The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-05-21
My TIE LAUNDRY MAS cLostD.
"a Statement Of Facts BY Health Officer,
Explaining Attitude Of City Authorities.


Editor Item The general impression
that the Board Of Health and City
Council ordered the Model Steam
Laundry closed down is erroneous. On
the contrary, both Of those bodies have
been and are still doing everything
possible to devise some scheme to
assist Mr.. Charles O'Brien, the pro-
pT1etor, to dispose Of the waste water,
and he has not been interfered with
or requested or ordered to close his
laundry. Mr.. O'Brien, on the other
hand, has done nothing to solve the
problem OF disposing Of the waste water,
because, as he said, 8 that it would not
pay him to lay a line of pipe to any of
the city bitches far away because the
patronage received from the city Of
Sumter did not warrant such an
expense and shat he received nearly all
of his business from ohter places. =
He also said, and think from ex-
.perience he is correct, y that digging
another dry we'll would do no
sgood, and that $ he would shut down
before he would spend a cent or do
anything.
order Of Board Of Health i wrote
TO other places. requesting Information
assto disposal of the Wasteg water from
steam lauadEsses, but the=informat1on
received did not solve the problem here,
because Sumter has no sewerage sys-
tenn and because the Sumter Steam
Laundry was placed in the5Worstposs
be place because Of there being no
city dralns OF bitches nearsto carry off
the RateI, even if this was not proh1b-
ited 10y ordinances.
Mr. O'Bmen was fully aware of the
s7if6c existing and complaints
made before he pure chased the steam
laundry, because served notice on
him, Manager for Sumter HOTEL
.to:abate the nuisance. He could have
continued TO run his laundry un-
'Inoaested until such time as City
Council decided what to do. As a
imatter Of fact, it was not The. business
of icfty authorities TO: show Mr..
sO,,Brien how. to abates his5nulsance,
sbnt business stozdos SO. However,
being actuated by desire to help him
sandte keep an important enterprise
from leaving Sumter, the municipal
auth critics Interested themselves to
the extent me toned above and IN the
meantime did not worry him except
.toahayes "a comm tttees of physicians in
Westigate the. alleged $nuiasnce.
Or. Ernie, who has a house
next to the laundry, appeared before
the Board sofs Health to. complain, and
other citizens white and colored, Id
that section complain daily Of the
offensive odors from the stagnated,
sfflthyWater warned Messrs Barr
:&sKing, the !irst proprietors, before
they had their building half con-
5structed that they would have the
trouble nowexperienced, and that they
were building in the worst possible
place IN Sumter.
IS make this statement IN justice to
City Council and Board Of Health be-
cause know That parties not at all
interested creating the impression
:tnat Council and Board of Health
and Health Ofhcer have unneeessari-
andsunwisely worried ME-. D'Braen
until he decided to close down the
laundry, whereas he has been treated
with all kindness and patience and
assisted all that twas possible.
e.. e ReaFdon,
Secretary and Health OzEcer
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