Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-25
HONE FOR FEEBLR.MINDED.
The Necessity for Its Removal Fully
ShoNn Before the Sar af. Cnra,,, No.,

The Necessity for Its Removal Fully
shown Before the Senate COMMITTEE.
meeting OF The Senate Finauee Committee
was held yesterday afternoon and consumed
| last evening, 10 consider Senate Bsll Ne. ies,
| pertaining 10 the management of the Home fer
| Feeble Minded Children; and Senate Bill No
l94, appropriating $4,000 for nev-site. and
$4,000 for the erection, OF new buildings. eli
The facts concerning objection to present loea
| tion-at the city of Santa Clara-where good
| draining Is impossible, the water sapply de-
tclent aud the smount Of land contained in the
site entirely inadequate. have already been 50 I
forth in the RScoRD-U MON. The ms jority on the
Board OF Trustees urgently favor the removal of
the Home 10 another locality for the reasons
| stated, while tlyo-Mr. Block ana MIR Widnev
| who reside in the immediate neighborhooSi. de,
| sire to retain it where it now is. The majority
was represented before the committee by lfrs,
! Ariel Lathrop and Mrs. II. K Judah Trustees
| and Mr.. Ariel Lathrop, Dr. A Z. Osborne resi-
| dent physician at the Home; Assemblyman
Williams and Others.
Messrs. Block and Widney appeared and on.
posed removal of location, claiming that the
| land now occupied was high and capable of
complete drainage; that present defects therein
| could be remedied by few hundred dollars ex-
| pense that there was fail of thirty four feet
| 10 the mile from the building site, or about
twenty-five feetin distance of three-fifths OF n
mile TO where the city sewer is reached and
that the fiity-one acres contained in the present
site, II not enough, more could be purchased in
u detached lot mile or more in distance, for
| from Sl5O TO $50 per acre,
The Santa Clara legislative delegation was
present during the meeting OF the committee
and evinced their opposition to a change in
location OF the Home. 1t is evident that the
| people of Santa Clara county fear that if the
present site is abandoned the new location NAV
| be fixed III some other county and hence the
| officially condemned pre- misses where the Home
now stands, is defended as suitable and salts
| factory.
On the other hand, the array of evidence in
| favor OF procuring more suitable location
| where proper drainage, good water supply
| aud from 800 to 900 acres of land can be OBJ
tanned, was conclusively convincing to any dis
| interested mind, and must have been clearly so
| TO all members of the committee not residents
of Santa Clara county. Senator Murphy who
introduced the bill, said he did so at the request
| of the majority CT the Trustees of the Home
and was fully satisfied, from investigation
| made that it was the duty of the Legislature to
| provide the new site ard buildings. Mrs. La
| throp and Mrs: Judah took deep interest in
| the consideration of the subject, and showed by
| frequent interrogations addressed TO Messrs
Black and Windey, that the lady members
| OF the Board of Trustees We're not
only thoroughly eonversant and informed
upon every detail concerning the Home
| and its needs, but that their position, upon
removal to another site, was in the interests of
the inmates and to meet present demands of
applicants for admission, an absolute necessity
| Mrs. Judah said the $4,000 asked for a new site
| was the amount that had been estimated by
i those best competent to judge. as the probable
| cost of such amount and quality of land as was
| needed but II a suitable location could be pur
chased for less, OF course the balance above the
| amount required could remain in the State
Treasury. In the erection of buildings for the
new Home, provision would need to be made
| Tor from 800 to 500 inmates There were now
JOS inmates in the Home and upwards of $50
applications were now on file for admission brt
the parties had to be refused for want of accom-
| modations. The rapid growth of the State made
1t necessary to provide literally, now while
new buildings were being erected, for the future
demands that were sure to follow from this
| class of unfortunates, which it was the duty of
| the State 10 take proper care of.
Greatly enlarged grounds and opportunity for
varied industries were needed, so that the chill
| dren as they were taught. could be employed in
ways OF usefulness both for their own good and
to make the institution, far as possible self
| supporting in the future.
| DR.. Osborne fully indorsed the position taken
| by the majority OF the Trustees, and presented
official figures to corroborate his views. Assem-
| blyman Williams gave similar testimony, and
| strongly urged. after personal examination of
the subject; that new size and new buildings
David Bush, who has had twenty-five years of
experience as a sanitary engineer in the state
and been employed in that capacity in connec-
ton with most of the public institutions OF Cal
lfornia. said that he made a careful investiga-
ton of the grounds and buildings of this
Home two years ago. and found the grounds
so low and so situated that no suit.
abe drainage could be provided He was
unqualified in his opinion that new
location was an absolute necessity and thought
He furthef stated that subsequent to his ex-
animation of the premises, Colonel Waring, the
leading sanitary engineer OF the country. made a
careful investigation of the grounds. Mr.. Bush
read Colonel Warnings official report made soon
after, which fully tndorsed Mr. Bushs concu-
sions, and urged that the selection of another
location for the Home was the only proper
course 10 pursue.
Governor Waterman appeared, by request, be.
fore the commit ee, and stated that he had visited
the Home and carefully inspected the grounds
q farrr 1ax- pr,, 7
agreed with all the other witnesses that the
management of the Home was most admir-
able, but he found the drainage fatally
defective The grounds were wet, cold and
clammy, and at the rear portion of the
premises the stencil was fearful, from
escaping sewer gas He found that grapeyines
upon the place grow spindiing, and fruit trees
look unhealthy, and many were-dying From
his experience in horticulture he attributed
this to lack of proper drainage of the soil.
Nothing seemed to do well except eucalyptus
trees, and they thrive best in wet ground He
found that there was no fall in the surface of
the ground and no opportunity to secure needed
drainage. He regarded IL as poor Judgment to
try to C ntinue the institution on the present
site, and that a new one should be selected. He
advised that tract of six or eight hundred
acres of lend be procured at some other place
either in Santa Clara county or elsewhere-and
that proper provision be made to take care OF
the large number of feeble-minded that are now
in the State, and which number win greatly i'm
crease with the increase of population
DR.. W. r. Cluness. of the ST. tie Board of
Health, said he visited the Home last fall, and
with other members of the Board made an Off
cial inspection of buildings and grounds. The
site he regarded as entirely unsuitable for its
present purposes. There was no fall IN any di-
recsion. and he thought poorer location for
the Home could not be found in the State He
fully fndorsed Colonel Waring report, and
said there was no better sanitary authority in
the world than that gentleman. He regarded
hisy-one acres as totally inadequate for the pur-
poses OF the Home, and only portion of. the
fIy-one acres was fit for cultivation.
Assembly man Mathews appeared before the j
committee and presented an excuse for the
Ways and Means Committee of the Assembly,
which had been invited to sit with the Senate
Finance Committee to hear thetestimony being
given. He said important legislative business
before the Assembly prevented leave OF alb
senee being granted to his committee, but that
the Assembly Committee, from personal and
thorough inspection just made of the grounds
where the Home was located, had decided that
the present site was enIirely unfit for such pur-
pose, and would unanimously recommend the
passage of the bill to. appropriate money to pur-
chase new location
DR.. G. &. Tyrrell Secretary of the Sta se, Board
Of Health, said he- lad visited the Home with
other members of The Board, and corsobora.ed
the conclusions given by DR.. Cluness. He did not
think the place e3nlG ever be pIoperiy Z drained.
instead of fftys2e acres for site, aesather loca
ton should be afoeufed where fveSor six hun
dred acres could be occupied, and wAere drain
age and air wcilld be perfect.
Mrs. Iathrep,, presented a dispat2A, which she
had just resolved from the SrIreyor of Ssn
Francisco, Who has surveyed the grounds at tAe
Home the present week His report, which
shows the statements made bys- Messrs- Block
and Widnsy, 10 be entirely erroneous conesrn-
ing snthc isn't fan to afford drainage of the Hume
grounds, sill be received to Cay and placed in i.
the hanSf of the committee.