The record-union., 1892-09-02
SANITARY PRECAUTIONS.
Why People Should Be Careful TO
Keep Their Premises Clean.
What the Sanitary Inspector Has Done
and Is Doing Considerable
Cleaning Up.

reporter of one of the members of the
Board of Health.
Fairly well" was the reply. while
l am satisfied from what l have seen that
Sacramento is at present one of the clean
est cities in the State, and one of the
healthiest, from sanitary view, still this
is not enough-it should be The cleanest
and the healthiest. And it all remains
with our people themselves. If the
cholera should get hold here it would
only be because some of our citizens are
TOO CARELESS
As regards cleanliness about their prem
ises and as regards sanitary precautions
generally. Many are careful. but great
many are not You would be surprised If L
should tell you that great many Of our
best citizens would not keep their premises
clean unless the law compelled them 10,
or, if they could get out of it, would have
system of plumbing in their homes
that would keep them and their families
sick all the time. But it's fact, never
theless. Sacramento has been given
great cleaning up of late-that is, during
The past SIX mOnthS-and this is due To
the efficiency OF our Sanitary Inspector,
George Nichols. He is tireless, and
shows no mercy to the negligent and
sovenly"
The reporter next hunted up Inspector
Nichols, hailing him as he sailed up
street in his little red cart.
es; it's true that an immense amount
OF cleaning up has been done under the
supervision of myself and the Plumbing
Inspector, l.. W. Mahoney," said Mr..
Nichols. 1T is slow work, though, and
Tor that reason is not so noticeable to the
public. II the people could see list of
in. In,
they would realize that we had been earn
ing our salaries.
QUEER PEOPLE.
- meet some very strange specimens
OF the animal, man, in the course of my
daily tours" continued the Inspector
after the reporter had helped himself to
half Of the seat in the cart, and they
logged along slowly. 1T is repulsive,
but it's fact, nevertheless, that many
people would prefer TO keep heaps of
dirty, reeking, foul-smelling disease
breeding refuse and Swill on their prem
ises, maintain foul and non-ventilated
cesspools ana vaults and inefficient sys-
TENS OF plumbing, rather than live like
White people ShOuld-clean and healthy
OF course, they are sick all the
time, and spend enough money in doctor
DulS every year to more than pay for a
complete overhauling of their dwellings,
ou Will say right off: AN right. let
them XIII themselves Off; the community
Is the gamer by the removal Of such peo-
pie That's all right, SO far as it goes:
but you overlook the fact that while they
are absorbing the disease germs, and dy-
ing by inches, as the result of their
criminal negligence, the whole neighbor-
hood surrounding them is suffering, too.
1t is not right that the latter should be
punished in THIS manner, and that is why
we have bsen given
Epgy, GTpnN-f, W.,
By which we can compel these human
hogs-l don't like to use The word. bur I
can't lind one more eXpressiye-to keen
their premises clean. Any one Of these
dirty places, such as l have had to con-
tend with, would keep a whole blockfuI
OF people sick. And you would be sur
prIsed TO hear the kick these people
make against cleaning up. WHY. we
have to threaten them with arrest every
time, III order TO make them get a move
on and even then they frequently DEFY
our authority"
The reporter suggested that he would
like to see some of the localities where
the cleaning-up process had been going
on, and the Inspector readily assented.
Plumbing Inspector Mahoney drove
up IN his cart at this juncture, and kindly
volunteered to accompany them, and as
sist in enlightening the new wspaper man.
The public schools were first visited.
ing during the present vacation, under
the supervision of Mr.. Nichols. while
Mr.. Mahoney gave his attention to the
plumbing, recommending changes and
alterations here and there for the benefit
OF the sanitary condition of the buildings
Some Of the schools have old-fashioned
vaults and plumbing systems, but they
have all been cleaned, and are now in
splendid condition.
AT THE PARK.
Agricultural Park was next visited.
An immense amount of work has been
done here, and people who meander
down among the stock exhibits will be
surprised when they see the condition of
things this year.
years." said Mr.. Nichols. 81 kept after
the Agricultural Society for some time
and finally got them to do the work.
The cleaning up was done two months
ago, so you need not run away with the
idea that 1t was solely because of the near
approach of the fair. You can't find any
more piles of rubbish and manure lying
around. Every vault and cesspool in
the place has been cleaned and the sewer
age has all been overhauled. People liv-
ing near the Park can't complain any
more that 1t smells bad, or that it breeds
disease" n dozen or more wash-racks
have been put in at different places
among the stables, so that exhibitors who
hose and sponge off their stock will not
leave great pools of water and mud about
the place, as was the case before these
racks were put in. The racks connect
directly with the street sewers, and the
water is carried off Immediately. Every
stall and stable is now clean as a
whistle"
The New Pavilion was given attention
to.
DIsINFECT, TOO.
There is one thing that the general
public does not know about our work -
explained Inspector Nichols, land that
Is that we are not satisfied with the mere
cleaning out OF cesspool or vault, but
we go further and have the places thor
oughly disin1ected, too. This is one of
the greatest safeguards in the world
against the inroads of disease or epi-
demlc. All people upon cleaning out
their vaults should take this precaution
always. We always tell them this.
whenever we see them at work, butlyou
know two of US cannot keep our ewes on
every body in town. Most people would
do it of their own accord, however. if
they knew now valuable to their health
diSinfection is"
The inspectors headed for several
Japanese tenement houses, and each
showed evidences of having been re-
Gently cleaned up. Back yards had been
swept. no stencil came from the closets.
and 20 piles of rubbish were to be seen
in cellars or alleys. New pipes on the
outside of the building showed that the
plumbing had been overhauled, too.
I'VE have to watch the pipes and general
plumbing in these places as close as we
do the rubbish piles,'' said Inspector
Mahoney, land l tell you it keeps us
busy
TOO HOT FOR TAMALEs.
The tamale- makers lives have been
made burden to them by the Inspectors,