Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-05-23
Copyright, 1so4 by Frederick Upham Adams.l

py throng Of youngsters. 'There are
thousands of poor persons in Manches-
ter who have not utensil large enough |
in which to hold water sufficient to
wash ones face. Large fam
lilies are packed into two small rooms.
and there can be no privacy. For the
benefit of such as these we have set
aside certain days when they can have
the use Of the baths for the nominal
charge Of penny. Thousands of them
are taking advantage of this opportu-
nifty, and as a result the death rate is
decreasing, and SO Is the percentage OF
crime. It was the same way with the
warehouses;. When we first started
them the poor women did not know
what 1t was to have clean clothing. 1t
was a common thing to find the water
flowing from the extractor very dirty,
but the women imagined their clothes
were clean enough. By force of exam
pie and constant explanation this has
been overcome. They now take pride
In doing good work. For cents in
your money woman can do large
washing and ironing and be finished In
less than four hours"
School children are taught to swim.
ana classes are formed and drilled in
life saving. Prizes are awarded for
pronAaDcy. and expert swimming has
become one Of the regular courses in a
common school education. Although
Nanchester's bath system is now one
Of the best In the world, the plans for
the immediate future contemplate al
most double the present capacity.
Tho cleansing department of Man
chester = probably the largest in the
world and deserves a more extended
description than that which follows.
Il IL a distinct type Of municipal en-
tsrprise and Is a successful attempt
to reduce to minimum the expense
and discomforts of street cleaning and
the disposal of sewage. To this end
the city has become manufacturer on
q large scale and is the landlord Of a
farming estate of $3.50 acres, or nearly
six square miles Of land. The cleaning
committee includes the lord mayor as a
member and Is responsible for the
sweeping and watering of streets, pas
sages and courts and for the collection
and disposal Of night soil and other
refuse from dwellings, warehouses and
institutions. The committees employ
1900 men and 420 horses, with large
numbers Of vans and carts, steam tugs
| feet of boats, four locomotives and
twenty railroad cars. 1t builds its vans
and carts, keeps in repair the immense
| machinery plant and rolling stock used
! in the department makes and sells har
| ness, brushes, receptacles for closets
| manufactures concentrated manure
mortar, soap, oils, grease, dtsinfectine
powder, dyes and many other products
which otherwise would go to waste.
The manufacturing plant in the par
| ish Of Beswick is one Of the most ex
tensive institutions in England, and {
visit to it will well repay the munich
pal student who desires to become in
| formed on the best modern methods o.
| solving one Of the great problems con
fronting cities.
1 Several years ago there were tw'
great marshes situated in the suburbs
of Manchester. One belonged to LORI
Darlington and was called Carringtol
Moss. It was undrained and uncultl
waited. The city purchased it for $780,
600. Near 1t was another tract Of 2,59
acres belonging to Sir Humphrey d
Trafford. This was in deplorable con
dit1on. 1t was occupied by tenants VIII
managed to exc out an existence an
pay rent for their tumbledown howell
and Doggy land. The city purchased
for about 100000.
On both Of these estates it proceede
to drain the land, tear down the oil
lighthouses and erect new ones. For
mile and half the estate faces tn
new sfdp canal and will some day
lined With factories. In the meantim
the city haze built railroads which col
vey fertilizers from the city and carr
back the farm produce raised by til
prosperous tenants who now pay rer
to the city. The largest farm on til
estate contains 400 acres, for which til
tenant pays $40 an acre. Valuable veg
etable crops are raised, and where ono
was q dreary and disease breedin
marsh there are now miles of fertil
j and productive land under high stat
Of cultivation. 1t is the verdict OF til
, highest authorities that the Mancheste
system of utilizing refuse is the mos
perfect In existence
, The expense Of the cleansing depar
ment for the last fiscal year was $67O
900, and this was made possible by til
fact that the receipts from the MANI
featuring plant and the farm estate
reduced the cost by the impressiy
amount Of $4,000.