The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-07-21
THE BACK saw.
Public Hearing before the Committee of
Ciy Council and Citizens Large Atsen-
dance and Great Hnterest-A Variety of
Opinions Expressed

dance and Great Hnterest-A Variety of
Opinions Expressed.
At the public hearing regarding the Back Bay
nuisance and other unsanitary conditions before
the committee of the City Council and citizens at
the room OF the Common Council last Saturday ev-
ening, there was very large attendance of the
best class of citizens and the great interest taken
in the matter was further shown by the fact that
although no single individual occupied more than
few minutes in making his statement, the session
continued nearly three hours. There was some diff
ference of opinion concerning the responsibility of
the Back Bay for the evils complained of, or the
extent of the evil chargeable to that source al
though most of those who spoke thought it caused
large part of the trouble. and some thought it was
the chief nuisance. The following is synopsis of
the proceedings:
His Honor, Mayor M. F. King, the chairman of
the meeting, called the assembly to order at T Az
o'clock and requested the members of The commit
tee to take seats at the table. The COMMITTEES
is made up as fellows Mayor King Alder
men Hawkes. and Denison, Councimen Mcclellan,
Higgins, Shaw. winchester and Wilson, while the
citizens are represented by DR.. l. 7. Dana E. c.
Jordan, Daniel Hamben, G. M. Plummer and Wal
ter Allen.
The Mayor requested each one to make as many
suggestions as possible hoped there would be free
and earnest expression of thought, and then with
out further remarks he called upon some one to
speak.
Dr. Weeks said that as he was physician in con-
slant practice, he knew something about Back
Bay and its influence upon the health of the citizens
of Portland There never was time when the
danger is as great as at present. and people are
obliged to get up and close their windows at night.
The cholera prevails in Europe and is liable to come
to our country at any time. II is matter of great
necessity for our people to take prompt and decis
i've action in This matter The greatest amount of
filth lies between the railroad bed and the shore
nearest Washington street. All the filth there lies
exposed when The tide is out and the organic sub
re- cor U dnnO Il "a
be remedied? He believed that an Intervening
sewer should be extended into the channel The
ertfe cost OF ming IN the space between the shore
and the railroad bed would not amount to a great
deal and in little time the city would get its mon
ey back. 1t seemed to him practical measure
We are making cesspool out of our Back Bay and
we must extend the sewer into the tide water.
In reply to question by Mr.. Allen as to whether
in his practice be had known specific cases of dis
which he had attributed to this DR.. Weeks
said that he had noticed cases of blood poisoning
resulting in his Judgment from the condition Of
Back Bay. He had said to families, "you ought to
get out of this bog hole.''
In reply to qestion by Mr. Hamblen. the doctor
said that there are privy vaults that overflow
ing all over the city. People not in all cases
supplied with Sebago water, but are drinking i'm
pure surface water.
Mr. David Joues said that he came to Portland in
1847; then the back bay was considerable deeper
than it is now. Since that time it has always been
filling up and Sebsgo water had been introduced
He suggested digging ditch deep enough to hold
the refuse from the sewer and cleaning this ditch
out frequently using the material for fertiizing
purposes.
Ex-Mayor Walker said that he could not help
adding his mite. He had lived some time in thu,
city, principally High aud State streets and had
suffered from the nauseating, choking smell as
others had. When Mayor, he had investigated the
matter and believed that Back Bay has no more to
DO with this stencil than the North Pole. laugh
ter) What is the stencil? Where is thu BODY of
the offence? 1t is experienced about one time of
night. 1t makes odds which way the wind is
people always lay it to the Back Bay. The night
choking smell comes from chloride of lime or some
other chemical used to kill the smell. If the Back
Bay is in fault why should not have the smell in
the day as we'll as by night? Why there is not a
drop of sewerage to a bucket of water in the bay.
He spoke of the result of the investigation made
under his direction while Mayor of rtland by
Drs. Gerrish and Ring. The trouble was due to the
unfaithfulness the citizens. He got men take
boats and follow the reeedng tide, and also to
otfense If there is bad place between the rail-
road and the land, it ought to be attended to.
A gentleman in the audience said that the offence
began with the introduction of Sebsgo water and
since that time the stencil had been increasing. He
asked Mr.. Walker how that was; but the latter re-
piled that he spoke only from his own EXPERIENCE
which was all since the introduction of the water.
In reply to question BY Mr.. E. c. Jordan Mr..
Walker said that DR.. Gerrish and DR.. Ring differed
in regard to the cause of the trouble.
William D. Little, Esq, said that he had been a
resident on Oxford and Pearl streets for 40 years.
He and his family had always had good health.
He did not think the smell was from Back Bay, but
from some other source. In the warm days of Sum-
mer an odor rises in the night. Some may remem-
Der when Colonel Clapp undertook to fill up the
flats, that his plan was to dam all the water and
keep the fats covered. There were gentlemen in
the room who had resided on Pearl street in his
vicinity long time. who say they experience this
odor only occasionally. The opinions of physicians
were of consequence, and should be considered but
he disagreed in some things with those who had
spoken. Doubtless the night carts are a source of
considerable difficulty. He favored the idea of
damming the water, which could be done at very
moderate xpense.
DR.. Dana questioned Mr. Little in regard to the
odor in that region since the introduction of Sebago
water, but he said that he had not noticed it as
much since as fore.
MIS- Head, who owns property on Chestnut
street below Oxford, said that she had noticed this
odor in the evening and her friends had. In fact,
she had noticed it moIe than ever this Summer and
it was inuring her health. She had come out Of
her great interest in the subject to give her testi
mony.
John Harper, who has lived on Mechanic street
for the past three or four years, said that IT Mr.
Walker would stay al his house one night he would
be satisfied that the smell comes from the bay. 1t
made his family sick, and the only way he could get
rid OF the smell was by closing his windows every
night. He used to go on the fats some when he was
young man, but he would not go there now There
is rank deposit there. Houses at the foot of the
street did not receive that smell. He recommended
half-tide breakwater near the BRIDGE
Ex-Alderman e. B. Winslow said that if Mr..
Walker would go down on Kennebec street any
night he would find that the odor from the Preble
and Hanover street sewers very unpleasant.
Mr.. Walker replied that he had been there more
than twenty times if he not mistaken. Soil
carts were dumped there long time ago, and some
had been fined.
MIR. Win low said he had no doubt that some of
the trouble came from the soil carts but there were
not so many of them now as previously. when
consider that all the sewerage matter of the west
slope Of the city empties into Back Bay is the pres
ent condition surprising? He proposed to continue
with the marginal sewer intercepting the sewers
running into the bay and carry the sewerageinto
deep water.
Ex-Mayor j. W. Deering being called upon said
that he could not entirely agree with ex-Mayor