Morning journal and courier., 1893-11-30
MAY BE ENJoINKD.

Fl0n OF LOGGING 1tln0rAAtB IN the
Basement Of the City Han-The
Claim Advanced That Disease May
be Brought to the City Hall and the
Lives Of the 0mcials and Citizens
Endangered-In Case of Contagious
Disease tho Hall Would be Quaran.
tined-TOwn Agent Clarity Claims
81 That There Will DO No Danger
Possible That an Injunction May |
be Brought.
The proposition to locate lodging room |
in the basement of the city hall for the use
of transients is meeting with violent oppo-
sition on the part of the occupants of the
various Offices in that building, as well as
by the people who are called by business
to the city hall several times each day.
Among the latter are many prominent
lawyers, physicians and residents of the
city, who are compelled to visit the hall
either to go to the probate court, to the
town clerks Office, to the Office of the reg
istrar of vital statistics, to the tax collec-
tors Office or to the rooms of the fire de-
partment.
The principal objection advanced by
these gentlemen is the unsuitability Of the
place for any such purpose and the danger
to the health of the occupants of the build
| ing and all the visitors. The claim is made
that the room where it is proposed to To-
cate the dodgers is utterly void of ventila-
ton or any other sanitary arrangement,
| and that from the very condition of affairs
the place must in time become a pestilen-
| tial breeding place and cause foul and
unhealthy odors to become disseminate
| ed through the city hall. In speaking of
| the matter yesterday one of the most
prominent officials in the hall said: 81
consider the proposition to put dodgers of
| every class and condition of men in the
cellar Of a municipal building like this one
! of the most preposterous plans ever ad-
The plan is to put all applicants for lodg-
ing, some of them no doubt worthy men
in unfortunate circumstances, but others
also belonging to the tramp genus, into
the room in the basement of this building,
now occupied by the lamp committee as a
storage room, and allow them to sleep
there. Now, 1t ia an undeniable
fact that this latter class of men
are from the very nature of things more
apt to contract and carry contagious and
infectious diseases than any other class of
| men in existence. This must necessarily
be so from the very manner in which they
live, wandering about from one place to
another, sleeping one night in one place
and the next night in another. Now what
Is more probable than that some of these
men tonight, for instance, may sleep in q
dirty lodging house. where there is per-
haps case of contagious disease To-
morrow this same man may be put to
sleep in the basement of this building, and
of course bring with him the disease which
he has contracted. In this way the germs
of the disease will be disseminated drought
the building and the health and lives of all
Its occupants endangered"
"Now suppose such thing should occur,
what would be the Inevitable consequence
Why, the city hall would be instantly
quarantined and the city and town busi-
ness be completely at standstill. Now
wouldn't this be q fine state of affairsg
This quarantine would probably continue
for week or ten days, and you can readily
of years ago did all in my power to have
the old morgue removed from this building
and finally succeeded. Now it Is proposed
to locate here an even greater nuisance. I
assure you If the plan is carried out the
lives and health of large number of citi-
zens will be in constant danger for the
reasons which I have set forth. Again,
the room where 1t ia proposed to
locate these dodgers is utterly de-
void of ventilation and other sanitary
necessities. Now in such a room it IL
! proposed to place men who are liable to
have almost any kind of disease, not even
excepting smallpox and typhus fever. ]
J tell you it ia an outrage and such plar
ought not to be entertained for single
; moment and believe If the residents OF
| the city are informed of exactly what il
going on, some citizen will get out an in
, junction and restrain any and all suct
proceedings. I fully believe that som.
1 place should be provided for these unfor
: Inmates and think a suitable building
| could be purchased or rented for tho pur
should never be lodged in the basement O.
Il | the city hall"
The lamp committee room where it Ii
proposed to lodge these travellers is located
directly underneath the Office of the fir.
department and this department would b,
/ especially exposed to danger and these
r | officials are also opposed to the plan, II
endorsed by nearly all the officials in thu
city hall.
In replying to the statements mad,
above Town Agent Clarity stated thai
. there was absolutely no cause for alarm al
the room would be thoroughly fitted III
and equipped with the best sanitary ar
| rangements and that the room was only
intended for the use of such belated travel
| ers as arrived too late to be accommodated
at the Organized Charities building. HI
laughed at the idea of regular professions
i tramps being housed as he said these mer
: would not under any circumstances do an,
r work to pay for their lodging as they would
be compelled to do. He also stated that ii
q his opinion there was practically no DANCE
. | of either contagious or infectious disease
being brought into the building.
Yesterday afternoon Selectmen Cunning
ham and Sternberg, the special committe,
appointed by the board of sslectmen to q
ahead and make the arrangements for til,
= lodging place, called upon City Audito
: Lake and notified him that they wanted
4 | COMMITTEES, and requested him to see tina
!, the lamps now stored there bs removed
In the recent division of the city hall tn,
:. room in question was allotted to the town
= so that they have full power to 60 aheat
. and equip the room unless an injunction
q Is brought against them. What the out
come of the matter will be is uncertain
but 1t is probable that the entire question
; | will be settled within a day or two.
' THE COURTS TO BE PETIrHONED
: | Steps Toward a Movement for MAX
ing Derby Turnpike a Free High
waY-Yale Field.
A petition, which is being immensel,
1 | signed by prominent and influential citi
3 zens, is being prepared for presentation t.
9 the superior court of New Ha
: ven county asking that the neces
{ | ssry steps be taken by which the Derb,
. turnpike may be made free highway, i,
t accordance with the authority for sucl
! change authorized by act of the genera
a assembly at Its last session. The petition
ers set forth In their claims that the tim
has come for making this important high
way from the chief city of the state t.
three important places-Dsrby, Birming
Q ham and Ansonia, a free highway
, and no longer encountered BY
= toll house, and the necessity O.
paying toll. They set forth that there Ii
: also great and imperative need of q new
I and wider bridge over the West river OF
Derby avenue, at the threshold of New Ha
ven. A wider bridge is needed on &C
q count of the great change in recent years
In this immediate vicinity, the city having
Tapped over to this point as the constant
increase in population in the western part
of the city and constant increase in the
number of houses amply indicates, and
!. also for the reason that the bridge ia used
now to far greater extent than ever be
fore on account Of its proximity of Yale
field, where Thousands of people con.