The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-06-10
Sanitary Conditions
In 80 Cities, by an Official of
a Hartford Life In
Surance Co.
Water Supply, Sewage Dis
\ posal Market Conditions,
Inspection of Perishable
Articles of Food, etc.

VI lllIly-lNO ADICIlSdA S1lICS pACpdI
ed by Hiram ]. Messenger F. A. S.
Actuary of the Travellers Insurance
Co., Hartford, submitted to the asso-
citation of Life Insurance Presidents at
their bi-monthly meeting.
That at least thirty-per cent of the
population in various cities Of this
country equipped with good water
supply systems mainly use we'll water
that is subject to contamination, was
stated in a report of special inVes-
tigation of the sanitary condition OF
thirty-two American cities, submitted
to the association of Life insurance
Presidents today by Hiram, ]. Messen-
ger, actuary, of Hartford. In cities
with sewer systems the population
living in houses unconnected with
with sewers was given at about for
ty per cent.
The cities investigated are with one
or two exceptions in the South and
Middle West. and are as follows:
Lynchburg. Roanoke. Knoxville, Chat
tanooga, Nashville. Louisville. Cincin-
natl. indianapolis. Bloomington,
Springfield, ST. Louis. Memphis. Lit
tie Rock, Vicksburg, New Orleans.
Mobile. Montgomery, Birmingham.
Atlanta. Macon, Jacksonville. ST.
Augustine, Savannah. Charleston. Agus-
ia. Columbia. Charlotte, Danville
Richmond, Baltimore, New York and
Hartford.
In addition to water. supply and
sewage system, the principal points
bage; inspection of milk, meats and
perishable provisions; board of health
ordinances for maintaining sanitary
conditions; laboratory equipment
and work of the department of
bacteriology; climate conditions; loca-
tn, of oif nd
surrounding country; character of
city government; character of people,
with special reference as to whether or
not they appreciate the Importance
of maintaining proper health condi-
tons and whether or not there is a
powerful public sentiment that can
be brought to bear upon the city
government in regard to such ques-
tons.
1.-The evidence found practically
everywhere particularly through the
Southern States) showed that there
has been a most wonderful improve
ment in the general sanitary condi-
tons during the last ten or twenty
years" states the report "Cities in the
South in proportion to their means as
a rule are spending much money in
improvements affecting the general
health of the city as in the North.
AS far as observations indicated it
section of the country and show that
from a sanitary standpoint it is as a
whole materially superior to another
section in what is being done by the
various municipalities and state au-
thorities in the line of sanitary work
OF course, there are sections of The
country where natural conditions
bearing upon health are very favor
able and other sections where Sucn
conditions are very unfavorable; but
as far as efforts of city authorities to
put the cities in the best possible
sanitary condition is concerned, one
can find some of the best and some
of the worst instances in the South,
in the North. in the East and in the
West. 1t was surprising to find on
the south Atlantic coast a city which
in the efficiency of it's board of
orally healthy conditions by adoption
of the very best modern methods
stand about at the top of all the pla-
ces visited-while in the same sec
ton of the country, not far from this
city was another place which al
though greatly favored by nature, as
far as what the city authorities had
done, stood near the bottom, and the
most unfortunate fact was that the
citizens had no conception of the
real situation. 1t was surprising to
find on the Mississippi River one city
in most excellent sanitary condition;
but few hundred miles north an
other city whose inhabitants would
resent any opinion that they are not
among the most intelligent and pro-
gressive-and yet this latter place on
account. Of its absolutely inexcusable
conditions is down near the foot of
the list
{ 1T was found that as rule most
of the cities visited had a fairly good
supply of city water. The import
eant question in regard to the city wa
ter supply is not SO much the char
acter of the water furnished by the
city water system but the extent to
which the inha bitants use the city
make use OF some other source of
supply. The extent to which city
water is used varies probably from
20 per cent. to close to 100 per cent
and although it is impossible to OBJ
tain exact figures, upon the whole
probably 20 per cent. is a high esti-
mate of the average percentage of
inhabitants using city water in cit
les of $4,000 inha bitants and over
The remaining 80 per cent. or more
obtained their water supply elsewhere
and mainly from wells supplying sur
face water; nearly all of which wells
were subject to Contamination and
many of which actually were con-
taminated
Coming to the question of sewage
the percentage OF fDOpulatlOn living
lin houses connected with the sewer
varied from 20 per cent. to 95 per
cent.-with an average of probably
less than so per cent.-although here
also it was difficult to obtain exact
: figures. In two cities( one of them
one of the largest cities in the coun-
try the board of health had no au-
thority to compel residents to con-
meet houses with the sewer on streets
that were properly severed and
properly furnished with city water;
. but as a rule the cities had this au-
thorlty but the extent to which this
authority was used varied grealy. In
general 1T can be said it is possible
Ito find many cities in the country
Sthat have spent millions of dollars
-1or sewers and for extending the city
water system and yet from quar-
cfer to more than half of the inhabi-
= tants live in houses that are not con-
5nected with the sewer and in a great
= number of such cases the situation
= IL a closet with no sewer connection
land nearby a well furnishing surface
swater, and constant danger of con-
= tamination; and it canot be said that
these are entirely in the new sections
2of a growing city where sewer and
water mains have not been extend
= ed A large number of these cases
are on streets that have been sewer
ed and have been furnished with wa
ter mains. And frequently in the old
est and most thickly populated parts
of the city
n I'm regard to the disposal of gar
page, conditions in most cities were
unsatisfactory. The most sanitary