St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-07-17

the establishment on Osborne street.
While there 500 boys from neighbor-
ing training school came trooping in,
and 1t was lively sight to watch
them dispOrt in the great swimming
pool. The water is automatically kept
at the required temperature, and in all
Of its plumbing, fittings and conven-
fences the place compares favorably
with those in the athletic clubs of our
larger cities.
"You can hardly realize what this
means to the people who live in this
vicinity" said Mr.. Derbyside, his fine
face tightening as he gazed at the hap
by 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
properly 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. 1t was the same way with the
washhouses. 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 frOr' the extractor very dirty,
but the wO II imagined their clothes
were clean enough. By force of exam
pie and constant explanation this has
been overcome. They now take a pride
in doing good work. For cents In
your money woman can do a large
washing and ironing and be finished in
less than four hours"
School children are taught to swim,
and classes are formed and drilled in
life saving Prizes are awarded for
proficiency, and expert swimming has
become one of the regular courses in a
common school education. Although
Manchester'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.
The cleansing department Of Man
chester is probably the largest in the
world and deserves a more extended
description than that which follows.
1t is a distinct type of municipal en-
terprise and Is a successful attempt
to reduce to minimum the expense
and discomfOrts of street cleaning and
the disposal of sewage. To this epd
the city has become manufacturer on
a large scale and Is the landlord of
farming estate of 3, 739 acres, or nearly
six square miles of land. The cleaning
committee includes the lord mayor as
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 400 horses, with large
numbers of vans and carts, steam tugs,
q 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 mar
ness, brushes, receptacles for closets,
manufactures concentrated manure,
mortar, soap, oils, grease, disinfecting
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 we'll repay the munich
pal student who desires to become in
formed on the best modern methods or
solving one of the great problems con-
fronting cities.
Several years ago there were two
great marshes situated in the SUBURBS
of Manchester. One belonged to Lord
Darlington and was called Darlington
Moss. 1t was undrained and uncult-
waited. The city purchased it for $780,
600. Near it was another tract OF 2o9o
acres belonging to Sir Humphrey de
Trafford. This was in deplorable con-
dition 1t was occupied by tenants VINO
managed to exc out an existence ana
pay rent for their tumbledown hovels
and Doggy land. The city purchased IL
for about 100000.
On both of these estates it proceeded
to drain the land, tear down the OLD
farmhouses and erect new ones. For a
mile and half the estate faces the
new ship canal and will some day De
lined with factories. In the meantime
the city has built railroads which con-
vey fertilizers from the city and carry
back the farm produce raised by the
prosperous tenants who now pay rent
to the city. The largest farm on tue
estate contains 400 acres, for when Ihe
tenant pays $40 an acre Valuable veg
etable crops are raised, and where once
was q dreary and disease Dreeullis
marsh there are now miles Of tertlie
and productive land under a high state
of cultivation 1t is the verdict OF Tue
highest authorities that the Manchester
system of utilizing refuse is the most
perfect In existence.
The expense of the cleansing depart
ment for the last fiscal year was Sotu-
OOO and this was made possible by 'n'
fact that the receipts from the manu-
featuring plant and the farm estates
rodunod the cost nv the impressive