News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-01-08
AGAIN THE RYDER BROOK
c. F. Smith Makes Reply to DR.. Slaytons
Article OF Last Week
Editor of News and Citizen:- I

Editor of News and Citizen:--
| We are not anxious to contribute tC
the general amusement fund.-, but fee
that there are some things in DR.. Slayton's
article that need attention. If accorded
as much space as he, we are entitled tC
two columns more. | will be obliged tC
take exceptions TO some things in his
article.
He says that | went away from hi
office, when he first called me in, CENTRE
ly satisfied | was satisfied with the
way the matter was left-the bill to be
held until ! could see copy of it and also
see Mr.. Fleetwood regarding the agree
ment. We were not told the wording of
the BILL but were told that we could con
tinue to run the balance of the sewage
into the brook and not be breaking the
law if the bill was passed. We suggested
that it would be better to have the bill
changed so as to take effect May LIST.
The Doctor says he went to Burling-
ton December 9th, with the intention of
going to Montpelier in the afternoon. We
do not know what his intentions were, but
are very sure he told us that morning
that he was not going to Montpelier; also
that he told us after the passage of the
bill that in thinking the matter over the
Monday before he decided he had better
go from Burlington to Montpelier and
see the bill put through as, for certain
reasons, he dare not let it lay over until
the next week
AS to this bill preventing the farmers
from fertilizing their land, we never enter
tanned such thought; but do believe
barn sewage will come under the provis-
ions of this bill?
One of the largest and latest diction-
aries, the Standard, says; sewage: "the
aCdStc matter carried off IN SelCerS;" "drdjf-
age tCdtsr together Nth the solid refuse con-
Ueyed IN H. Sewerage: 'the conveyance
Of ocdste matter from buiIdingS." Does this
simply mean from house plumbing? After
the bill was passed we asked the Doctor
if he was willing to have il changed so as
to apply only to flush closets, and he was
not. Is not barn sewage Objectionable
in water used for ice or domestic purposes?
AS to the ice problem, with two muck
ponds that feed into this brook, the waters
of which are quite red, especially that from
"Mollys Pond" and with the farm build
ings along this stream, it will be practical
ly impossible to make these waters as
good as those that have supplied Morris
vile with ice for more than fifty years,
with the exception of about three years ago
when it was taken from Lake Lamoille.
AT that time a statement was publish
ed to the effect that our Health Officer,
DR.. Slayton, had sent sample of the
water to the state laboratory and it was
found to be all right. The ice-houses
were filled and people used the ice for
domestic purposes the following season.
How many Of the people of Morrisville
know to this day that the water in that
ice was badly polluted? Our Health Of
ficer now claims that at the time he sent
the sample of Lamoille Lake water he
also sent one from the Bugbco Spring,
or our reservoir. The report came back
that our spring was badly polluted. He
Immediately sent another sample of our
spring water and the report this time was
that it was pure. Then he discovered
in some way he had mixed the first two
samples sent and had got them labeled
wrong. He then reported the case to
the State Board of Health which advised
him to keep still about it, as the ice was
Section 5, SOY of the Public Statutes
referred to is one of the many that he has
gotten through our legislature, giving I'M
limited power to our Health Officers. |
do not believe one farmer in a hundred
knows that he can not install any plumb
ing without first getting the Health Officer
to his place; for some one to pay, and get
his permission, and have the work done
under his direction, and inspected by
him after it is completed. 1t is his duty
to inspect and direct all plumbing.
We have always stood for progress and
up-to-date improved methods, but in
looking up the powers of the Health !
Officers there seems to be scarcely no
limit, neither are they responsible to any
one.
Our present legislature did turn down |
the bill allowing them the right, if case
of smallpox appeared in town, to COM !
pei everyone to be vaccinated who could |
not prove they had been vacccinated |
within five years. Statistics show that |
more people die from vaccination than |
from small-po and that a larger percent |
of vaccinated people have it than non
Vaccinated
Our Health Officer says ut is his duty |
to order the Immediately removal of the |
two last sewers installed" but our sewer, |
having been installed earlier, is safe, but |
for this last bill.
VIII our present laws allow those in the |
state, having sewers installed previous to |
the passage of that law, the right to pol |
lutte the brooks and deny the privileges |
to others on the same streams?
When before the committee | was ask |
ed if the Ryder Brook water was used for |
purposes. We supposed we were |
stating the truth when we replied that it |
was not and never has been. The Doc |
tor put lis in the "Ananias Club" which |
he said he could prove by more than
hundred people. He said he used the |
Ryder Brook water for his cottages be-
fore he connected with the Morrisville |
reservoir Can anyone guess how he did |
it? He sunk a well about five rods from
the, main lake, about fifty-tWe rods be-
low the water above the fill and short |
bridge and more than one hundred rods !
from where the Ryder Brook comes into
the setback from the lake.
In his article The Doctor says che used |
the water from this well for two seasons,
or until the well got so badly polluted |
with sewage from the lake he was forced |
to give it up" Did he use Ryder Brook |
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