The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-07-14

west to the barracks and south and
east through a gradually developed
valley, round and about the dairy and
into the r~avine, which is the natural
vent Of most of the water Of adjacent
hills upon the cast. north and south
ern sides. On the northern edge of
the ~ravine, in the valley, is located
the dairy, a building probably fifty
feet square. The site upon which it
stands had been a small pond, which
had been filled in with debris of varia-
BILE character, organic and inorganic,
and had been partially tiled and
drained. Between the dairy and the
abrupt hills north there is a small
space in which two springs rise. The
larger spring was said to become mud.
dy after a rain, and, accordingly, it
had been enclosed with brick on three
sides. The smaller spring, beside the
door Of the dairy, is included in q,
casing of impervious material, about
two feet in length by n foot in
width. This spring sometimes be-
comes milky and is used exclusively
in preparing the products of the dairy.
The day of our arrival it rained heavily
and the next morning we traced the
storm water from the adjacent hills
over and around the imperfectly con-
structed storm ditch, beside the
spring and upon the limited area &C.
cupied by the dairy. On the surround
ing hills wei which the storm water
flows are open privies, to which no
especial attention had been given, and
the contents of which must be washed
by each recurring rain into the valley
and thence into the ravine.
Your committee, in continuance of
their duty, examined the barracks,
which they found defective in loca-
ton, in construction, in ventilation
and in its system Of sewerage. Mois-
ture is an essential element in the
| process of organic decomposition in
the soil by which mysterious and
dangerous products are evolved, heat
and a moderate supply of air being
necessary to this process. In the
construction Of a dwelling the SAM
tartan adopts the most efficient means
for excluding dampness from the
foundation walls and from the base
ment floors, for protecting the soil
from impurities and to render it dryer,
by underground drainage and by open
ing the outflow. To prevent the pol
luton of the ground air is Of pressing
Importance, and it is to be accomplish
ed by removing the source of contami-
nation, by facilitating the natural
process of publication and by reliev.
ing the overtaxed powers of the soil
by drainage and a~eration.
In the second place, protective
measures must be resorted to for addi-
tional security. Be it remembered
that cellars, as usually constructed,
do not constitute a barrier to the es-
cape of air from the subsoil, and this
is especially so in buildings which are
heated artifcially, in which case there
is superadded a suction force created
by the ascending rarefeld air. While
it is impossible to prevent the aera-
ton of ground air it can by suitable
devices be diverted into other and
less hurtful channels, and its danger
Gus influence minimized.
The foundation walls and the base
ment flooring of the entire building
should rest upon a bed Of i%mpervious
material and should have ventilating
chamber under the entire surface of
the cellar floor, separated from the
basement by an intervening pavement:
The chamber should be connected
with a chimney fue to carry off the
ground air which rises in autumn,
winter and spring. During the sum-
mer, when the ground air sinks, a
current of fresh air hurries downward
and rises to the heated surface outside
of the building.
Your committee failed to find that
these ordinary sanitary requirements
for protection against ground air and
moisture had been met in the construc-
ton of the dairy and the barracks.
In the matter of ventilation there is
no adequate arrangement in the bar
racks to get rid of the stagnant air,
charged with carbonic acid gas, which
must abound to an injurious extent in
such an unscientifcally constructed
building, with it's hundreds eliminates.
In addition the water closets are i'm
properly located and should not be
with the main buildings, for the pip
ing for the disposal of excretion is
liable to be d~eranged by the gradual
subsistence of the building and by
other causes, which may loosen the
joints and allow the escape of sewer
gas. Assuming the number Of in
mates of the barracks to be 300, the
aggregate amount of said cxcreta for
twelve months would probably be
seven tons and about IL, 900 gallons of
urine.
To secure the continuous and rapid
removal of this excreta and to prevent
pollution of air and soil by their TEN.
porary detention is an interesting
problem in sanitary science. To &C.
complish this purpose the ewers must
be perfectly tight throughout, so that
whatever enters may pass to the out
let without leakage. The movement
throughout the sewer must be contin-
uous from head to outlet, without
hating to putrefy. Besides the sewer
must be perfectly ventilated, so that
accumulated gases may not form and
force themselves through the traps to
the dwellings. Adequate means must
be provided for inspecting and flush
ing the sewers, the size and form Of
which must be perfectly adjusted to
its flushing appliances, that the usual
dry weather flow may be made to keep
it free from silt and organic deposits.
The following conclusions have been
reached by your committee
First. That while it is not improba-
bic that there has been some malarial
fever at Clemson, it is unquestionable
that the prevailing fever is typhoid.
Second. That the open privies have
been the prime cause of infection, and
We view with suspicion the products
of the dairy, in the manufacture Of
which spring water at that place is
used.