The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-07-24
HEALTH OF ELKTON.
SANITARY MEETING IN COUNCIL
HALL.
Addresses and Opinions of State Health
Officer Fulton, Local Health Officer
RrattOn and Dr.. C. M. Ellis.

Bratton and Dr.. C. M. Ellis.
The sanitary condition of Elkton was dis
cussed at Il meeting of citizens in Council
Hall on Friday night of last week. at which
plans were considered looking toward the
adoption of such measures as are needed to
insure the highest state of public health pos
sible.
While the general health of Elkton is con-
sidered good us compared with other Mary
land towns of its standard, yet it was demon
strated on Friday night that in certain locali-
ties of the town the death rate is far above
that which it should be, especially in the
extreme northeastern section, which is in
habted almost entirely by colored people.
DR.. John S. Fulton, Secretary OF the State
Board of Health. and DR.. Howard Bratton
Local Health Officer, made searching in
spection of the town on Friday and upon
which both reported at the meeting. Their
reports treated the subjects of drink
ing water, sewerage. disposition of refuse
matter. and the existence of all nuisances
and menaces to the public health. The Ques-
ton of sanitation was also discussed by Dr.
c. NJ. Ellis. President OF the State Medical
Society, and also by Dr. John II. Jamar. who
spoke especially of the successful system in
operation at the iall. After the question had
been treated thoroughly by the physicians it
was opened for general discussion. aud the
various plans before the meeting were talked
over.
Health Officer Bratton.
DR.. Bratton, Secretary of the Local Board
of Health, in his review OF the unsantary
condition of the town, called attention to the
variance in the health laws as enforced by
the town and State--the State holding the
maker of any nuisance responsible. while the
town ordinance dealt with the owner of the
property on which the nuisance occurred
To secure the prompt enforcement of hygenc
measures he said the town authorities should
be empowered to deal directly with the maker
of nuSances. He instanced case where a
tenant runs foul waste water to the premises
of another party, while the owner of the
property from which the nuisance enunates
claims that the nuisance is not upon him.
The owner of the land upon which the foul
water collects says that it is not his tenant
who creates the nuisance, and IN injunction
from the court will be necessary to close up
this sink hole which has become offensive.
In speaking of the mortality rate in the
town, he said that it was surprisingly large
among the colored infants in this section of
the town. and that the mortality among the
colored population was far in excess of the
rate among the white population.
State Health Officer Fulton.
DR.. Fulton in his address, dwelt largely
upon the quality of the drinking water as OBJ
tanned from wells which although he was un-
ableto examine them exhaustively through the
town, from the several cases which had come
under his notice, he considered very bad
being more or less polluted by the drainage
water and other refuse stuff which filters
through the ground to the springs supplying
the wells. OF three samples of well water
one taken from a we'll in the northeastern
section OF the town (the colored section)
contained 32O per cent. of chlorine, another
sample of well water from the central section
of the town. near Main and Bow streets, con-
tained 200 per cent. of chlorine, while the
third, taken from the western part of town,
contained 100 per cent of chlorine the
quality of this water being readily appre,
ciated when it is understood that pure water
should contain only per cent of chlorine
The water supplied by the water works, while
not what could be termed excellent, was
nevertheless fairly good and far superior, he
thought, to the we'll water. His opinion was
that it would be better for the citizens to
drink the town supply than the water from
the wells.
In speaking of the drainage of the town
DIR. Fulton stated that our system of sewer
age was very imperfect, and bad as it was he
had found it in several places polluted by
the matter from the water closets this being
the case of an open sewer running through
the center of the town. He stated that a
complete sewerage system could be built in
Elkton for very moderace cost the general
lay of the land being very favorable for the
work. main sewer twenty-four inches
such as is now on Bridge street would be
sufficient to carry away all the drain water
of the town.
In the disposition of night soil the town,
he said, is lacking in system-in fact, there
is no system-each person being permitted to
adopt any and every plan he may sea fit, the
result being that there are in the town surface
closets and cesspits of the worst and most
dangerous types. There is no inspection as
to the condition in which they are main
tanned, and the effect is detrimental in a seri-
Gus degree to the health of the town. These
cesspits in certain sections of the town pollute
the strata of gravel underlying the town, and
the effect upon the wells can be easily per-
eeived, and while they may be less offensive
their danger is as great as the closet deposi-
tions on the surface or in the open sewer
drains.
In speaking upon the sanitary condition of
the northeastern section of the town. in and
around Collins Lane and Paradise Alley, he
stated that hygienic measures were sadly
needed there, that the colored population
was compacted there as great as in any sec
tion OF the State, and that many and serious
nuisances existed there. In making his re-
port pertaining to this section of the town.
forcibly he used this figure: ''That If the
farmers Of Cecil county had rs much trouble
In raising their sheep as do the colored peo-
pie of this section Of Elkton their infants
tIn nfl dol fa Al