The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-13

At the meeting Of the committee on
Sanitary rules and quarantine, held
last evening, the health commissioner
asked for instructions in relation to
ianpuYe ice. lit appears that notwith-
standing the repeated prosecutions, the
parties having control of the ice cut
from Hunters lake are still selling the
same in the city. The commissioner
stated that he had men watch the ice
house and that prosecutions resulted
by reason of their watching the ice
men load up and run the ice into the
city and sell it.
"The law gives me the right to go
into butcher shop and take away
impure meat, carry it to the crematory
and burn it. ] am of the opinion that
I have the same right to go into an
ice house and destroy the ice" said
the health commissioner, THE law
gives the food inspector the right to
stop milk wagon and, if the milk is
not up to the standard, to pour it on
the ground. I contend that l have the
right to take load of this impure ice
and dump it into the Jordan river"
The committee agreed with the last
proposition, but thought the ice in the
houses would have TO be situated in
Side the limits Of the city ere the COM
missioner could go and destroy it.
''This situation is a grave one, gen
tlemen," continued the health commits
sioner. "There is an epidemic of ty
phoid fever right in this city today. |
have discovered that physicians are
not reporting these cases ito me as they
Should and have written them all noti-
Tying them that they must obey the
law. But this has nothing to do with
the ice business, save that diseased ice
is worse than diseased meat The
germs of fever are carried around with
impure ice and distributed where least
expected. One of the inspectors caught
one OF these ice men leaving ice with
family, and arrested him. He denied
having received the ice from this
mouse, but declared it was a part of
that passed by me. Not until he was
confronted with the evidence that he
had been watched while loading it and
watched while delivering it, did he sur
render, and then he pleaded guilty and
said it twas his first load The woman
who was receiving the ice explained
that she did not know before what
made her refrigerator smell so badly,
and declared that ever since this sort
of ice had been left at the house, sick
ness had prevailed in the family and
she had wondered what had caused it.
This is only one of hundreds of cases
which we have tried 10 convict. The
police court has more quirks and turns
than any court which ever sat in JUS
tice anywhere. Now these men are pre-
pairing TO ship the 1870 tons they have
on hand, somewhere up north and then
ship it in again, and what I want to
know is this: Have I the right to take
the stuff and dump it into the Jordan?
If have, everything goes and / will
watch matters and make no mistakes
I have men who will keep me posted.
II it wasn't for allowing them to be
put in possession Of the information, I
could state where this ice is going and
who lis 10 receive it. The stuff has
changed hands every twenty-four
hours in order to enibarrass and harass
my men, and I am not going to put up
with it longer. If this law is a good
one I shall test it. If we get beaten
in the courts, all right, the impure ice
goes"
The committee viii abide by the ac-
ton of the commissioner and all deal
ers in impure ice had best 'look a
leedle oud."
The city charter provides that the
city council may adopt summary
measures in relation to impure ice in
section 339. The city council shall have
power to prevent any person from
bringing, depositing or having within
the limits of the city any unWhole-
some substance"
Section 344 says: 1.-The council shall
have power to make regulations for
the prevention of the introduction of
contagious diseases within the city; to
make quarantine laws and enforce the
same within the CITY and around it..
not exceeding twelve miles next be-
yond the bounds thereof"
Under. This Ia ST SppfiOT1 81 oo,, bo
demonstrated that this ice is liable to
breed disease it can be destroyed.
afts< pl per action by the council,
even though it be twelve miles from
the city limits.
Concerning the health of the city.
the commissioner states that a reign
OF typhoid is now on and advises all
to keep their premises thoroughly
clean. The catch basin problem re-
ceived attention at his hands also.
They are better than they were. but
sill not in good condition. He thinks
that flushing the cutters on First and
Second South would improve matters
and suggests that if the council would
change the location of the hack stands
to points where the drainage is better
there would he great Improvement
The commissioner says that his de-
partmenU is to receive attention from
the hands of a weekly paper very soon
and that he disclains all RESPONSE
bility for certain conditions which
may be disclosed over which he has
no control.
The Fort Douglas sewage matter
was mentioned. IT appears that this
matter was brought up in the council
some time ago and the chairman Of
the sanitary committee. the city
engineer and the commissioner ap-
pointed a committee to go to the post
and consult with the commandant
with a view to lettering conditions.
The chairman Of the committee is non
est inVentus as it were: having never
shown up. The engineer and the COM
missioner did not want to go without
him and there the matter rests. The
conlmandant at the post has evinced
g disposition to act fairly in the matter
and do something toward improving
The condition of affairs, but no one has
been to see him, and there the cues
ton rests, while the people in the
eastern portion of the city have tc
put cotton in their noses in order tc