The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1892-09-16
SOUTHPORT.
THE BOARD OF HEALTH SESSION.

Tuesday morning, about 20 citizens, in
GLIDING number of ladies, gathered in
Washington hall to attend the meeting
condition of the creek in the western part
of the town and the Black pond and to
consider whether it is at present danger
GUS to the health of the town. There
were present Selectmen Richard b. and
Rufus b. Jennings, Chairman b. b.
Brothwell and Justices Sherwood, Wake
man, Wells, Hawkins, Morehouse and
Perry. Messrs Perry, Wells and Wake
man were interested parties and did not
act on the board.
Secretary Sherwood read the petition
as follows:
The undersigned, property owners and resi-
nents of the village of Southport, Conn.,, re-
spectfully call the attention of your Board to
the foul condition of the stream which runs
through the westerly end of said village. By
reason of the many house drains and the en-.
tire sewage from houses emptying into said
stream, 1t has become an open sewer, thereby
endangering the health of those who live on
or near the course OF the said stream. as well
the inhabitants of the entire village; and
also by reason OF the tact that, as the said
stream rises and falls with the tide, much ref
use and foul matter Is lodged along the banks
or sides OF the said stream, all of which re.
quires prompt remedial action. And the un
dersigned earnestly request that your board
will take such action or steps in the matter as
In their Judgment they shall deem best and
proper in the premises Robert C. Black,
Harriet Dimon, Abby w. Bradley, Hetty ID.
Gookin, Martica G. Waterman, j. H. Wood,
Rebekah w. p. Buckley, Mrs +. ID. Perry, Ell
bert b. Monroe, Mrs David Bradley. Mary #.
Wakeman, Frances Wakeman, Mary C.Wake.
man, Hettie w. Jesup, IL. S. B. Mathews, IA.
Is. Pell, l.. +. Sherwood.
Attorney w. III. Perry, as soon as the
petition was read, said that it was adj
dressed to the board of health of Fair
field county and not of the town. He OBJ
jected to the notice as not giving notice
to the defendants and that only notice
was given to the petitioners. He argued
that notice must be given to all the par
ties having drains emptying into the
creek; that the board did not have the
necessary legal powers to abolish the
sewers and that the petitioners should
proceed against those owning sewers, if
they could prove them nuisance. He
wanted an expert from the State Roard
of Health to be called to examine the
creek.
Miss Augusta Smith asked if it were
possible to send in petition asking that
the stream be cleared of filth. Mr. Perry
said, yes, If 1t could be shown that filth
existed.
Mrs Ii. L. Buckley said that there were
many accumulations of filth on the banks
of the stream and that the odor was bad.
Capt j. V. Ryder wanted sewer built
to empty into the Sound and have it done
by private subscription.
Simon Banks said that an accumulat-
ion of filth was in the Black pond caused
by an obstruction at the lower end; a
board and stones had beer placed there.
He thought the entire creek should be
cleaned and the expense paid by the
owners and that the Black pond should
be filed in and severed at the expense OF
the owners. AS far as the question OF
filth was concerned, Mr. Banks said that
some of the petitioners were among the
great transgressors. After much talking
by various persons, which did not amount
to much, the following petition was read
With regard to the subject before you, the
undersigned beg leave to say that, as we un
derstand the conclusions of sanitary authori
ties, fresh sewage, spread over the ground in
small quantities, will not endnnger health
that the danger comes from combining it in
md hnu ,fa on ri
In the case under consideration, fresh sewage
is diluted with more than 1000 times its vol
ume of water and in this state carried out to
sea. This occurs twice every "A hours and aft
each exit, the banks OF the creek and the
sides of the drain are washed again by an in
fiux of clean water from the Sound. 1t should
also be borne in mind that, not only is the
creek flushed twice day with salt water, but
that 1t drains large area OF land, including
the Pequot Swamp basin, so that during rains
II Is secured out by large quantities of fresh
water. No human arrangement could work
so thoroughly and unfailingly and we submit
that for your honorable body to abolish a sys
TEN of sewerage to which Nature lends such
u helping hand and cause to be set ub in its
place 20 or 30 fostering, gas producing and
water poisoning cesspools, would be to turn
away from the science of the day and take q
step toward barbarism. AS to the pond on
the Black property 1t was complained OF
long before this sewerage system existed and
though we believe this to be no more danger
GUS to health than 1t then was, still, as the
owners OF the property seem now to join with
others In regarding it a nuisance, it may per
haps be proper for you,in this particular case
and with nobody objectiug, to take short
step backward to the condition of things
which existed before this pond was made. In
9th rda nd this evil axiata
the proper remedy for it,it our opinion, is not
to establish 20 or more evils, but to do away
with the pond and re-establish the original
narrow ditch In which O swift moving cur
rent will allow no sediment to remain
George Buckley, X. G. Sherwood, s. G. Sher-
wood, Mrs Charles Rockwell, Nehemiah Jen-
nings, X. J. Damtoft, Charles Jennings & Son,
Estate Edwin Buckley. w. b. Meeker Mrs F.B.
Buckley, Franklin Buckley. Oliver T. sher
wood, Charles c. Perry Oliver Buckley, j. Jel-
litf Henry III. Perry, Roderick p. Curtiss, NJ.
V. b. Durham.
Attorney e. l.. Wells then addressed
the chairman and demanded that the pc
titioners be compelled to present their
case at once, If they had any. Let them
come forward and state, under oath, what
objections they had or let the board adj
journ, as the petitioners had failed to
sustain single point SO far.
}. b. Pell now took the floor and stat
ed that about 20 drains emptied into the
creek, that the matter was exposed on
the fats and that sickness would result.
Attorney Perry asked Mr. Pell how
long this condition of things had been
known and was answered about five
years.
Attorney Wells asked MIR Pell If he
knew of any case of contagious disease