Evening star., 1896-01-11

provements. This opposition arose for the
most part from the laboring classes Of the
city, but he desired to call the attention
o. . the III iaoerns % .n men OF the city to the fact
such improvements between two-thirds and
three -fourths would be paid out directly for
pure labor. OF the amount asked for the
proposed sewage disposal system fully ST.
100000 would go for labor, while Ell equally
large proportion Of the money to be used
for trunk sewers and street grading would
go straight into the hands of the laborinR
men of the city.
From n Sanitary Point of View.
Mr.. Albert M. Read, chairman sewerage
committee, followed Capt Beach with an
Interesting paper. in which he discussed the
question OF sewers from an economic and
sanitary point OF view.
In the course of his paper, Mr.. Read
said:
That the death rate of our city Is large
and that 1t Is made so by preventable dis
eases Is generally recognized by all classes
OF our citizens. But how many Of us fully
realize the fact that over two hundred OF
our neighbors die every year from diseases
that the expenditure of money, in COM
paratively small sums. would Danish from
our midst How many of use realize that
about 1000 of our people are yearly kept
for weeks at a time from the enjoyment of
health and the avocaions of life by these
| same diseases that the judcious expendi-
Let us see If these statements are in any
way exaggerated. In the twelve years
ending 1892 there died in the District of
Columbia 1,65I persons from typhoid fever,
:s}6 from typho-malarial fever and 339 from
malarial fever, or an average of 236 deaths
per annum from these three diseases. Dur
| ing the same period the deaths from diar-
rhceal diseases were 1922. A grand total
of 7,f54 in twelve years, or GAG per annum.
II three adults recover to each one
that dies. we have 1888 persons dis
ahled Tor several weeks each, every
year from preventable diseases. If loss
of life from these diseases can be pre-
vented it Is clearly our duty to at once take
the necessary steps in that direction. The
remedies for this condition Of the public
health are mainly three: Adequate sewer
age facilities. large supply Of pure water
and pure foods.
"Al these money and legislation can buy
us. The first Of these adequate sewerage
facilities. we are here to discuss this even
| ing"
Mr.. Read then quoted statistics from a
rumber of other cities to show the effect
| of sewerage on the death rate from typhoid
fever. and continued:
I'm cities with good sewers and general
years ending 1884 were as follows: Munich.
II; Dantzic. 1.5; Frankfort. Ia; Breslau,
3.3; Hamburg. 90; Berlin. %; Brussels.
3.3; London. %: New York. 80: Brooklyn.
I'm cities without sewers, or imperfectly
| severed. the yearly average for each 10000
residents was: Paris, 9.S; MarseiAes. 1913;
| Turin, 9.5; Naples IL, Palermo, 1871: ST.
II; Philadelphia, 6.3: Washington, 81. It
will be seen from this that the greatest
diminution in typhoid fever has taken place
] in England and Germany, where expert en-
gineers and liberal municipal governments
| have combined in the work. of sewering the
principal cities. The example of Dantzic
shows that an abundant water supply alone
| does not diminish the death rate. That city
|Ss suppiei with water in 1869 and sew
| cred in 1872. No marked diminution in the
| death rate Of typhoid fever occurred until
| after the introduction of the sewers Wash
| ington with a daily individual supply of
| Ia gallons. has an average annual NOR
| tality of g. while New York, with seventy
| four gallons per capita. has 81 yearly to
alone therefore, does not limit the spread
| of typhoid fever.
Fatal Defects Here.
washington, whose sew erage system is
| very good in some respects, has fatal de-
fects which diminish its efficiency and with
the equally great danger from soil pollution
! from its 5000 privies, has an average an
| nral mortality of 6.2 for the last thirteen
years. This Is four times the death rate of
BROOKLYN and twice that Of New York.
In Washington We supply all the neces-
sary conditions for the rapid and perfect
proposition Of the bacilH of typhoid and
| other diseases-leaking privies for the re-
eeption of the excreta and their contained
| germs. a damp and lily drained soil for
their reception and rapid growth, ne!ghbor-
| Ing wells for the resulting contamina ton of
| drinking water consumed by a thirsty pop
uiation. What more conveniences can we
I supply? What more successful means can
We adopt to raise our mortality to q point
higher than that of Brook lyn, New York
! and Boston? We are today among the most
| "A fora of he
| In this country.
| when we reduce our death rate from G2
| to 10000 population, to Is as in Brooklyn
! and there Is no reason why we cannot bv
| the proposed system of sewers we will save
| to our city the lives of 40 Of its citizens per
| annum from typhoid fever alone. When We
put an end to the pollution Of Rock creek
James Creek canal. and our entire water
| front from Georgetown to the marshes of
Anacostia river with sewage. We will save
| as many more from malarial fevers and
| ether diseases.
| Capt. Beach has ably pointed out to you
| how this can be done In view of the evil
dence, can you doubt the efficacy Of these
| sewer conduits as hfe-saving appliances?
| THE possession of these sewers with
| " hich to combat disease, and to rescue our
| families and ourselves from the danger of
| premature death and place our city in q
| decent sanitary condition, requires but this:
| That we, the people of the District of Co.
lrmbia, unite as one person in demanding
| of Congress the power to obtain the money
| Necessary to construct them
1T thus appears that immunity from these
| diseases places upon us no present hardship
| asks of us no present sacrifice. 1t simply re-
| quires that we borrow from the present q
! few millions, to be returned in the future
| by our offspring, whose very existence we
| insure thereby. 1t asks us simply to do
| what every business man, corporation and
! community has done; what every business
man, corporation and community will do un-
til the end Of the world-exchange present
| credit for prospective profit. In this transac-
| ton the profits are certain and large. / do
| rot believe that any venture in any part Of
| the world has made SO large a return upon
| the capital invested has been realized
| upon the morey expended in schools and
| hospitals. water works and sewers. pave
| ments and walks. in our own well-governed,
| beautiful city of Washington. If you doubt
| 1t study the increase in valuations, as shown
| on the assessors books in the past thirty
| years. The expenditure Of the seven and
one-half millions for the purposes stated in
| this bond bill during the next few years will
! return to us in taxable values twice seven
| and a half millions before the last of it Is
| paid out And this is not all. 1t will insure
| Us healthier and longer lives. 1t will give
| cur artisans and laborers work. 1t will fill
| the mouths and c1othe the backs of hundreds
l Iral obi