The daily gazette., 1881-02-08
soard Of Health.

dent Singley occupied the chair.
The session was an uneventful
one, there being but little business
to act upon.
On motion of Mr.. Lynn, the rules
were suspended, in order to allow
the chair to appoint a member of the
committee on accounts in place OF
John Akin, who is no longer a
member of the Board, having re-
moved from the ward. Mr.. Hickman
Sparks was appointed to fill the va
cancy in the committee.
The Committee on Impurities in
Brandywine water made the follow
ing report
WILMINGTON, February 7th.
To the President and Members of
the Board Of Health:
GENTLEMEN Your committee
in their former report said that they
had nearly finished their work and
were then in hopes that they would
have been able in this report to have
the pleasure of stating that there
were no impurities let or put into
the Brandywine. The committee
could have done so if the city couns
Gil had kept out of the Brandywine
certain nuisances which the Board
has heretofore requested them to do.
The worst one of these nuisances 10
Rattlesnake Run, which has been re-
ported to Council by other Boards
previous to our request. The most
that this and previous Boards could
get the Council to do was TO visit
the place mentioned and order q
survey to be made. Again the next
item in our request above was call
ing their attention to the springs on
the east side of the cemetery and
also in Jefferson street, requesting
that a sluice bridge be built across
the race to carry over the water
which flows from these springs, the
chairman of your committee to pay
their part of the expenses, and we
were strongly impressed OF the me-
cessity that the City Council should
act in the matter, for no one knew
where the head of these springs
were or how far they run before
coming to the surface.
This much needed Improvement
the Board fully expected to be done,
but the City Council has paid no at
teation to it as far as we know. Re-
turning again to Ralttlesnake run
which the city maintains and uses
for an open sewer. Its course we
still insist should be changed and
carried over the race below the
third dam. BY doing this its filthy
sontents would be kept out Of the
water we drink.
This run is made O common car
rier for the refuse which accumu-
lates along the line of the railway,
including the Forty Acres, and up
as far as Mt. Salem Church, then
across to the Scheutzen Park; thence
aleng Eighth street to the basin,
thence down Broom street to Dela>
ware avenue to the Railway depot.
The surface DRAWINGS of this
scope of territory which consists in
what may accumulate from cattle,
hogs, geese, goats THAT run at large),
with the stables, pig pens, cess
pools, slaughter houses, and the
culinaries of the kitchens In said
limits named above. All these
nuisances find common level In |
this run, and thence into the Bran
dywine. from which we receive our
supply of water. Your committee, |
believing 1t to be their duty to show
these things as they now exist and
why they cannot do anything more
until the City Council does some
thing to help them in making and |
keeping our water clean. The City
Council as connected with the |
Board of Health, has been both de-
linquent and inconsistent with their /
own acts; delinquent because they |
have not made any appropriation |
for this much needed improvement |
asked for by the hoard of Health.
The amount needed was small ac-
cording to the Engineers report OF |
the expense of said improvement;
inconsistent because they by their |
votes declared Riddles run a nuis-
ance from the refuse that was In it,
while they maintain q worst place.
The parties who make Riddles run
a nuisance are willing to carry off |
their refuse by pipe into Rattlesnake
run if the city would turn it over the
race. This report ID made lengthy |
because we desire to show to the |
people who are paying for clean
water % drink or use for like pur-
poses that it is not the fault of the
Board of Health that these nuis-
ances named, which many of our
know of, are not abated.
We now leave the matter with the
people aud the City Council TO settle IL
as they may think best, but If our wishes
had been complied with, the water We
have to drink woald be equal, If not the
purest that any city Is supplied with.
The report was unanimously adopted,
and ordered to be spread upon the min
1tes.
The Committee on Accounts reported
he bills of ID. ii. Thomas for $34. 50 and
William Bowers for S34. IL correct and
,rders were directed to be drawn for the
amounts.
The resignation OF William McClin-
.ock as q member Of ihe Board was read