular meeting on last
Monday night, AMI given to Them to act
on:
Resolved, That said nuisance he and Is
hereby referred TO the Committee on I'm
purities In the Brandywine to have the
same ebated.
ALBERT THATCHER,
Ii. M MULLEN,
j. TIV. BLoCKsoM,
Committee.
Considerable debate followed the read
ing the resolution on motion to adopt
the report.
Mr.. Moore said he could not vote for
the resolution, because he was satisfied
in his own mind that the nuisance was
not caused by Hartman & Fehrenbach's
brewery. He had visited the place sew
eral times in company with other mem
bers of the Board and failed to find any
nuisance about the brewery. 1t was true
the water in the creek along the road +,
did smell somewhat OF beer but when
the run below the road was reached the
water had an entirely different smell. He
thought this was caused by the washings
from the banks, and decayed vegetable
matter. He had gone up the creek above
| The road where the water from the brew
ery does not run, and found that the
water had about the same smell, as
below the bridge.
Mr.. Bickta said he knew something
about how breweries should be kept, and
he was satisfied in his own mind that no
nuisance emanated from the brewery, as
| he had made a careful examination of
the premises.
MIR. Thatcher said that the committee
| had made a careful examination of the
run and the surroundings. They had
| followed the stream up from the Bran
dywine to the brewery, and found the
same smell all the way up. The water
had the same odor right at the brewery
as 1t had down by the Brandywine. The
committee were satisfied that the nui-
sance could not come from any other
place but the brewery. In regard to
there being decayed leaves in the run,
that could not be as leaves will not decay
in water, neither will wood, as there is
nothing to decay.
Mr.. Kelly had also visited the place
and found very bad odor arising from
the creek. He was satisfied that it en-
anated from the brewery.
| DR.. Blocksom said as one of the com
mittee he was satisfied that the nuisance
came from the brewery.
| Mr.. Frock said he was satisfied that a
nuisance existed in the run, but he was
not satisfied that it was committed by
Hartman & Fehrenbach.
Mr.. Kennedy said he had visited the
run and found an odor there somewhat
resembling beer. He had noticed The
same odor IN passing brewery in Phil
adelphia. The question in his minc
was the matter deleterious to health.
After some further remarks by Messrs
mullen, Lanaan, Thatcher and Moore
the report was accepted.
rha resolution was next adopted afte