The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1903-12-09
Appalling Conditions of Mtnot's
Disease and Death Breed
ing Cess Pools
Special to Independent:

The following article was sub
mitted for publication in an
other Minot newspaper but was
refused space for fear OF injuring
the best interests OF the city.
Mhe facts Of the case were read
ily admitted to be true however.
Thro the fair city Of Minot
flows a beautiful river but with
in the confines of it's picturesque
banks and sparkling waters turks
the Dark horse and it's rider. r
.Jettingin graceful curves on
either side are what nature in
tended for. healthful bayous, but
with all OF the destructiveness
which follows III the wake OF civil
lizatipn,.Ailan has cheated nature
Gifts beautiful handiwork.' and
has placed within the borders OF
the beautiful lagoons, disease
and. death dealing agencies.
.: The filth within these once fair
waters is such that it would drive
to shamethf' administration OF
the Spanish reign in its worst
days of misrule in Santiago on
an Havana. :.,.,
The rive, and Sloughs are used
for dumping grounds for all man.
| mel, of foul refuse. manure, car,
cases and everything imaginable
are dumped within their banks.
Not content with cOntaminat
ing the river and it's tributaries
with filth. the alleys are also. useC
in lieu OF Il sewer.
Step to the rear OF almost any
OF the many cafes and note the
heaps OF old tin cans, swill an6
used dish water, scraps OF food
all dumped into the alleys. These
are bold statmentsandcould moi
be made unless the facts as stat
ed actually existed.
In a conversation with one oil
Minot's leading physicians the
neutrality-suspicious. stated that
the sanitary conditions of Minot
were in a deplorable condition,
that small poX and scarlet fever
are raging right now at an a.
farming degree; that thpquar;ln.
tine law was but partially en-
forced; that ..Nlinot had no pest
house; that the law requires that
not merely the room where in a
patient is i'll should be quaran-
tined but the whole building. In
case Of qualantining the whole
building it would sometimes be
necessary to close perhaps a
large hotel with all the auxiliary
business: theater or perhaps a
whole business block. TO do so
would be doing the owners or
proprietols an injustice. TO sur
mount this difficulty several two
room shacks should be built for
pest houses. heexpense incurr-
ed in fumigating a large building
would thus be avoided.
Whenever Il person becomes
afflicted with any Of these pre-
vailing diseases. and was taken
sick in a place which would work
an injustice to the proprietor by
closing ibis place business, the
patient could be taken to a pest
house.
Again the doctor stated that
occasional y a person had a very
light attack OF small pox and
roved at will about the city. The
authorities of course are not to
blame where the case is not re-
ported.
But to get at the seat of all of
this trouble, the sanitary con
ditiOns must first belooked after.
The above article was sub
mitted to us for publication and
but for the reliability and strict
integrity OF the writer the editors
would not have belieyedit. This
led to a personal inspection OF
affairs and we were appalled, to
find that, without scarcely MOTTO
ing the change SO gradually but