The evening times., 1896-09-29
HUMAN
LIVES
PUT IN
JEOPARDY,

the ADacostia River, which appear as dis
ease-brecdcTs and 4 menace 10 the health
of the community. Captain Beach says:
The condition of Rock Creek is some
thing which, tits believed. the people OF the
District re not, in gene raj, ware of. 1t is u
small stream. about fIlty feet wide, closed
by dam d its mouth. This dam destroys
all current for a distance of over a mile
back from the Potomac. The wage Of a
larger portion of Georgetown and aiflhat
portion OF Washington north of B street
and west of Fourteenth street Is thrown
into this stagnant water. The result upon
the health of the community is thus worse
than if the entire city of Alexandria would
use the creek for dumping the waste ma
terial OF that city. what the action of the
citizens would be should Alexandria at
tempt any such thing is not hard TO predict,
but since the material now deposited there
is brought there invisihly, there seems TO be
no appreciation Of the bad conditions re-
sultiDg and the necessity for remedy.
1t is an outrage upon the whole com
munty but especially upon the portion
resident in the western part Of the city,
that a clear, limpid stream should be thus
wantouly converted into stagnant pool,
Instead OF being utilized for sanitary pur-
poses its usefulness in that direction is de-
liberately destroyed, and it is permitte; to
exhale mepbitic and miasnatic vapors
which poison the atmosphere and cause
a variety OF zymotic diseases. The mag
nitudc OF the evil could not be stated more
rorcefully. if columns were written about
it, than Capt. Beach does it.
Concerning Auacustia, the situation is
In. l,ic
Beach states:
Do A somewhat similar condition Of affairs
exists along he Anacostia River. where the
various sewers from the eastern portion Of
the city discharge their contents into the
shallow stream. these being carried At high
tied over the wide flats bordering the
shores, and being lec. there at low tide, de-
compose, and are most detrimental and
dangerous 10 the health Of people dwelling
along the banks of that stream and for
some distance back from it. An eXamina-
ton of the medical statistics OF Anacostia
or of the hospital records at the navy yard
will furnish abundant proof OF this state
-ment.
Here are two thickiy settled sections of
the city whose residents are afflicted with
diseases arising frcm conditions that are
Gscrihable soiely 10 the failure Of Congress.
to make the necessary appropriations for
such public works as would remedy the
evil. 1t is shame that this state Of
things should be permitted at the capital
cr the country. If the removal Of the OF,
jectiunab!e features were only ques-
tion of convenience, or Identification of
surroundings, delay would perhaps be ex-
cusable, but where the health and lives Of
thousands Of people is involved anything
but prompt action is little less than Grim
ipal negligence.
"The importance" says Capt. Beach, ''of
beginning the sewage disposal system
promptly and with sufficient means to
carry ii far enough to put t in proper Con-
ditiun is such that every effort should be
made by both Commissioners and citizens
to secure sufficient funds for the purpose
without delay"