The Worcester spy., 1899-08-12
SEWERAGE SYSTEM,
Leicester Needs 1t
/ More Than Any
thing Else.
EEAR mr. FEVER EpInEMIn
FEAR OF FEVER EPIDEMIC.
Illegal Selling of Beer in
Cherry Valley
Notes.

Leicester, Aug. 1.-THE state high
way commission has a problem to solve
which will require deal of legal ad-
vice and scheming to accomplish. Su.
pervlstng Engineer G. A. Johnston re-
Gently said to w. A. Bell, superintend-
ent Of streets, that the commission
would try to prevent the sink water
and surface drainage from several
houses along Main street in Cherry
Valley from running into the ditch,
where it has no opportunity to drain
off.
Main street is cut into a hill, and
along the north side the ground slopes
more or less sharply towards the
street. From many houses notably
near the Auburn corner, at Browns
barn, and near the city line, the sink
water and other Objectionable drainage
can run no way except to the street
The board of health have also had q
turn at the problem. Henry C. Evans,
chairman of the board, was asked
about the matter tonight. When told
the commission was to take the mat
ter in, hand, he said:
Il will be glad to see the commission
solve the problem, and can assure you
the Leicester board of health has had
all the trouble it wants over the mat
ter. About two or three years ago the
board of health took up the subject and
went SO far as to have officer j. A.
Quinn serve notices on every property
owner affected to keep his drainage
from flowing into the ditch. We found
that if drains We're built under the
road, the contents would naturally
flow into Kettle brook This was pre-
vented by an injunction brought by
the town Of Millbury restraining mill
owners and others from allowing drain
age to flow into Kettle brook. The peo-
pie had no other place for their drain
age to go, and the only way we could
prevent it was to bring them before
the courts. This could have done little
good, and public opinion was against
it, so nothing was done. All the COM
mission can do is to clean the cutters
and then stop up the sink spouts, and
/ am waiting to see them solve the
problem"
Another question confronts Cherry
Valley. Kettle brook is very low, and
so are the mill ponds. No water has
flowed into Waite's reservoir except
what falls IN rain, for several months.
The water from this pond is used to
sequence they are very low, with no
prospect OF much change in their con-
dition.
Mr.. Evans expressed himself as fear
full that an epidemic Of typhoid fever
or some such disease, might be caused
among residents near the water The
stencil from the mud becomes worse
every day. The mud contains impuri-
ties from the wooden mills along the
banks and has for years.
Before the city of Worcester took
Kettle brook, the mill owners were al
lowed all the water they wanted Now
it is all needed by the city. Something
must be done, and a sewerage system
appears to be the only remedy, al
though this would seem to be rather
impossible of fulflment under present
conditions.
A case of typhoid fever in a house on
Brook street was reported to the board
of health by DR.. G. G. Stearns. The
Infection here was thought to have
been caused by impurity in the well.
The Leicester selectmen have taken
steps by which the Illegal selling of
beer in Cherry Valley by Worcester
beer teams will be prohibited. Last
Wednesday, Chairman =. j. McDer-
mott notified the driver of one team,
trips, that he had better stop or take
the consequences. Today that team
came UP and got a load of empty cases,
but brought up no liquor. Another
Worcester saloon keeper runs a regu-
lar team into the hamlet, but as vet
has received no notification to desist-
This team came up with a load Thurs
day. Beer teams have a perfect right
to drive into town from Worcester and
deliver goods ordered at the saloon,
but 1t is claimed that it is sold from
the teams Mr.. McDermott told a re-
porter today that he intended such
traffic should be stopped.
The funeral of Miss Mary Ann Bren-
nan was held this morning from the
house of William L. Carney. At 8
o'clock requiem high mass was eele-
brated by Rev. J. f. Redican at ST.
Joseph's Church. The Young Ladies'
Sodalfty, of which she was a member,
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