Evening star., 1895-02-12
AN AUDIENCE OF WOMEN
They Listen to Two Addresses on Sewer
and Water Extension.
The Speakers Were Drs. Busey and
Johnston-A Petition to Congress
to BE Prepared.

An audience composed entirely Of women
| filled the lecture hall of the Washington
| Club yesterday afternoon and listened to
| addresses made by DR.. G. s. Busey and
DR.. W. W. Johnston on the vital necessity
| Of increasing the water and sewerage sys-
| TENS of this city. The walls back and
around the platform were lined with black
| boards and charts, and DR.. Busey in his
| remarks made copious reference to the
statistics so forcbly displayed by them.
In effect DR.. Busey repeated the address
made by him before the meeting held
recently at the Shoreham. He showed
most conclusively the decrease in deaths
| from typhoid fever and other Intestinal
| diseases in cities where the water supply
| and sewerage system had been extended.
| He also traced the progress of several
| typhoid epidemics from the first case and
| subsequent pollution Of the water in its
| neighborhood to the terrible death rate at
| distant points, Enthusiastically caused by it.
| The bacilli of typhoid are introduced into
the human system by either impure air,
| milk or some other fluid. In contradiction
| of the statement so frequently heard that
other fevers turn into typhoid, he said such
was not the case; that typhoid was that
| from the start and continued to be that
until recovery or death. The prevalence
| Of the fever in this city was due to the
use of pump water and the lack Of sewer
! age facilities in the neighborhoods where
death rate was in the localities where these
conditions existed.
DR.. Johnston's Address.
| DR.. Johnston's address was along the
same line. He said there was no use in
creasing water supply unless the sewers
were proportionately extended. The first
| sewers laid in this city were put down
| during the regime of the board Of public
works, and while they did a great amount
lNf oo6 horf bor1 1xv
| structed, and in the opinion Of the best
| engineers should now all be torn up and re-
built Watching the uncovering of the
sewer in front of his own residence on K
DRAWINGS from his house had probably
never reached the big sewer at all, as a
wide space was between the two pipes, and
| the connection. If it had ever been made,
must at best been a very poor one. Sewer
gas has none of the terrible power for evil
with which it has been associated in the
| public mind. While the constant inhaling
| of bad gases Of this character might make
| person unhealthy and predispose TO dis
ease, scientific experiments had proven
there was no danger from sewer gas. He
urged his hearers, SO many of whom were
mothers to do all they could to stir up an
interest in the necessity Of increasing the
water and sewerage system, because in
doing so they were guarding the health of
their own children. Typhoid and diseases
of its character are no respecter of person,
and its usual victims are the young and
| flowers Of the flock. The sewerage system
and the increased water supply should now
be extended to meet the wants of 800, 900
people, which will be the populat ton before
many years. The proper conditions would
attract here as residents the intelligent
and worthy classes of the whole country.
Mrs. c. NJ. Ffoulke, Mrs. Henry E. Pei
lew, Mrs. Francis B. Loring, Mrs. Archi-
bald Hopkins. Mrs. ]. L. de Peyster, Mrs.
w d
Hubbard were the committee under whose
auspices the meeting was called. Mrs. W.
H. Browne presided, and after extending
the thanks of the audience to the two
speakers, read the following resolution
which was adopted by general approval:
meeting at her leisure, appoint a commit
tee Of sevan ladies to prepare petition
and submit the same to Congress, setting
forth the necessity for immediate action in
sections of the District where water is OBJ
, tanned from pumps, and where there is
practically no drainage; for repairing and
enlarging many old sewers which are i'm
perfect or too small to answer the purpose
for which they were intended. The exist
ing danger to health and life from typhoid
fever and other kindred diseases has been
explained in the abiest and most forcible
manner for many months past by our most
prominent practitioners in medicine, among
families whom they have visited, and in
dent Of the Medical Society of the District
Of Columbia; by the Commissioners Of the
District of Columbia, and by the commit
tees of the Senate and House. yet nothing
at any time bring disaster and disgrace
upon the community.
Another meeting will be called of all in
terested at the Washington Club during the
next few days, at which subcommittee
will be organized.
Among those present, in addition to those
named. were Mrs. Hawley, Mrs. Harriet
Lane Johnston. Mrs. Hubley Ashton, Mrs.
Frank Mcclure, Mrs. Denman, Mrs. Jas.
G. Payne Mrs. L. NJ. D. Sweat, Mrs. Will
lam D. Cabell. Mrs B. H. Warner. Mrs.
Mrs. and Miss Newcomb and Miss Mar
garet Edes.
The Committee Appointed.
Subsequent to the meeting, the chairman
announced the names of the following
ladies as members of the committee pro-
vided for in the resolution adopted: Mes
danes ]. Hubley Ashton, NJ. v. E. Cabell,
Archibald Hopkins. John Dalzell, Walker,
B. H. Warner, Lyman Tiffany. Sweat, Hen
ry Cabot Lodge, John 8. Blair, ]. c. S.
Blackburn, Chatard Philip z. Chaplin, w.
J. Boardman, c. NJ. Ffoulke, Huidekoper,
A. B. Hagner, Hearst Hornsby, Kelly, j.
F. Leech, McNair, James Mcmillan. d. Z.
Morgan. Parker Mann. Mosher, Nash, ].
N. Norton, OReilly, Richie, Leigh Robin
son, John E. Reyburn, VIM. NJ. Stewart,
George Shiras, de Sibour, George NJ. Stern
berg, ]. Thompson Swami, Seth Shepard,
Tittman, q. B. Vance, o. B. Wilcox and
Yarrow, and the Misses Hosmer, Harding,
Spofford and Woodruff.
A meeting Of the committee has been
called for tomorrow afternoon at 2:30
o'clock, in the parlors Of the Washington
Club, No. 17l0 l street, when an organiza-
ton will be effected, and the work en-
trusted to the committee will be discussed
by the members. No little interest is mani
fested by the ladies, and they hope to ac-