Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-04
AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT
Health Of the Navy Yard Affected b,
the Sixth Street Sewer.
Chief Clerk Mfcou Writes n Letter tn
the District Commissioner
on the Subject.

Mr.. Benjamin Micou, chief clerk of the
Navy Department, has written a letter to
the District Commissioners, in which he
says that the health Of the navy yard in
this city Is seriously affected because of
the condition of the 9th street sewer. 1.-The
summer winds,' he says, blow directly
across the exposed sewage matter, and
out Of eighty marines and twenty-nine sea-
men on duty in the yard there have been
in the last two weeks thirty-four men IN
der treatment for malarial fever and ff-
teen have had to be sent to the hospital
The condition of the yard from this sewer
is SO bad that the departing 1T hesitates to
send ships there, and it requests that steps
be taken at once to place this sewer in
such condition as to relieve the unhealthy
condition occasioned by it."
Commander Leutzc's Letter.
This action Of the Navy Department was
based on a letter written by Lieut.. Com
mander e. H. c. Leutze. acting COM
mandant at the navy yard, to Commodore
Matthews, chief of the bureau Of yards
and docks, Navy Department. Commander
Leutze calls attention to the unhealthy
condition of the yard, which, he says, in
his opinion, and that of the surgeon of the
yard. sis due to the long delay in building
the extension Of the 9th sire ct sewer" sThe
work on the sewer was commenced about
the LIST Of May last by opening that part
which was to be rebuilt. Piles were then
driven at irregular periods of time, by
which the flow in that part Of the sewer
was greatly stopped and a cesspool Great
3D. which was not even cleaned by the rise
ard fall of he tide. About July l, when
the Gaping of the piles and bricks was
commenced, the flow Of the sewer was di-
verted into an open ditch, with little fall.
which soon became offensive to the resi-
dents Of the yard.
Cause of Sickness.
"As the prevailing summer winds blow
directly across all this exposed sewage
matter" says Mr.. Leutze, II am of the
opinion that it is the cause of the present
sickness. We have eighty mariners and
Twenty-Five seamen on duty in this yard. In
the last two weeks thirty-four have been
treated for malarial fever, and fifteen had
to be sent to the hospital. The work on
this sewer has been carried on spasmodi-
cally, and no effort has been made to ex-
pedite it. We had to stop driving piles for
the new yard wall May %, and only re-
sumed 1t Yesterday august 20. 1 would
request that some steps be taken to hurry
the construction of this sewer"
Commodore Matthews referred the re-
port to the Secretary of the Navy, with a
recommendation that it be submitted to the
District Commissioners, with a request
that more vigorous measures be taken
toward the preservation of health"
The Yards Sanitary Condition,
In May last the Secretary of the Navy
appointed a medical board consisting of
Medical Director Gihon and Surgeons Wise
and Magruder to examine the sanitary
condition Of the Washington navy yard.
From their report. a synopsis of which ap-
peared in The Star at the time, 1t appeared
that the condition Of the sewer Just out
side of the eastern and western hounda rios
OF the yard imported seriously the health
Of the yard" In forwarding the report
to the Secretary of the Navy Surgeon Gen
eral Tryon Endorsed 1t as follows: las
the menace to health will be increased by
the heat of the summer months it is the
opinion of the bureau that the authorities
should be strongly urged to complete the
work on the 9th street sewer without de-
lay, and at the same time to repair the
9Th street sewer and extend 1t to deep
water. In this way the sewage would no
longer spread upon the low water front
of the yard or emptied upon dense vegeta-
ton, where it cannot be dislodged by the
feeble tide"
No Answer Received.
Chief Clerk Micou's. letter to the District
Commissioners was written August 80,
and SO far has remained unanswered 1t
is believed that prompt action will be taken
in the matter, as the unhealthy state of
affairs reported by the naval authorities
affects not only the navy yard, but the en-
tire southeastern section of the city as
well.