Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-22
HUSTLING HEALTHOFFICER
pr O'Hara and a "Democrat" Reporter
 Investigate a Nuisance.


 RAT, started on an exploring trip to the Cast Mountain school district yesterday Afternoon to investigate complaint sent n by people living in that section in re- ation to the condition of the water closets 1t the now school building. The school IS s handsome one story frame building with spacious play grounds, handsome flag pole and surrounded by a good, substantial picket fence. School had just been dis missed when the visitors entered the building. It is a very beatty appointed | school room, well ventilated, and every thing in and about the place furnished | abundant proof of scrupulous care on the part of those in charge. The familiar features of George Washington are sus- pended in an unpretentious but becoming frame to the right of the teachers desk, while a large American flag IS artstlcally entyined over the door leading to the class room. There are thirty-two scholars at tending the school, and the teacher. quite young and strikingly handsome, belongs in Middl-bury.
 After looking through the building and ov. the school grounds the health officer turned his attention to the cl rsets, which are situated in the rear a few yards from the main building and quite close to stream which has its source in the East Mountain reservoir, little south of the school. A high fence runs through tie yard from the rear of the building 10 the end of the lot, separating the closets. The com plainants claimed that the closets had been constt ucted without any regard for the laws of sanitation. no provisions hav- ing been made to prevent the contamina tion of the stream which runs close to the buildings and passes along in winding. devious ways through the thickly wooded land until it empties into the distributing reservoir about quarter of a mile north. On examination It was found that although the school has been open but few days the leakage from the closets was plainly visible on the stone of the retaining wall in the rear and the stench which arose from the place would almost equal that which pass ssengers often experience while passing along the Platt's mill road. The closets are not built over the stream, nor do they stand on the edge of it. But it is claimed that when a shower occurs all the accumulated matter which ooZes out of the closets onto the wall in the rear, is | washed into the stream and carried into
 the little reservoir above the school build | ing. This is quite a leasonable conclusion
 for there is sufficient incline from the | closets to the stream to carry the surface
 water into it. The little rivulet is about
 twelve or fifteen feet from the retaining
 wall.
 The health officer says the district com
 mittee will be obliged to replace the
 wooden boxes which are set u-der the
 closets, and which but poorly serve the | purpose for which they were intended, with good ament or iron boxes. After
 satisfying himself as U what should be
 done in order to remove the cause of the
 complaint and insure the public against
 any danger from this source. the docto,
 started out to find the source of the stream, | whither it led and where it ended, for he
 said he never had heard of it before. The 1 stream rises at the mouth of the sluice gate
 under the high embans ment south of the East Mountain reservoir, and increases in
 size as it passes through the soft, marshy land in the rear of the school and forms | quite a large volume of water where it en- | ters the other reservoir. The doctor wal
 desIrous of following it in all its windingi
 through the woods to see if it should com,
 in contact with barn or any other sourc,
 of contamination before losing itself 1T
 the little body of water into which il
 passes. He was advised not to undertake
 such a hazardous feat, for the brush is SC
 thick and the foliage so dense that when
 one raist d his foot he could not tell bu
 the putting of it down meant the breaking
 of his bones, or worse still the treading or
 some poisonous reptile. But tho doctol
 was resolved to explore the whole territory
 and laughed at what he termed the COW
 ardice of his advisor, who refused to b,
 led into the thicket and took up a saf,
 position on a little knoll near the highway
 to await developments. On entering tn,
 jungle the doctor said: II have alwayt
 loved the music of running streams, tn,
 song of wild birds, the beautiful greer
 foliage and the delightfully."- cool, bracin,
 air hat ha fnnnH in ha rnral rf
 The glen and gorge have more charms fo
 me than the macadsm road and concret
 walk. Ii people would take an occasiona walk through such places as u is instead O
 spending all their time in the crowde cities. the men engaged in my profession would find it necessary to turn their atten ton to some other mode of living. D you know what this beautiful little strean } reminds me of?" he asked as he stoope, } to watch its course through the gree sward. hanging his hat on projectin limb of a giant maple tree. to catch tn
 full benefit of the breeze that just stirre the arches of branches which hung owe . his head and swayed to fro. as if bowin in grateful recognition to their distiI guished guest. Ut reminds me of 'Th Rivulet,' that delightful poem of Bryant,
 Have you ever read it?" The last wOr
 had scarcely escaped from his lips whe | he called for assistance. He had becom s entangled in a brake of brush and briar, f from which he found it impossible to e, ! tricate himself. After considerable labc on the part of his companion he was di.
 engaged from his perilous position an f gladly consented to abandon his origins a purpose and returning to his team tl 2 journey to the lower reservoir was mad along the highway.
 z At the lower reservoir the stream wG <. found emptying itself into the basiI Another little volume of water comm
 from a suspicious looking location creI F noiselessly into the same place and th A health officer feels that he has discovere
 some sources of contamination leading int the city reservoir which demands imm diate attention. The committet man
 the East Mountain school will be notitie | as soon as the health officer can reach hin to make the necessary changes in the co: - struction of the closets and the other tr ' butaries of the distributing reser Soir wi be examined as soon as possible.
 : While the doctor was making inquire ? about the sanitary condition of th ,: neighborhood, the reporter talked wit II one of the eex-committeemen and asked if could assign any particular reason why ; many of the town school teachers belor C outside of the town. He said he did nC know, except that everyone wanted to gt T a lob for his friend no matter where sl t had been educated. Asked if he thought ,. was not a reflection on the graduates of u II High school of Waterbury and on Il
 members of the town school board of e, e aminers who had awarded certificates r. several such graduates as being competel n to teach in the the town schools. to pa y them over and employ teachers who hs r. been graduated and awarded diplomas s other towns, he said: 'It might be some g In answer to the question. ''If you had g daughter graduated from the High scht E. of Waterbury and who had passed a su e cessful examination for teacher before u