El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-28

At the regular meeting OF the CITY
council Thursday morning, mayor ROD
inson announced a special session coun-
ell for Thursday afternoon at = O'Clock
TO consider two important matters con-
corning the water problem The delay
in the improvement of Missouri street,
due to the failure of the water company
to replace the six inch main with eight
inch mains and also to the failure to
install fire MIGRANTS on each corner OF
the street TO be paved constitute the
most important matter to be consider
ed at the special session. This delay TO
city improvement " ork is serious mat
ter the mayor stated after council
meeting Thursday morning. Receiver
J. N. Wyatt will be- asked to make
formal request of the federal court to
allow him to make these Improvements
and it will be necessary to obtain an
order from the court before any i'm
provement can be made.
Another matter which will be brought
up by the council at the afternoon ses-
sion will be the request of the receiver
to have the pumping machinery at the
Watts river plant duplicated. This re-
quest Will be made in order to insure a
sufficient water supply both for the city
service and also for fire fighting,
should the mesa supply become low. The
request viii be made in the same way
and will be presented to the court by
the receiver acting as an officer of the
court.
Receiver Wyatt stated Thursday
morning that he would be glad to comply
with the request of the mayor and coun-
ell and would present the application
for the court order to judge II. S. Maxey
at once. He said that should the order
be granted. it might be necessary for
the court to order the issuance of re-
ceiver's certificates to raise funds with
which to make these improvements
Mayor Robinson said that the matter
was a serious one. City Improvement
work is being held up he said, be
cause of the failure of the water com
pany to make the needed improvements
which must be made before the paving
is put down. We are going to ask the
court through the receiver, to have
this work done and we expect that the
request viii be granted when it is
shown that actual city Improvement
work is being retarded by the delay OF
the water company
City Sanitary Inspection.
In a communication to the council
Thursday forenoon, city health officer
W. H. Anderson reported that the
health department had completed its
sanitary inspection of houses commenc-
ing at old Fort Bliss on the west line
and Washington Park on the east line,
Second street on the north line and
the river on the south and found the
following conditions: The number OF
houses inspected 1874. OF these 500 are
dirty and unsanitary; 693 have no sew
/ers and 526 are totally uninhabitable.
Z He called attention to the fact that
there are five persons to each house
and usually more, giving 2530 persons
living in houses not fit for animals He
suggested that there be an ordinance
enacted TO condemn all uninhabitable
buildings and destroy them at once
Bad Sanitation Causes Deaths
He also recommended that all per-
sons renting ground for the purpose
of dwelling houses, be required to state
in the building permits what character
of house is to be built Also that they
be held responsible for the sanitary con-
dition of the premises, instead of the
renter. He also recommended that
sewer system be placed in the southern
part of town as far as practicable and
as soon as possible. He declared that
large part Of the death rate In this
part of town Is due directly to bad SAN
itation This matter, he stated, was
very important and one requiring
prompt attention. The department has
a complete list of all these houses show
ing street and number and would like
the council to inspect them.
The City's Health.
Dr. w H. Anderson read the report
of the city health department for the
week as follows. Total deaths. 81; to-
tai births, 8; contagious diseases exist
ing at time of report, whooping cough.
u; measles, l; chickenpox, 2; typhoid
In of markets,
203, meat condemned "a pounds; inspec-
ton of diaries, 125; of slaughter houses
20; cattle inspected 14S; hogs, 80; sheep
%: calves, sc. Inspections of fruit and
vegetable wagons and stores, 1894;
pounds of fruit condemned 7075; res
taurants inspected 4; complaints 80;
premises inspected so; nuisance notices
served TO- Special inspection Of habi-
tations on the south side 6S: clean and
sanitary II, unsanitary So; inhabitable
dwellings. 10; uninhabitable, 55; sewer
connections Z; number sewer connec-
tions, 81.
Alderman Clayton asked who owned
these uninhabhable houses and whether
they were owned by the residents or by
large property owners DR.. Anderson
said he had list of the owners.
Alderman AIcGhee moved that the
petition be referred to the city attorney
to get the legal status OF the case. He
also suggested that the council visit
these houses and see the real con-
dition.
Mayor Robinson announced that the
council would adjourn to meet at 3
o'clock to iconsider the question of the
having OF Missouri street which has
been stopped because of the failure Of
the water company to put in new mains
After this meeting the council will
visit this district
Dr. r. B. Romans request to keep
COWS at the Baldwin sanatorium to sup
ply milk to the patients, was referred
to the sanitary department.
The report and first reading Of an
ordinance accepting Magoffin avenue
paving and the paving Of Magoffin
avenue from the east line of Cotton
avenue to the west line of the FL Paso
r Southwe stern crossing was read by
city clerk Fassett- The maintenance