The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-16
A DISSECTING KNIFE
CHAIRMAN TABER LAYS BARE DIsss
EhsFGD PARTS. .s-.'1'
or CleipSoIs s:o1iege--Crlticisms OF Trristees
IS,Iied to md Ossa Is Piled Oh Pol
iOn-A Shocking State.
To the Editor of The State:

10 the Editor OF The State:
In the latter part of June, the COM
mittee of the State board of health
we're instructed to investigate tho
cause and type Of fever at Clemson,
and to report the results to the gov
ernor. This was done and the re-
port of tho committee was published
throughout the State. Tho Register
OF the 10th OF July contains state
mont by the trustees of Clemson, in
which they criticise the report of the
committee, and while denying cer-
tain statements made by them, they
affirm additionally, that the oxamina-
ton of Clemson by the committee
had been livery cursory and imper|
feet" Against professional gentle-
mon, sent upon an impsit tant mis-
sion by the highest authority of the
"StaJe, these charges are grave, and
cannot pass unchallenged. The COM
mittee were content to determine the
type of the fever, and, by request, to
make whatever suggestions they
thought best. They blamed no one,
oven by insinuation, and were very
glad to be the means, if possible, of
relieving tho officials of Clemson of
unpleasant embarrassment. It is to
be greatly regretted therefore, that
the trustees failed to appreciate the
delicate position of the committee,
and have forced them into print in
self defence. The trustees claim
that the "cursory and imperfect ex-
animation made by the State board
of health is shown by the fact that
two palpable errors are made in
their report. The dairy which they
place undor the ban, as a probable
cause of disease, WAS not built on q
pond which had been filled in."
In reply we beg to state, upon au-
thority, that the present site of the
dairy had been bathing pond made
by the Calhouns and had been filled
in with earth and then underdrained.
Our informant even pointed out
whore 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 incli-
nation, nor the right to question. In
fact the statement is apparently con-
tirmed by the character of the soil
and it's surroundings.
The trustees in further denial of
our report, assert that there "is not
7tisingle privy on the surrounding
hills above the dairy" We were in
formed that tho hills we're often used
for unsanitary purposes in place of
water closets. This we found to be
truo.
On the hill above, and to the
north Of the dairy, and at the foot of
the hill within three or four feet of
the spring, we found abundant ex-
crementious matter.
This condition Of things was really
worse than a privy on the hilltop.
On tho opposite hill, at the hotel,
thore wore two prlves- ono at the
stable, which was visited by myself
and Dr. Reese, and the other at the
hotel, examined by DR.. Evans.
Somewhat southeasterly from the
dairy is n dwelling, where, we were
informed, there was an additional
privy.
But moro than all these, and how
evopincredible, we found spring
(Privy Z? located within the dairy, 10
oMl 2 feet from the milk and butter,
. s'ad the room in which the privy was
was placed filled with offensive gas
es. Furthermore, from the ground
without the building noxious gases
were escaping, either from the pipo
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 "the statement is
made three separate times that the
water closets should be outside of
the barracks, and not inside, and
should be detached from them. In
fact, tho wator closets were removed
from the buildings moro two years