The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-08-01

- huS LuluB ub4uH upue ny kue NdIluuh
Government In the way Of preventing the i'm
portation Of the pestileGcsp
Yes iu answer 10 the alarm sounded by
the press, the Government at Washington
through the department of the Marine Hos
pi,al Service, directed BIZ the Supervising Sur
| ge0n General, DR.. ]. b. Hamilton, has pro
Vidtd as far As possible for careful inspection
oi all vessels aud their passengers, crsWs, lug.
gage and freight departing from foreign
potts for the United States; but 1t Is plain 70
0e seen that this industrious and capable
arm OF the National Service Is in dancer Ci
being overloaded with responsibility, particu.
larry 10 view OF the fact that our county is
nieHaced at present by two OF the most dead
~ enemies of the human rAcs-cholera and
yellow fever-whose arrows OF death are
more to be dreaded than an attack by the com,
bined armies OF the world. l think 1t, there,
fore, nothing less than a national calamity
that the last Congress failei to rshabilitate
the National Board oi HeaItl with 69th
authority aSd MONEY to declare aud enforce
quarantine, and ssSisL tia sttt-s hsn their
local poSers are exhausted or ihl , give
protection.
"But there Is a Wide door OF ent,y through
Canada, and very dangerous, t)o, cause II
cannot be guarded by United States authoi-
ties; hence the p1sSibiliy that cholera may
arst attack the lske cities -BuiEIlo, Chicago,
MilwAuEes ard Detroit, and Spsre me9uS6Ile
New YORK, PAlladyIpnis, bilti1Iots and
other cities on the Atlantic scab7ard.
ChIcsgo has already made u liberal eppro.
priation oI money to meet tho expense OF
putting her house IN order, by improving the
sanitary condition OF The city. Nsw Y0lk is
likewise bsstirr Gg her energies 10 dIcoyer
and correct the foul diGtFicIi within her
limits and to that end, house er;0,houSo vista.
tion Is being made by her sanitary inspectors,
Philadelphia has also gone to work with
commend1ble z!a'; and It Is t3 bs hoped that
tue ghosts ofcountless victims OF cholera duI-
ing previous viSitati0ns in the Quaker City
will prompt such degree Of wise energy and
IpefaiIIy on the part OF the municipal
authorities as shall save her ci izsns iron a
duplicatio Of former woss, should cholera
come ag,in."
wAEELrEa's DANCER,
"What reasonable hope" asked the repor.
ter, "have the people Of Wheeling that they
will not suffer from cholera, should the pest
reach the United 6tatssP Aud what are her
sanitary defences?'
''rhe hi&tory Of previous visitations Of
cholera In this country Is the full warrant
for the confident belief lhtt Wheeliug would
not, could not escape. II 10 1888, when the
town OF Wheeling had but ., 600 or 8, 900 pop
ulation; when there were no railroads con.
Meeting It with other towns and cities; when
tho citizens OF all CLASSES were simple In their
habits OF life, the scoutge came and killed so
maby people, how much more liable to be
attacked now when we have city OF 81, 900,
aud, including both banks OF the Ohio, an
aggregate population OF not less than 50 900
within a radius OF i've miles; with several
raj roads connecting us with the Atlautic
seaboaEd, as well as with the lake cities-I
say how could we reasonably expect to es-
cape The visitation OF cholera 10 the United
neither did she mis-. the epidemic OF 1906,
nor did we escap9in 1873.
1--WE may reasonably, therefore, expect
Wheeling to be attacked should cholera come
again 10 the United Slatesi and TO your ques-
tion-'What are our sanitary defences? the
correct answer would be \ long Indictment
against the public sentiment OF our people.
say public sentiment because City Councils
and Legislators OF every class Simply reflect
The wishes and capabilities OF the oonstit.
uencieS t1st clothe them with authority and
responsibility"
soME DEFEcrs.
"When it Is told that only about four
miles OF the thirly-ssven miles oil streets and
alleys In Wheeling are paved; that the street
quite sIe foul and sinking from the flow OF
wush-wAter and kitchen slops; that there are
open priyy vaults hont y.combing the sur
face ali paris OF the city, which in warm
weather emit sickening stencil; that there
are hundreds OF damp cellars whose musty
odors tructify the germs OF diphtheriR aud
typhoid fever, and encourage housa epidem-
les OF these fatal diseases by poisoning the
food Of the fAmiiy-the milk In the pans, the
bread and meats on the swinging shelf, the
vegetables on the floOr-and filling the house
from cellar 10 garrei; that the system OF
sewerage 10 wretchedly defective, ana that bad
as 1t IL there is not map or plat - be
found 10 indicate Its devious course and
doubtful capacity, notwithstanding the tx-
penditureS annually OF considerable sums OF
money In the construction Of sever; that In
hundreds Of Instances, perhaps, the untraG-
ped wasts.pipe from the kitchen sink, the
soil.pipe from the wator7cloSet, and the wash.
pips from the wash,stand all lead into the
same sewer ald are thus direct conduits for
the entrance otsewer gas Into the family dwell
ing; that, perhaps, not dozen ol the gutter
entrances 10 the ssw8rS are trapped, and from
such Openingsln the sewer there are CONSTANT
~ emitted foul gases to poison the air We
breathe; that cows are permitted to roam the
duns.hssp,aud drinking tie aIta in the gut:
tsrs-and many children are fed and killed
from such milk-Supply. ARd then, what
OF Wheeling creek ltsa vast cesspocl IN
which no Lying thug can stay, and. the
stencil OF witch at times SickenS those who
live near IL"
rHE FOUL WATER We DRINK
"But above all other examples in condem'
uatlon OF Wheelings delinquency, is the
character OF the water supply Its shame