The herald., 1894-04-30
A GLARING PUBLIC NUISANCE,
The County Hospital Without
Sewerage Facilities.
A Menace to the Health of Many
Citizens.
Councilman Campbell and Nickel Pros
pose That IA GreRt Disease Breed.
or Shall Be Checked by the
County A nth orities.

Councilmen Campbell and Nickell Of
the Ninth and First wards are getting
matters in readiness for another tilt
with the county board oisupervisors with
reference to providing a sewer for the
county hospital.
1t 10 fact not generally known to the
citizens of Les Angeles that all of the
sewage matter of the county hospital,
contaminated as it must necessarily be
with untold myriads of germs of conta.
gious diseases, ia discharged into the
open air, and finds it's way through sew
ersl miles OF we'll settled portion of the
city by means Of an arroyo.
The arroyo in question ia the Arroyo
de los Poaas, which has an intermittent
flow of water, practically just sufficient
at ii mes TO move the great masa of cons
tagious disease germs from one great
propsgRting bed to another, in a cem-
munity where the life OF every man,
woman and child is endangered. The
fact that such an outrage is perpetrated
in civilized community is 4 severe COM
mentsry on the intelligence and public
spirit of the officials who are responsible
for this condition of affairs. A HERALD
reporter went over the line of the sewer
discharge and found innumerable pools
of stagnant green water that are liter
ally reeklng with the germ poisons of
the vilest and most contagious diseases,
that float in the air seeking favorable
habitats for the further spread of dis
ease and death. Quite o number of ty-
phoid cases have been reported from
time TO time along the line OF the arro-
20, and the counciimen in question are
OF the opinion that steps should at once
be taken to check thia evil. 1t sounds
almost incredible that in progressive
city like Los Angeles all of the sewage
matter OF an institution of the size OF
the county hospital should be allowed to
discharge its germ poisons into an open
drainway paasing through miles of q
well settled and rapidly growing dis.
trlct within the limits of the city and
there is not doctor in the community
who would not raise his voice in con-
domination OF this fragrant violation OF
the safeguards Of health.
Over 3 year ago DIR. Kurtz of the eitv
board OF health made vigorous pro-
test against this evil, and Health Oficer
Powers prepared a report condemninq
it in the severest terms, and while q
conference has been held between the
council and the board of supervisors,
nothing has resulted thereirom. The
supervisors made plenty OF promises,
but have taken no steps toward their
ful6llment. The city council, under
section twenty-five of article three OF
the city charter. has one way to compel
action. The section in question reads,
''The council may by ordinance declare
what constitutes nuisance and provide
for the abatement and removal thereof"
The councilmen, however, feel dis
posed to give the supervisors another
chance to remedy this evil before pro-
ceeding to more drastic measures. The
county should take its share of the ex.
pense of the construction of a sewer
from the county hospital down Work
men street to Kuhrts street, where the
sewage could be emptied into the sewer
on that thoroughfare and disposed OF
effsctually. Both Counoilmen Camp
bell and Nickel are thoroughly in
earnest in this matter, and they now
propose that the supervisors shall take
immediate action toward the eifectual
suppression OF this glaring and danger
oug menace.