The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-07-22
"A CAUSTIC ISEJOINDEIs.
Chairman Taber Further Exposes
the Situation at Clemson College.

Chairman Taber Further Exposes
the Situation ut Clemson College.
To the Editor of The State:
In the latter part of Juno, the com
mittcc Of the State board OF health
werc instructed to investigate the
cause and type Of fever at Clemson,
and to report the results to the Cover
nor. This was done and the report OF
the committee WIS published through.
out the State. The Register of tho
10th Of July contains statement by
the trustees Of Clemson, in which they
criticisc the report OF the committee
and while denying certain statements
made by them, they affirm udditiOnally ly
that tho examination Of Clemson b
the committee had been Every cursorS
gentlemen, sent upon an important
mission by the highest authority Of tho
State, these charges are grave anC
cannot pass hal!cngcd. The com
mittcc were content to determine tho
type OF the fever, and, by request, tc
make whatever suggestions they
thought best. They blamed no one,
even by insinuaLiOn, and were very
glad to be the means, If possible, Of re-
lieving the officials Of Clemson OF un-
pleasant embarrassment 1t is to be
greatly regretted therefore, that the
trustees failed to appreciate the deli
cate position OF the committee, and
have forced them into print in self
defence. G'he trustees claim that the
cursOry and imperfect examination
made by the State board of health is
shown by the fact that two palpablc
l,,.s,
dairy which they place under The ban,
built in pond which had been filled
in"
In reply We beg to state, upon uu-
thority, that the present site OF the
dairy had been a bathing pond made
by the Calhouns and had been filled in
with earth and then unQ crdra med.
Our informant even pointed out
where the dam stood. There could
have been no motive for one deeply
Interested in the welfare OF Clemson,
to have invented this statement, the
truth OF which we had neither inclina-
tion, nor tho right to question: In
fact tho statement is apparently con-
iirmcd by the character Of the soil and
its surroundings.
The trustees in further denial Of our
report, assert, that there "iS not Il
single privy on the surrounding hills
above the dairy" We were informed
that tho hills were often used for un-
sanitary purposes in place Of the water
closets. This VIC found to be true.
On the hill above, and to the north
OF the dairy, and at tho foot OF the hill
within three or four feet of the spring.
We found abundant cxcrcmentitious
matter.
This condition Of things was really
worse than a privy on the hilltop. On
the opposite hill, at the hotel there
were two privics-one at the stable,
which was visited by myself and Dr..
Reese, and the other ;.t the hotel,
examined by DR.. Evans. Somewhat
sOuthcastcrly from the dairy IS a
dwelling, where we were informed,
there was an additional privy.
But more than all these, and how
ever incredible, we found q spring
(prOvy?) located within the dairy. 10
or II feet from the milk and butter,
and the room in which the privy was
placed was filled with one nsivc gases.
Furthermore, from the ground with
out the building noXiOuS gases were
escaping, either from the pipe Of the
privy or from the sewer, which,
strange to say, runs within two or three
feet Of the dairy.
We quote again from the trustees,
who claim that "thc statement Is made
closets should be outside, OF the bar
racks, and not inside, and should
bo detached from them. In fact, the
water closets were removed from the
buildings more than two years ago.
by substituting "but' for "and,"
as was intended, tho sentence will be
changed to Il simple affirmation that
water closets should not be within the
main buildings. The report Of the
committee was hastily prepared and
illcgibly written, hence number OF
typographical errors appear. The
second time the statement Is made
"that water closets shOuld be detached
from dwellings," has reference plainly
and uncquivocally to private dwellings,
and the third time the statement IS
used to impress the fact that water
closets should be detached from build
ings. There IS, therefore, no ground
for the trustees to assume that the
committee failed to recognize that the
water closets were detached from The
barracks by Il latticcd gallery ID feet
long. The trustees might have visited
Clemson for Il game Ct "blind man 3
buf," but not so with the committee.
Hitherto the committed confined
themselves to reporting the sanitary
defects Of Clemson. What shall they
say Of it's management Shall we
speak Of the diet, pronounced made,
quatc for students whose physical and
mental powers arc taxed by an cX'
hausting curriculum and by tho
severity OF military discipline: That
the students arc required, when the
days work is ended, TO be shut up il
their rooms from an hour after sunsc
until bedtime, to swcItcr in a building
] little superior, in sanitary arrange
ments, to tho Libby prison in Rich