The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-12-22
Winthrop Closed.
Board Adopts Commissions
Recommendation.

nomes owing 10 tne aoopuoD oy the
board of recommendation of the ply
sicians' commission that the college be
closed down for the present All over
the State asxious parents will be re.
joiced to get their daughters home
again even if they run the risk of tax
lag the smallpox Yesterday afternoon
quite number Of the '.giris in blue''
passed through the city bound Cor their
respective homes, to remain there until
all danger of the spreading of small
pox in Rock Hill has passed
Yesterday afternoon Governor Eler-
be returned from Rock Hill where he
bad been to attend the meeting of the
board of trustees. When seen be made
public the following report of the COM
mission he sent to the Winthrop college
on Monday last:
Rock Hill S. c.. Dec 13. 1877.
To His Excelleucy. w n Ellerbe,
Governor. Columbia, s c.
Sir: In compliance With your in-
structioos We to-day inspected Win.
tbrop college aod its surroundings, in
cludiag water supply, dairy, laundry,
kitchen, plumbing. etc
It gives US pleasure to say that every
facility for making as searching exami.
nation as the time woold permit was
afforded us BY the members Of the
faculty and the officers of the institu.
tion as we'll as by the local authorities
IN Rock Hill
That the general health of the stu
dents has been very good since the COL
lege opened September 80, is indicated
! by the few absences from class attend
auce During our visit only one per-
sen vas i'll in the infrmary and that vas
DR.. Miller, the resident physician
At least FIVE pupils have been sent
home on account of illness
So far as we can learn there have
been in the college this fall several cases
of continued fever
As to the origin Of this fever we can
give no positive opinion The plumb
ing Of the institution appears to US to be
unusually good. The source Of the
water supply is not above suspicion.
The State. it appears, owns one acre
only about the pumping station. A
feeding place for cattle is located with
In Is feet of the wells
The droppings of COWS are piled up
pear the intervening fence as we'll as
being found commonly distributed near
er the wells These driven wells are
respectively 26, %. Sc aud 49 feet in
depth, according to recent measure
ments made by. the engineer The
wells are driven 10 soft. porous clay.
formerly a marsh, which receives a
portion of the. storm water from the
surrounding bills The surface drain
age near the wells as well as the dip of
the adjoining hills is not ideal. Some
Of these objections may easily be re-
moved
Adjacent to the Laundry is an un-
covered cistern with capacity of aboue
100 000 gallons, which receives this
roof-water from the buildings and is
intended for emergency in event Of Gre
We are Informed that upon two occa-
sions this supply has been drawn upon
for drinking purpose. We recommend
the Immediate examination chemically
aud bacteriologically of samples of the
drinking water.
Another sanitary matter to which
our attention vas called by the
mayor Of Rock Hill is the
disposal Of the sewage of the col
lege. The present system is satisfac-
tory SO far as danger to the institution
is concerned in that it empties into a
small stream-Park brapcb-half a
mile TO the southwest Of the main
building The sewage is tbeoce car
ried 10 an open stream liued with uu-
derbrrsh about another half mile to a
pond adjacent to the Arcade mill This
stream is thus rendered a nuisance to
the dwellers on its banks. and in our
opipioo this nuisance should be abated
by continuing the terra Gotta sewer to q
point below the Arcade mill pond.
It appears to Us that an error in
sanitation has been committed in dump.
ing night soil from the city Of Rock
Hill upon the banks of Park brapch
bali a mile from the college This
practice has been stopped since last
summer, but the heaps of excrematious
matter should be removed as they are
menace to public health.
A possible source of danger exists in
the march lyiog to the northwest Of the
main dormitory purchased last June.
Good work has been done already 10
uuderdrainioe this land but additional
tiliog is needed and should be pat 10
this winter.
So far as We can judge, the dairy is
excclleu,ly managed and the milk pro