The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-04-15

Paid account of Mispy... 2 50
Paid account of Fire De-
partment. ............. q 20
SIT 81
Cash on hand April 1.......... 1926 92
Respectfully submitted,
Z. D. KoRTJoHN,
City Treasurer.
Received as information.
The following petition of the Board
of Health was read:
To the Honorable, the Mayor and Alder
men Of the City Of Orangebary:
GENTLEMEN-OWing to my connec-
ton with the Health Department" I
think it my duty to call your attention
to whatI consider a very serious un-
sanitary condition OF the City, and to
submit for your consideration such
suggestions rs will, if adopted, be
safeguard against any serious outbreak
of disease in our midst. Sanitary
measures, to he effective. should be
carried out at those times when most
people see no cause for anxiety, and
often, therefore may appear to involve
unnecessary expense and worry. Such
measures, when most successful, may
be least appreciated. IF the expected
disease does not appear, the warnings
will be considered to have been false
alarm, and the precautions taken to be
excessive" but, how when the warn
ings are unheeded, the precautions are
not taken. epidemic disease breakout,
many lives are lost, and the authorities
see when it is too late, that these mis-
fortunes could have been prevented.
It is to the present privy system of
our City that I wish to call your atten-
tion.
This system is known as the "accu-
mulative FORM" Listen to what DR..
w. II. Ford, President Of the Philadel-
phia Board Of Health, and a high
authority, says about it.: "Of all forms
of excremental pollution of soil none
prevails to a greatr extent, is more
dangerous in its effects upon health,
and discreditable to sanitary manage
ment than privies of the accumulative
sort"
TO be healthy it is necessary
breath pure air, drink pure water, d..
eat pure nutritious food. 1t is hardly
less important that the ground should
be secured from every source Of con-
tamination. For air and later are
more or less directly influenced by the
soil, and if the latter becomes detiled,
the former are in danger of becoming
polluted from this source. OF all the
forms of soil contamination, that by
eXcremental matter is the most fire.
quent and dangerous.
You can readily understand, how,
with the present system, the liquid
portion Of eXcreta, (by soakagc, )trickles
into the neighboring wells and pOllutc
the water, and the solid decomposcs and
arise from the ground in the form OF
gaseous vapors, polluting the air we
breathe. OF course, we can and do use
disinfectants, but you might us well
use "perfurmery in the place OF soap
and water as to substitute dlsinfect-
ants for cleanliness.
We may mention the following as the
principal diseases arising from soil
contamination: Intermittent, typhoid
and bilious remittent fevers, cholera
and dysentery. The first, third and
fifth diseases prevail in our town every
year, and while the first and third may
be due to malaria, the fifth is, in my
opinion, due to the want of q proper
method Of removal of eXcrcta.
Now for the remedy. / would re-
commend the Jail system, this is cheap,
simple, practical and safe. 1t consists
in providing every water closet with
one or more "pails" or "tubs" with
tightly fitting lids and iron handles.
The lids render removal inotfensive
and the handles enable one man to
manage them.
At certain stated intervals the scav-
enger carts can call for and transport
the pals to safe distance, empty,
cleanse, disinfect and return them.
The eXcreta could be manufactured
into manure and sold for more than it
would cost the town to remove them.
This or some other (similar) system
will have to be adopted sooner or later,
or disease will demonstrate its necessi-
ty more foTcibly than l have done.
VIC. WANNAMAKER, NJ. d.,
Chairman Board of Health.
We fully concur with above. NJ. G.
Sallev, NJ. D., A. G. Townsend, George
BoliVer, d. n. Smith. II. Riggs, B. Will
hanson, Members Board Of Health.
Referred to the Committee on Streets
with instructions to report at an early
date.
Petition of resident citizens in the
vicinity of Russell Street and Rail Road
Avenue was read rs follows:
70 the Honorable Nayor and Atder-
men Of Orange6ury: -
GENTLEMEN.-Yonr petitioners re.
spectfully show, that very large and
thickly settled part of the City, embrac-
Ing stores, dwellings, railroad depot,
college, &C., is so far removed from the
present location of the steam engine
and truck, that the help to be derived
from these, in event of fire cannot rea-
sonably be expected. That the location
of the hand engine and the reserve
truck the old machine) ut or near the
railroad crossing is most desirable.
That the erection of Il plain comforta--
bic building for the purpose would
strengthen the energies of our colored
fircmen. That we would get large and
valuable help from twenty or more
,~,oo (,ot tO man orr