The Portland daily press., 1885-10-05
The Vaughan st. School House and
other Matters.


other Matters.
TO the Editor Of the Press:
When wrote you with reference to the cellar
of the Vaughan st. School house, intended that
that should be the end of the matter for me; and
so it would have been but for the charges of mis-
representation made by the Hon. Chairman of the
Com, on public buildings, and echoed by the
city physician. wish to state that no ''misrepre-
sentationwas made in any particular, and believe
my language was sufficiently well chosen to pre-
vent any 'misapprehension. The cellar is the
thing complained Of, and nothing else. But our
crcumlocution office, intent upon chow not to do
IT,, goes and examines the upper stories of the
building andreporttv very-yes, very dry. This does
not seem strange when we remember that the
cellar windows have been open all summer and
the building at the date of examination had been
exposed to the burning sun of July and August,
However there is no room for an argument here.
If the building was dry it is hard to Conceive how
it could have been otherwise. That the cellar
bottom is wet, and that water stood in holes. dug
few inches deep is admitted, and this part of the
man of the Committee on Public Buildings states
that any School-boy knows that water will stand
in holes dug in that part of the city, but in what
way this knowledge of the School-boy excuses the
neglect of this committee does ont appear.
CIV wish to I cal the attention Of City Physician
board of heath) to a few statements by recog-
nized authorities in hygienic science, which are
applicable to the condition of things in ques-
tion.
John w. Pinkham NJ. D., of Montclair n j.,
recognized authority in sanitary science says:
1T has long been believed that wet cellars and
damp locations are prejudcial to health"
After stating number of conclusions arrived at
by Dr. Buchanan, of England showing conclusive
ly that the death rate from consumption is ma
terially lesSened by thorough drainage of the sub
soil, he states-in general the following conclu-
sions:
The whole of the foregoing conclusions COM
bined into one-which may now be affirmed
generally, and not only of particular districts
that wetness Of soil is q cause Of phthisis (con-
Dr. Pinkham continues.
"Some writers believe that soil dampneSs is the
cause of many other Diseases such as intermit-
tent and remittent feverS, rheumatism, neuralgia,
Group, dphtheria, pneumonia, pleurisy, bron-
chitis, cerebro spinal meningitis, erysipelas and
Dr. Elisha Harris found lin New York City that
dlphtheria prevailed more extensively in damp
localities than in other parts of the city.
DR.. j. G. Pinkham in his very carefully prepared
report to the State Board of Health on diphtheria
in Lynn, Mass, ''has designated in a map the
points where cases of diphtheria have occurred
during certain years, and shown that the disease
prevailed to much greater extent in regions
where there were damp cellars, and especially in
those localities where dampness and filth were
combined.
Dr. John W. Pinkham says.
During a practice of eleven years in a subur-
pan town, nave n0tSeen a single case Of diphthe-
ria In which soil dampneSS could not be assigned
as cause. In two instances where the disease
was especially malignant the houses were situa-
ted near watercourses, and the cellars were wet
for at least eight months in the year. IN B.
This cellar is wet twelve months in the year1 1t
IS not supposed, of course that soil dampness is
the sole cause of the diseases above mentioned,
but that 1t is an important factor in their causa-
ton there can be no doubt. In the present state
OF our knowledge it is impossible to say how it is
that dampness of the soil produces disease In
some way, however, tit furnishes one of the con-
ditions necessary for the production of tellleric
en1O7lQtiOlS which antaQOniStic To health
The above considerations indicate the importance
OF living upon dry soil, and make obligatory upon
any community whose territory is waterlogged
either wholly or in part to drain such territory of
its surplus. water. By surplus water is meant
that which is not held in the soil by capillary at
traction To ascertain whether given locality
requires draining let an excavation be made to
the depth OF three feet and if water is found in
it twenty four hours after the heaviest rain, the
locality is unfit for human habitation. 1t is also
important that water falling upon the roofs of
houses should by promptly conducted away, and
not allowed to saturate the soil around the found
ations and find its way into cellars"
N. T. Trowbridge, in an article on modern san1-
tary engineering, says:
'|Of all the dangers to health which may sur
round human habitations there is none which
more iDsidiously undermines health than a satu-
rated surface or subsoil. In the country healthy
districts are marked by porous soil of sand or
gravel; on the other hand, malarious regions are
conspicuous by the prevalence of undrainable or
undrained retentive surfaces"
And now comes the State Board Of Health of
Maine with circular on the prevention of diph-
The ground 9o1der and around the house should
be Moroughty and deeply drained" There is evil
GENTLY variance between our City and our State
Diphtheria is a frlghtful disease, to which chill
dren are far more liable than adults and all means
for its prevention should be adopted in our school
houses. His Honor, the Chairman of the Commit
tee on Public Buildings, states that wardroom
eight feet high separates the cellar from the
Schoolr00lnS. He fOrgetS to state that this room,
which is supposed to shut off the emanatiOns of
the cellar, is always occupied as schoolroom by
the smallest children in that school.
But another thing to be considered is this. What
water is found in that cellar first falls upon the
ground outside the building and finds its way to
the cellar by percolating through the soil 1t car
res with it, of course, whatever of filth it finds in
soluble form upon the surface, or in the soil. It
thus becomes in effect cesspool for that neigh
borhood Now ceSspool would not ordinarily be
called good cellar
1t shonld also be remembered that beneath the
ashes and gravel is layer of muck. This is vege-
table matter, leaves twigs roots &C., and course
IS decaylng. The furnace keeps the whole mass
warm in winter and hastens decay. Decaying
vegetable matter has not of late been thought a
safe thing to have in cellar.
In View OF the foregoing, is Chas. d. Smith, NJ
d., city physician, prepared to repeat his state
ment that this cellar (Which always contains stag
nant subsoli water and occasionally is f1ooded)
rs an exceptionally good cellar?" Being pro-
feSsional man and used to exact language, wIll he
point out in what particular any misrepresenta-
tion about twas made?
Probably no more valuable service could be rem
dered to our city than thorough examination of
our school buildings by competent board, and a
report thereon which would inform the public of
their condition and needs. This might arouse the
public, and compel putting them in good sanitary
condition, Very few Of our schoohouses are
properly heated or ventilated. There are rooms
from which teacher after teacher has been trans
ferred for the reason of failing health. Rooms
where one unaceustomed to foul air cannot sit
half hour without feeling drowsy Rooms where
the children's feet are dangling in the air because
the seats are too high, and other rooms where
part of the pupils stow their feet and legs in the
aises for lack of room under their desks. Rooms
where, on account of cross lights, part of the
pupils have their eyes seriously injured every
year. Small matters perhaps, but yet counted i'm
portant by writers on hygiene, and all having
their effect in undermining the health of our chill
dren and their teachers.
1t is idle to suppose that the, school committee
can adequately remedy these things With their
present powers and the money likely to be al
lowed by, the city government, they can only do
piecemeal Ework. The work should not be doue
piecemeal, but once for all. 1t should be done
under the direction of a competent commission,
empowered to.make radical changes when needed.
Thus we could have healthfu schoolhouses, and
believe the people of Portland would be more than
willing to pay for whatever changes are neces-
Sary. S. II. NJ.