The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-03
MUNICIPAL REPORTS.
CITY SOLICITOR.

Portland
Proprietors of Custom House wharf vs..
City of Portland.
Bragg Mfg. Co. vs. City of Portland.
The history of this case was stated in my
last report. There has been no change in
the situation.
Proprietors of Custom House wharf
ys CITY of Portland. This was an action
for alleged damage in the amount of &c.
900 for filling dock by sewer deposits on
westerly side Of Custom House wharf
The case was settled by dredging the
dock at an expense of $742 so and other
expenses s1O2 CO.
The only suit begun by the city during
the year is that of the. City VS. Frank
ZONES. Mr.. Jones is treasurer and col
lector of Deering. The suit came out of
an attempt on the part of the city of
Deering to tax lands belonging to the
CITY of Portland and acquired as a part
of Evergreen Cemetery. The action is a
bill in equity to restrain the sale of he
lands. A demurrer has been filed and the
case is in order for hearing.
The following suits have been begun
against the city:
Harrie B. Coe VS. City of Portland
John Doughty VS. same.
The Coe case has been settled by an or
der passed by the City Council for the
conveyance of the lot of land on Pine
street to she plaintiff.
John Dough rs claim was for work
done at Evergreen Cemetery and haslbeen
satisfactorily settled.
Two cases have been instituted the past
week involving the itinerant vendors
law.
The most important office work has
been the writing of an opinion on theLane
law, as affecting the Comm issioner of
Public Works; report to the City Coun-
oil in regard to the Boston and Maine
crossing and legal questions on electric
railroad construction.
Few of the many claims against tho
city have been fayorably considered, and
those at tritiing expense to the city.
Matters relating to the revision of the
City Charter received some attention.
CITY PHYSICIAN.
DR.. Pudor, city physician, says that
the number of ths poor dependent upon
the city physician increases every year.
The condition of many of the tenements
of the poorer Glasses is filthy in the ex-
treme. The adult poor suffer from chron-
10 disease, the result of undertaking,
overwork and drink, and their children
Inherit feeble constitutions which the
conditions of their lives render an easy
prey to disease. Typhoid and scarlet
fever and ether acute diseases have not
been as prevalent as. usual the past year.
There was an epidemic Of diphtheria,
but the stringent methods of the Board
of Health strangled it in its infancy.
Pneumonia has. ragged with fatal effect.
The hospital has been put in first rate
sanitary condition. New bath rooms
have been put in and the old ones util-
lied for much needed rooms. The ca
pacity of the hospital is fifty and the
average for the year has been about
forty. DR.. Pudor .. recommends
the careful numbering of all the houses
in the city as much valuable. time Is lost
trying to locate family. His report
closes with tribute to the faithfulness
of the nurses. A list of all diseases and
operations and number of patients is ap-
pended. The number of cases from pneu-
monia in the city that came under his
charge was SIX with one death, and in
the hospital eight with seven deaths;
scarlet fever two in the city, no deaths,
diphtheria eleven in the city, two deaths;
typhoid fevsr. three in the city, no deaths,
and six in the hospital, one death. There
were SOB cases of all kinds of disease
brought to his attention in the city with
twenty-three deaths, and three hundred
and ten in the hospital with thirty seven
deaths. There were 210 families visited,
492 patients seen. of which 1877 were I'M
der and 265 over fifteen years of age; 1888
calls made; 70 operations performed; SO
blrths. 20 deaths; total number of pa
tlenrs in the hospital, 276
CITY MARSHAL.
City Marshal Triokey's report is not
yet ready to hand into the city govern
ment. but from it we are able to give
these figures:
Arrests, 1880
Warrants served, 1876
Seizures made, 1872
Amount or beer seized, 5,937 gal
Amount Of liquor seized, 351 gal
Value stolen property re-
covered, So, 906. 81
Received for empty liquor
vessels and paid to city
treasurer, $484 81
Stores found open and Sc
cured, 1872
Fees from hack aud dray
Licenses paid to city treasurer, Sal 90.
TRUANT OFFICER.
The truant officer reports:
School visitations, 779
Cases investigated 1896
Visits on families, 3, 553
Reports of parents or guardians, 56
Scholars returned to school without
arrest, 80
Committed to school, recorded arrest 10
Furnished with clothing, 14S
l am under great obligations to the
superintendent and teachers.
EBEN S. BURNS,
4 a n a Il a A.