St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-12-13
ST. JoHNsBURY FOR RESIDENCE.
Some Sanitary and other Considera-
tions.

.,hysical and sanitary condition. In
some respects st. Johnsbury is pecu
liarly favored, in others sadly deficient.
Its natural advantages are an undula-
ting and beautifully diversified surface
with a river on each side of it, making
perfect drainage comparatively easy.
But these natural advantages have not
been properly supplemented. From
the village of 1850 with one street lined
with a few struggling houses, one
meeting house, one small one-story
school house, and an old-fashioned
tavern with two country stores, it has
grown to n village of four or five thous
and people, with many streets thickly
lined with public buildings, stores and
residences, ton churches, five large
graded school buildings holding a full
dozen schools, an Atheneum and pub
lie library of IL, 900 volumes, an elegant
Christian Association building, a large
and we'll endowed academy of 300 stu
dents, with dormitory, club house ETC.,
scale and other factories, in all en-
ploying a thousand operatives.
With this growth in population, in
dustry and Importance, the sanitary
and other advantages of the town have
not kept pace. Instead of early en-
plOying a competent engineer to lay
out and establish the line and grade of
streets and sidewalks, this work was
left undone, or if done at all it was by
the highway surveyor or other incOm
petent person for such work. The
consequence is this work has been i'm
properly done when done at all. No
citizen has felt sure, or even is certain
now, but the grade or width of the
street in front of his premises will be
changed any day. A striking example
of this folly and neglect can be seen on
Central street. After John NJ. Han
cock had completed a new house on
this street, never dreaming but the
grade would remain as it had been for
25 years, the village authorities con-
cluded to raise the grade, to the great
detriment of his property. For this
change the village paid Mr.. Hancock
one thousand dollars cash rather than
stand litigation. The amount paid in
damages to the property holders on
the opposite side of the street is un-
known to the writer, but is generally
thought to be considerable. There
are many other examples of the folly,
expense and annoyance of not having
the grades of streets established, but
perhaps none so marked as the above.
But there are more serious matters
involved in this neglect of employing
a suitable engineer to lay out the
streets and drainage of the village
than the uncertainty of street grades.
With increased population, the public
water supply took the place of the old
fashioned pump and well-sweep, and
water closets supplanted privies and
vaults. The disposition of the sewage
of the town then became necessity.
But this most important matter was
bungled even worse than the others.
Some of the sewers of the village may
be all right !; others were not properly
constructed. The inlet to the one on
Summer street near E. G. Humphrey IS
emits a deadly odOr summer and win
ter. Others are little better. The
| hn of
town, down Cliff street, was laid of
coarse stones, above ground for a num-
Der of rods, and little dirt piled upon
it, but not enough to prevent the sew
age from oozing out the sides constant
ly, and there are more than a dozen
apertures into this main sewer, open
always and always giving forth the
deadly sewer gas. The condition OF
matters on Hastings street is as bad il
not worse. The sewage from a dozen
or twenty houses is discharged on top
of the ground within four rods of the
street and but a few rods from dwell
ings. All summer and fall there has
been putrid mass of filth here OF
many surface feet. To add to the
terror of this place the law of gravita
tion carries this filth, if carried at all
to the Passumpsic river above where
the village water supply is taken-the
same water used by many families fol
domestic purposes.
There is not room in this article to
enumerate all the nuisances and death
traps which lie about the village even
if it was best to do SO. The above
facts are sufficient to show that al
though the action or non action Ol
authorities may be CLOSED over Ol
covered up, typhoid fever, diphtheria
and other zymOtic diseases cannot, al
though their victims may be. Mean
while there is abundant money to use
in unnecessary and extravagant things
while the matters of vital Importance
to both the moral and sanitary condi
tion of the town are neglected OIL
ignored. 1t is time citizens walked M
to the true condition of affairs anC
took prompt and vigorous action.
AT Home Again.
The South church, or the new SOutl
as it now is, was open to the public fol
inspection Saturday evening, and many
availed themselves of the opportunity
thus offered. The verdict was one o
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