The San Francisco call., 1896-02-12
Sanitary Conditions Along and
Around Islais Creek
Are Bad.
BOARD OF HEALTH SHOULD ACT.
Sewers Find Outlets Along the Piin-
cipal Streets and Run Entirely
at Large.

The filthy sanitary condition of that
section of San Francisco known as San
Bruno road and its tributary settlements
is such that the Board of Health should
look into the matter at once, before the
hot weather comes on and matches the
germs of disease that are now reposing
dormant in the garbage and butcher-shop
refuse scattered in profusion along the
shore line of the bay.
The Southern Pacific Company has
built up an embankment across the bay
on Kentucky street and the ebb and flow
tide is permitted only to come and go
through a culvert not more than twenty
five feet wide.
This mbankment-more properly
roadbed for the electric cars going over 40
South San Francisco-serves the double
purpose of shutting off navigation up
Islais Creek and at the sa me time makes a
dumping ground for the butchers and tan
ners. When the wind blows from the
south and southwest a sickening odor of
decayed meat comes across the low swamp
and heads for San Francisco's more popu-
lated districts, where it certainly spreads
disease and pestilence, to say nothing of
the alarming possibilities right on the
ground.
Army street, running due west from Ken
lucky, is lined on either side by strips of
water that threaten to become stagnant in
warm weather, and which at the present
time is discolored with refuse from the
slaughter-houses.
At the END of Army street, where it
comes into San Bruno road, a sewer finds
its outlet and the ordor is something ter
rife, particularly on a still day when the
stencil curls up into the atmosphere like
heat waves, and compels a passer-by to
roh h DrI
fresh-air belt.
The lCortland-avenue sewer breaks out
right at the edge of San Bruno road, and
half OF the sewage finds exit in q small box
running under the horsecar track. The
balance becomes an overflow and runs
along the side of the street in front of the
homes of people living in that section.
Residents of that part of the City have
long complained of the sanitary condi-
tions which appear to reign there and
which are not in the least bit i'm proved by
the placing of the roadway across Ken
tucky street. 1t confines a great deal of
water that should be freshened by con-
tact with the main bay, and is also bar
to navigation.
There has been somet thing said of this
stream by The CALL, but 1t was never
known before that it's practical confine-
ment to such narrow outlets and inlets
was so distressing TO the people from a
standpoint of health.
All of the scenes referred to in the FORE
going were witnessed by a CALL reporter
yesterday, who made the round of that
part of the City in the company of Peter
T. Seculovich, president of the Pennsyl-
vania Avenue and Islais Creek Property
| owners Association.
Mr.. Seculovich claims that the creek
should be opened up to navigation so that
the now worthless and pestilential smamp
| could be used to the advantage of the
property-owners along its course and made
healthy by freedom of flowing and i'm
provements. He also maintains that the
sewage from Cortlandt avenue could be
easily disposed of by conveying it through
a big pipe running along the verge of
Islais Creek directly into the bay. The
makeshift method proposed by means of
wooden sbox" he considers an outrage,
the more so as it is proposed to have the
'box'' empty into the creek, which is
private property.