Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-18
THE ClTYS HEALTH.
Vital Statistics for Different Sec
lions of Washington.
DR.. ]. s. BILLINGS RESEARCHES.
Facts and Figures Appearing in a
Census Report.
THE COLORED DEATH RATE.

The special report made by DR.. ]. s.
Billings of vital statistics Of Washington
and Baltimore for the six years ending
with 1890, the census year, gave detailed
statement concerning Washington and the
twenty-nine sanitary districts into which
the city was divided for the purposes of
DIR. Billings Investigations, as follows:
Washington, the capital of the. nation, is
situated just above the confluence of the
Potomac and Anacostia rivers. the latter
generally known as the Eastern Branch,
106 miles by river above the mouth of the
Potomac and 1o5 miles due west from the
Atlantic ocean. The distance by air line
to the mouth of the Potomac is 60 miles
and to the mouth of the Chesapeake bay
1i3 miles.
The District of Columbia includes Wash
ington and Georgetown. and these, as
bounded by the old corporation lines, are
the areas used in most of the statistics of
this report. This portion of the District
has 1873 per cent of the total area and $50
per cent of the population, and is, shortly,
city. The elevation above mean sea level
ranges from to POO feet. the distribution of
area in accordance Herewith being as fol-
lows:
Per Cent
Lower than g feet elevation. 10 80
Between 3 and so feet elevation %. 81
Between 90 and 20 feet elevation ....... Al 10
between % and 100 feet elevation. II. 10
over lOO feet elevation observation-disclosures. ~
Both the Eastern Branch and the Poto-
mac are navigable within the city limits
the average rise of tide being feet. Salt
water reaches to within 50 miles of the city
Rock creek formed the old boundary line
between Washington and Georgetown, and
mas nigh banks. A stream known as the
1r .osr' now converted into sewer, came
from the hills north of the city, and, pass
ing west of the Capitol. flowed south into
the POTOMAC. a large part OF the ground
IN tne city below the altitude of 25 feet lies
IN the old bed of this stream or adjacent to
II After leaving the Tiber basin the
ground rises with tolerable regularity to
the northern boundary of the city. East of
the capitol the surface is plateau, con-
tanning about square mile, with an eleva-
ton or 80 10 80 feet above tide water. From
this plateau the ground falls with generally
easy slopes to the north, east and south, the
western slope to the bed of the old Tiber
being steep.
The soil on which the city is built is most
~ clay undertake with gneiss rock. Very
little of this rock is met with in ordinary
excavations about Athe city, and it crops
out only along the Banks of Rock creek.
Outside of the city limits, on the north
within radius of miles, the ground is
much broken. with abrupt changes of level
A considerable portion of the land is culti-
waited The city has an area of $3.50 acres.
The total population Is 202Sl3, living in a.
54S dwellings. The density figures are as
follows: For total area, 3099 persons and
of SIS persons to each dwelling. There are
23o miles of streets in the city. and of these
los miles, or $685. per cent, are paved. There
are 200 miles of water mains, there being
O.2 miles of mains to each mile of sewers
and 0sS miles of mains TO each mile of
streets. There are 255 miles of sewers in
the city, there being LOO miles to each mile
OF street.
Below are given the description, comment
and figures in DIR. Billings report for each
sanitary district. The death rate given for
e he her of 6eaar his
per loo of population, and the death rate
given from various causes, such as malarial
fever, consumption, ETC.. is the rate per
lOOOO OF population.
Sanitary District No. 1.
Sanitary District No. LIN West Wash
ington: bounded by U Sth), 32d QHigh), and
N (Gay) streets and the western limits of
the city; height above tide water from So
to 191 feet.
Area, 2l1 acres: number of dwellings, SIC;
population. S,6sS; whites, 2,916: colored, 722;
number or persons to each acre, 1924; to
each dwelling, So. 1t was a residential
district most of the houses being Of modern
build or old houses changed
The death rates in this district, exclusive
of stillbirths. We're as follows:
Total-White. 2O.S7 colored, $780, Under
years-White, GLIB; colored, 117O6 MaIa-
rial fever, 9.Sl; diphtheria and Group, 69.36;
diarrheal diseases, 29.13; typhoid fever
The death rate in this district was above
the average for both white and colored, the
excess being the greater for the colored
than for the white. The rate for white
children under years of age was Just
ABOUT the same as the average for this
class. but IL was decidedly below the aver
age for the co1ored
Dlphther1a and Group caused more than
the average number of deaths consump-
ton about the usual proportion and the
other causes specified considerably less than
the average number. the number due to
malarlaI fever in particular being very low
Sanitary District No. =.
In West Washington; bounded by "
Oay) and 32d High streets. the Potomac
river, and 3Sth College, street The ground
rises from the river to 1O6 feet above tide
water, with abrupt changes in level
Area. 81 acres; number of DWELLINGS. 80.
population. 1909; whites, 22Oe; coIored. 400:
number OF persons to each acre. $3.50; to
each dwelling. 5.6S. The Chesapeake and
Ohio canal traverses this district near the
river.
This was largely a business district with
stores, mills. warehouses, wharVeS, and
some dwellings, and old buildings us.ei as
tenements.
The death rates in this district, exclusive
or stillbirthS. We're as follows:
TOtal-Whitc. 2432: colored ISL. Under >
years-White. $3.50; colOred. 326S9 SIsllarial
fever. 6.92; diphtheria and Group. HISS;
diarrheal diseases, 339.I5; typhoid fever,
5.37: consumption. 422-20.
The death rates in this district We're all
decidedly above the average rates Per 1ygg