Daily Republican., 1881-04-20
PESTILENTIAL PLACES.
DANGER0US PLAGUE SPOTS ALI
OVER TOWN.
Health Lrnperilled by Filthy Gut
ters-MoH Smallpox Spread.
The Garbage Man.

Though the ravages of the smallpox
have not been extensive enough 10
cause general alarH, the escape oi the
city from Il terrible epidemic thuS iaf
seems hut little short of miraculous
About sixty cases in round numbers
have come to the knowledge OF the
Board Of Health. This, of course IS
startlin-, And yet it is only one case to
every fifteen hundred people III the city
One cGse of II disease so contagious ana
so terrible in II community of over
"a, Ot0 people is more than enough to De
sure. and vet Wilmington may cungrat-
ulate herself that things are aS they
are, and that she only has one small
poN patient TO every one thousand nVe
hundred souls.
rNEEIISSNI.sS AND FILTH.
As stated. it is almost miracle that
the cjtv has moi been terribly raVaSed
by the disease. THIS iur two reasons ;
First. a carrlr5suc5s almost criminal IN
its nature when the malady lirSt made
its appearance. Second, the taliurc Oh
the .arbagr contractors, the street
cleaners and the Executive oi!icetH oi
the Board ot Health 10 do their duty'
The rarrleS,nr>S alluded to took place
about two weeks ago. A man living IN
the lowpr part of town died oi Inc
smallpox, After he had been buried
the bed op which he died was taken
out and buried in an open lot. lhr
work WAS Improperly done, tor the bed
was only partially concealed, and 1t lay
in thr midst of u thickly settled dis
trict. The jaring small boy soon eX-
humed tho bed and played wlth II iof a
day or two, tIsslns 1t around the lot
with sticks. il was finally taken away
from them, partly burned anu the re-
mains buried where the boys could not
get them. The Number Of boys who IN
tulged in thi, reckless sport was qnite
large, and it is surprising that me ds-
ease did not greatly spread III rolse-
quence. H.. o,,
OF course assisted by this the small
nox wa. aided in its spread by many
nuisanrrs arDand t0wn-mainly in the
form Of filthy cutters and mrempVcu
garbage. These were pointed out ID the
REPUBLICAN yesterday i'll great mum
bprs. A force Of street cleaners Is now
WORKING in the worst locality, but the
fore, is very small and they are making
but little hcaGway. On whom the re-
sponSibili:y of this rests Is not known
to certainty. Mr.. McMtnamln Is be-
lcved to be the man responsible lie
is chairman Of the Council Committee
on streets, and in that position at a GER
tain time wears ago did not show such
care in keeping down the number oi
worknen and reducing, the pay roll !;
and then the work WAS not needed rs II
is now
Bu: the garbage contractors haze been
the most ucrcIcJ III their duties. ! he
contractor for the lower portion of the
city, including tho Eighth and Fourth
wards, is Edward Marine. The diS-
Rjrt i, known As the Third, ana the
work has certainly been neglected to an
outrageous extent.
Nuiyiur, however, is not the only Gar-
ba,rr contractor who neglccts hlS work.
Cuulnl,inls drc numerous about Samuel
Bradford contractor Tor th" Fourth Dis
lrirt. situated in the nOrthWrNicrh po'-
ton uf thr town, and the Tenth ward
pcu,lp say they never srr III" garhaSr
men there. The Tenth ward folks have
their back alley, filled with garOaS"
and il is thrown ali over the lots adjacent
10 Hrdgevillc.
"What garbage contractors do you
have the most complaints from - asked
the KLrl.DLICAS reporter Of Clerk Fra
zrr of the, Board Of Health, on whom he
had called. !.
"Th, most come from Mulrine'S dis
trict, think was the answer. "bnt
VIZ have rood many about bradford,
and IN tat about all the contractors.
The Board Of Health might property
takractiun compelling those contractors
to do their duty.
HEDGTNlLIE NuISANCES'
Rcsumiur his rounds yesterday after
noon the reporter of the KErtHLltAS
naiI , vjsit To Hrdgeville. In many
uIareS here the cutters are as bad a. III
anv other part Of town. Logan and
Biid streets are in a shocking condition,
with oyrrilowcd CUTTERS, garbage-IlIIti
allrys. deal fowls and leaking cess pools.
ON Bird street there is Il nuisance
which is probably the worst III town. 1t
is i'll The lllSl negro houHt9 va 'i4' tSH'
hand side from Maryland avenue. The
cellar is half full Of stagnallt water,
which has been there 50 long that II IS
covered with II green scum and il gives
forth a sickening odor that renders the
whole neigLborhood unhealthy and dis
agreeable to live in. This cellar has
been in this condition for long tilne'
1t is therefore little surprising that the
Board of Health has not heaid ot tiie
place, and all the more 50 WHEN 1t Is
considered that the house is owned by
Mr., john McSorIry OF the Ninth Wara,
himself a member of the Health Board
Hedgeyillc, and Bird street in particular
is flied with places of this kind.
There is II poatllcnce-breeIlns gutter
In the rear of the houses fronting ON
Chestnut street, above Adams. Foul
liquids run into it, have ovcrfiowed and
run out into the rear OF the lot IN the
rear Of the buildings, making the place
very unhealthy. With reference to the
gutter it should be stated that nearly
every one in the Fourth and Eighth
wards, where the disease is raging,
neeGs cleaning.