Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-03-01
CITY COUNCIL.

i"A 80 HutuDSl VI SpeCldtOiS aPpooipN
without the bar, it being supposed the
proceedings would be animated by the
friction between the Mayor, Health
Officer and Board of Health concerning
the management OF the cases Of smallpox
existing in this city The proceedings
however, were OF no extraordinary
character, everything being done ex-
peditiously and in cool and deliberate
manner and nothing whatever of On
exciting or interesting nature occurred.
BOARD OF ALDERMEN.
As is usual, the members were slow
in gathering, and it was eleven minu-
ties to S o'clock when the board Was
| called to order.
Mr.. Havener, in the absence of Mr..
Marbury, was elected chairman pro
TEN.
After the reading of the minutes of
the preceding meeting, no business APP
| pearing, on motion of MIR. Dobie a re-
cess waa declared subject to the call Of
the chair.
In about half an hours time some
papers which had been acted on by the
| Common Council were received, among
| them bills of Doctor Miller, Health Of
ficer, and Of Doctors I. S. Gibson, T
NJ Jones, l.. h. Quackenbush, Arthur
; Snowden, Hugh Mcclure and H. p.
Howard. The bills had been referred
TO the finance committee, and on mo-
ton OF Mr.. Sweeney the action OF the
lower board was concurred in. The
y
bills aggregate Sl ,002.50.
The resignation of Mr.. Worth Hui
| fish as q member of the Board of Health
was received from the Common Coun-
Gil, that board having accepted it, and
their action, on motion OF MIR. Dobie,
was concurfed in.
Some routine business was subse
quentIy received from the Common
| Council and their action concurred in.
a report OF the committee on gen.
eral laws, to whom was referred the
matter CT the water supply of the city
in connection with the analyses recent
| ~ made recommending Il postpone
ment of action Jntil further notice, was
received from the Common Council
and on motion of Mr.. Dobie their ac-
| ton was coucurred in.
The President pro TEN. asked Mr..
Sweeney if he was ready to call up the
resolution reducing the price OF gas,
laid over at q subsequent meeting.
Mr.. Sweeney replied TO the effect
that it was not necessary, as the com
mittee on light would soon formulate
a report which would cover all he de-
sired.
Another long intermission followed,
after which Il communication from the
, Board of Health, enclosing
communication they had received
from the Mayor was received
from the Common Council. The
! Board of Health in their message
stated that they were unable TO pro-
| coed with their duties until their pow
ers were defined. The communication
from the Mayor, or the substance of it,
having heretofore been published in
the GaZettee, was not read. The &C
ton of the lower board in referring
| both papers to the committee on general
laws was concurred in,
An ordinance compelling physicians
or householders to report all cases Of
smallpox under penalty of fine or i'm
prisonment, and prescribing queran-
Tine rules, &C., passed by the Common
| Council was next read.
Mr.. Smoot called attention to the
clause imposing penalty upon the
owners OF houses who rented the same
after the quarantine had been raised
without first fumigeting them under
enalty of fine. He asked, Who is
TO pay for such fumigation? He did not
think the owner should, after in all
probability he had lost his rent.
Mr.. Ballepger thought the city should
do the fumigating.
Mr.. Dobie thought it would be Unfair
to compel the owner to go to such an
expense under the circumstances. He
moved that the section be stricken
out. There was some times question
whether real smallpox did exist in GER
! tain houses.
Mr.. Sweeney suggested that the
Health Officer should not remove the
flag until such cleansing had taken
place. Hence the question under dis
cussion should never arise.
1t was generally agreed, however,
that the ordinance was by no means
plain on the subject, and Mr.. Smoot
dictated an amendment to the clerk
which the latter proceeded to write,
making it the duty of the Health Off
Ger to fumigate such houses at the ex-
peDse of the city.
Some debate followed, which was
participated in by nearly all the men,
bers, Mr.. Dobie calling attention to the
! fact that in one case in the First ward
white family in which six cases OF
smallpox had existed had been allowed
to 90 into the streets thirteen days af-
ter they had been stricken, while in
another case, that of another white man,
the patient had been kept in the house
thirty-fve days. Now who was to
Judge the Health Officer in his actions?
He finally moved that the entire ordi-
nance be laid on the table, as the lower
board had adjourned, and nothing
could be done anyhow. His motion
was adopted.
An ordinance passed by the Common
Council, directing the Health Officer
| 10 keep uaDulateu SJalement CT cases
OF smallpox aud other contagious dis.
eases, was next read. When the
clause imposing fine of s. for failure
to report such cases was read some
members suggested that the penalty be
made $50 and others 800, but the ordi.
nance was finally passed without
amendment.
An ordinance compelling physicians
to report all cases of chicken.pox,
passed by the Common Council, was
also adopted, and the board shortly Of