Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-17
NEED A PEST HOUSE
City Physician Says Smallpox May
Break Out Here.
CITY COUNCIL AND BOARD OF HEALTH
Brief, Busy Session Held Last Evening
-Waterworks Plans and specifica-
lions Adopted-Library Trustees
Given Authority to Sell Property.
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily.
That the city is in immediate dang
ger of an invasion of smallpox is evil
dent from pressing request made by
City Physician ], F. Herrick, in the
board of health meeting last night
He asked that the city authorities
make arrangements for a pest house
at their earliest possible convenience
| in order that cases, should there be
any in the near future, or at any time,
may be properly looked after on
short notice.
| The doctor presented his monthly
report, which showed that there were
twenty-three deaths in December,tw
of which resulted from typhoid fever.
Four cases of this fever were reported
during the month. There was one case
lof diphtheria but prompt attention
prevented spread of the disease.
The report was accompanied by the
following request, and the whole was
unanimously adopted and the recon-
lamentations unanimously concurred
| in:
| Pest House Needed.
"In view of the prevalence of small
pox In Iowa and adjoining states,
would earnestly recommend that a
place suitable for an isolation hospi-
tai be at once secured; and that a
suitable building be provided. On a
former occasion / recommended that
instead of permanent building, a
light portable one be secured, one that
could be taken down in sections and
stored when not in use and which
could be hauled out and set up in a
couple of hours in case of emergency
| believe such a building for a city of
this size would be most economical,
would be in no danger of destruction
when not in use; and when there was
no need of it's use would relieve the
neighhorhood of the permanent pres
ence of pest house. feel that this
lshould be attended to at once for at any
hour We may find smallpox and be
compelled to deal with it,
An Alleged Nuisance.
Alderman Keefe reported the exist
ence Of an alleged nuisance on lot
adjoining the home of John Wagner,
205 North Davis street. He said that
Mr.. Wagner had complained that a
neighbor is keeping five COWS and one
horse In a lot, two feet from the line
H.,
which he believes is contaminated on
account of the filth which there is in
the animal lot. The complaint was
referred to the sanitary committee
Library Matters.
Frank Simmons, member of the
board of library trustees, was granted
permission to address the board as a
council of the whole, on the matter of
the disposition of the property situat-
ed on the Daggett library site, and
when the members convened in an adj
Ijourned council session few minutes
later, the library board was vested
with full authority to dispose of the
building and other personal property
situated on the Daggett lots. 1t was
provided in the resolution which was
adopted that the committee may re-
tain the proceeds of the sale with
(which to meet minor incidental ex-
penses, making an accounting of
course for the same at the proper
thine.
Paving Settlement.
The council voted to permit w. T.
Harper, Jr., and G. A. Aveilhe to make
settlements for their North Court paw.
ling cost on the same basis as a settle
ment made some time ago by Major
A. HI. Hamilton.
The Park for Draymen.
There was no complete report on
the matter referred to the street com
mittee week ago. looking to the
lcity's renting the Devin lot near the
Union depot. as place for parking
1.-THE dray and express wagons operat-
Oh, r. -,
ldentally stated by member of the
committee that he understood that
5000 per year would be asked as rent
Ial for the property. The committee
was given further time for investigat.
ling the matter The report was to
have been made by Alderman Asbury
who was said to be absent on account
lof illness.
! An Ordinance Amended.
1 An ordinance was introduced and on
suspension of the rules passed, amend
ling section 10, of chapter SO of the re-
vised ordinances of 1898, so as to
make the bonds of contractors to
whom are awarded contracts for i'm
|provements, 35 per cent instead of So
lper cent of the estimated total cost
lprice.
l The WaterWorks.
Here the council recessed for flew
minutes" put it was In the neighbor.
hood of two hours later when the wat.
er committee left the committee room
with something UP its sleeve" on the
waterworks question.
/ When the council was reconvened
lit proceeded to a consideration of the
proposed waterworks proposition, and
the result is given in full in another