Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-04-02
OUR SANITARY CONDITION.
The Matter Discussed by the Council and
Board of Health,

The Matter Discussed by the Council and
Board of Health,
And steps Taken to Inaugurate Method
for its Improvement.
Pursuant to adjournment and appoint
ment, joint meeting of the city council
and board of health of the city of Knox
vile was held at the city hall last night, for
the purpose of discussing the sanitary
condition of Our city, and arriving at
some definite conclusion as to the method
to be adopted to better the condition of af-
fairs. There were present Mayor Payne
and Aldermen Brooks, Heiskell, Craig, Nc
Coy, Murphy, Michaels, Caldwell, Fulcher
Hockenjos, Ramsey, Mcmillan and Irwin,
of the city council, and Judge 81. II. In
gersol, DIR. S. B. Boyd and DR.. J. p.
Park, representing the board of health.
Alderman Jno. P Murphy, chairman of
the sanitary committee, reported, verbally,
that the expenses of the sanitary work per-
formed during the past year amounted to
about $1,000; also, that by letting the
work out under contract, to the lowest bid
der, it would cost, in the estimation of the
committee, about $500 less. The commit
tee consequently recommended that the
work be let out to bidders.
Some remarks were made by members of
the council, and JudgeH. FL. Ingersoll, a mem
ber of the board of health, was called upon for
an expression on the .all-important question.
He spoke of the necessity of adopting some
measure by which the condition of the city
can be improved sanitarily, but had no
specific plan to propose.
Alderman J. W. Caldwell offered the
following:
Resolved, First, That the sanitary COM
mittee be instructed to present to the next
meeting of the board an approximate and
as nearly accurate report as possible of
the cost of operating the sanitary depart
ment under the present system.
Second, That it be required to prepare
specifications of the sanitary work, and re-
port the same for consideration at the next
meeting of the board, the specifications tob be
prepared with view of advertising for
letting the sanitary work by contract, upon
said specifications as a basis.
The resolution was adopted.
Alderman S. G. Heisken offered the fol-
lowing, which was also adopted:
Resolved, l. That the board of health be
requested to make report at the next meet
ing of the board as to what constitutes the
proper sanitary work of the city, and what
is the best and most practical method of
carrying out that work; and,
Resolved, q Should the board report
some definite plan of sanitation, they be
requested also to prepare specifications of
the cost and any additional suggestions on
questions of health that they may think
expedient.
Alderman John Mccoy suggested that
there should be some means of distinguish
ing between the work of the street commit
tee and that of the sanitary committee,
about which there has been some conflict,
especially in the removal of garbage, trash,
etc.
Alderman Hu. Michaels said the sanitary
carts were in the habit of going into private
yards to remove ashes, etc., which should
not be. Private individuals should be
made, by enforcing the ordi-
nance, to keep their own premises.
clear of such collections, and the sanitary
work would then be less expensive.
DR., S. B. Boyd, secretary of the board
of health, was called upon, and gave the
meeting some instructive and important
facts and figures. He urged the need of
some measures being adopted by which the
health of our city can be improved. Cne
cause of SO much sickness and death,
he said, is the ponds and pools of
water allowed to stand about the city.
Other common and fruitful causes were
also referred to. Up to this time, he said,
there have been 80 deaths in the city from
preventable causes, while during the whole
year 1880 there were only As from the same
class of Diseases and during 1881, 73. The
total number of deaths for the past three
months he reported at 81, 33 and "a, re-
spectively, while with ordinary precaution-
airy measures, the death rate oughtn't to be
over 25 per month, at the outside. He
recommended house-to- house inspection
by the sanitary policeman, something
which has not been done for about three
years. He gave it as his opinion that the
sanitary condition was never before worse
than it is now.
After some further discussion, Alderman
John M. Brooks offered the following,
which was adopted
Resolved, That the sanitary policeman be
required to make house-to- house inspec-
ton and report to this board as follows
The number and condition of privy vaults;
the number of dry earth closets; the num-
Der and character of ponds in the city; the
number of occupants in each house; the
number of stables for horses and cows, and
condition in which they are kept; the num-
Der of hog pens and the condition in which
they are kept; the number of cisterns, wells
and springs, with the condition of each.
DR.. J. P. Park, of the board of health,
was called upon, and gave some important
information. He said he priced very highly
and was in love with the health organiza-
ton of this city, of which he was the
author, having been first elected city phys
ician, after which he came before the board
and obtained city board of health. We
have, since that time, made advancement,
he said, but need further development,
and something practicable is needed The
sanitary department should be the hands of
parties representing the health, wealth and
nrosperity of tha oitv He 6ooloraI fbof
with all its natural advantages, Knoxville
should rank as the healthiest city in the
South, and with proper care and attention
to its sanitary regulations, it would rank
the second or third city il the world,
in point of health. He announced himself