Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-01
If 1t Should Ever Happen to Present
Itself in This City.
COUNCILS WILL NOT BE CONVENED.
The Street Cleaning Department to Be
Doubled at Once.
INVESTIGATING ON THE SOUTH SIDE

Acting Chief B1ngaman, of the Public
Works Department, and Superintendent
Andrews and O'Mara, of the streets and
police bureaus respectively, were present
at the conference with the Mayor. All
agreed to Chief Browns proposition that,
for the work to be done, sufficient authority
rests in the city departments without an ap.
| peal to Councils. MIR. Brown said he had
thought over the question thoroughly since
| the previous afternoon and he believed il
could be handled for the present without
difficulty. The Mayor was of the same
opinion and the discussion of a special meet
ing was dropped.
| During the conference the work to be
done was carefully talked over. The result
of the inspection made by the police during
the past two days was presented verbally by
Chief Brown.
Speedy Action to Be Taken.
The measures requisite for the suppression
| of nuisances, removal of garbage and other
| disease breeding matter were apportioned
to the two departments. Where cutters,
| sewers, streets, alleys or sewer drops need
! flushing and washing out the police will re-
port and the street cleaners of the Public
Works department will do the work.
Where cellars or back yards are found to
require cleaning or disinfecting the Bureau
of Health will assume charge and either
compel the residents to do it or have it done
at the city's expense, as circumstances
direct.
The principal feature of the talk of
the Mayor and Chief Brown was that
promptness, energy and activity should
characterize the work. Wherever a nuis-
ance is discovered the officer, inspector or
other person finding it must think for him.
self and act quickly. If it is case which
requires the action of the street cleaners it
must be reported to them quickly; if a case
where disinfection is necessary the Bureau
of Health must be notified Immediately
The street cleaning force will be doubled at
once and an extra supply of hose for street
washing will be secured. All street repair
work will cease to-day, the men going to as
sist in the cleansing of the city. Thorough
ness and promptness will be insisted on in
all circumstances.
Daily Conferences to BE Held.
The officials who met yesterday will meet
again at $3.50 this morning, and hereafter
each day until the danger is past and fur.
ther meetings are unnecessary. At this
mornings meetings some important steps
will be proposed. The police inspectors
will be called in and instructed in the or
ders to be given to the men un-
der them. Mayor Gourley will suggest
that Chief Brown detail squad of fremen
in ion nf ha oit IN az in Hircb
ing the streets and sewers with heavy
streams of water. The Mayor thinks the
fremen could arr ange the work SO that no
inconvenience to the fire service would re-
suit, and there would be considerable saw
ing to the city.
Another proposition to be considered is
one to increase the sanitary inspectors of
the Bureau of Health. The present force
is inadequate. Since last Monday letters
of complaint from citizens all over the city
calling attention to nuisances and plague
spots have been coming into the Bureau of
Health by hundreds daily. To attend to
these alone has been impossible, the more
important work of the inspectors being the
Investigation of cases of contagious diseases.
This part of the work must be attended to
and at present requires nearly all their time
so that the complaints connot be given
proper attention.
officers Orders Must Be Obeyed.
Superintendent Baker will to-day ask
that all policemen be constituted sanitary
inspectors and instructed to abate nuisances
as well as report them. 1t is his idea that
whenever in a backyard or cellar a cleaning
is required the officer should order it done
and then revisit the place at short intervals
and see that his order is carried out If no
attention is paid to the order he should
hop tn ri n fha
disobeying should be prosecuted and the
work done at his expense. As this agrees
with Chief Browns idea of promptness it is
likely the plan will be adopted.
One case of nuisance frequently reported
to the Bureau of Health yesterday was the
garbage boat owned by Captain George Free
on the Allegheny wharf at the foot of
Third street. Complaints have been COM
ing in regarding this boat for more than
year but it was considered q necessary evil
and nothing was done about it. Now the
case is different. In response to doz en- or
more letters Chiet Sanitary Inspector Nc
Even and another officer went down to in
vestigate it yesterday. Before they were
within two blocks of the wharf the stencil
arising from the boat greeted them but
when they reached Duquesne way they
could scarcely breathe for the awful smell.
Not a Good Place to Live.
Inspector McEwen SAYS that if the chol-
era came to Pittsburg he would not live on
Duquesne way for 81, 900 day, should that
boat be permitted to remain at the wharf.
The residents of the handsome dwellings
along there are compelled to keep their
front windows closed in the hottest we ather
on account of the stencil. They claim they
have appealed to the authorities times
without number to have the boat removed,
but were never successful, their entreaties
being totally disregarded. The health Off
GERS say they have endeavored to have
some disposition made of the boat, and
have offered good landing for it at the
foot of Seventeenth street, where there are
no residences, and where no one woald be
inconvenienced by the stencil, but as yet
they have failed to secure a change.
The garbage boat is private enterprise.
Captain Free has permission to use the
landing, and persons dumping garbage in
the boat pay him 25 cents wagonload for
the privilege. Each day the boat is taken
down the river and emptied, but, according
to the letters at the Bureau of Health, the
wagons begin to dump early in the morning,
and the putrefying garbage lies there in the
hot sun all day, exhaling odors which are
enough to breed disease under any circum-
stances and which are perceptible for blocks
away. 1t is likely that Chief Brown will
order the removal of the boat to Seven
teenth street to-day, after the report of In
spector McEwen is presented to him.
Ordering Large Quantities of Disinfectants.
The reports made by the police in their
inspection of the city have not yet been
made public, but they probably will be in