Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-17

lContinued From First Page1
City Commissioner w. II. Lynch. su-
pelintendent of streets and public i'm
provements. to whom State Health
| Commissioner Dixon's order was re-
ferred by Council on Saturday. The
money is to be taken from the balance
In the Front street paving assessment
| fund.
1r this order Dr. Dixon called atten-
ton to the fact that the city has failed
to comply with the health department
decree of July, 1911, which directed
that the municipality quit emptying its
sewage into the Susquehanna.
The danger of spreading contagion
in towns below Harrisburg, aggravated
recently to the danger point by the
serious typhoid fever epidemic, was
referred to in the communication and
Harrisburg was peremptorily ordered
to submit plans, temporary at least,
for treating the sewage before it emp
ties into the stream.
Lynch Answers Dixon
Following the reading of the ordi-
nance to-day Mr.. Lynch submitted for
Councils approval his answer to DR..
DiXon's letter. The letter ordered the
plans to be submitted by noon yester-
day and in reply Mr.. Lynch asked for
an extension of time.
Il will do whatever I can to have
the nuisance you speak of remedied,"
said the Commissioner. Continuing,
he said:
"Of course, it is apparent to all that
the emptying of Harrisburg sewage
into the river does not and can not
affect the health of it's citizens, and
| vet, as it is possible that the waters Of
the several boroughs below us might
be contaminated and without proper
| filtration cause harm, / will do all in
my power to have our sewage steril-
! ized. This. however, without the
proper treatment of sewage of the mil
| lion people above us, can be of little
avail You have kindly offered the
services of your department for assist
ing in this direction, Would it be pos
sible 10 get a typical plan of the pro-
posed treatment with suggestions from
| your engineers?
Il have just been informed by Mr..
SeitZ. City Solicitor, that upon your
request the city did ask for an extern
sion of time in which the sewage of
Harrisburg could go into the river, but
that no answer was made ito this re-
quest
At State Health Department
Commissioner Lynch said he had no
idea who would be chosen as the con-
sultant, but that the city would ex-
pect cooperation of the State on the
subject.
At the State Health Department it
was pointed out that the treatment as
suggested by DR.. Dixon can be accom-
plished in the manholes and outlets at
comparatively little expense. Up until
an early hour this afternoon no COM
nunication from Mr. Lynch had been
received, although it was hourly ex-
pccted. 1t was intimated that the
answer might not prove entirely salts
factory to the State Health Commits
sioner. although it was stated that
imme diately upon the letters arrival
xyill hA In x.ritl !,
at Mont Alto.
If the number of new cases of
| tyrhoid reported within the last few
days is at all indicative of the situation,
then Harrisburg's epidemic is grad
ually but surely on the wane. in the
opinion of city health authorities. Up
until an early hour this afternoon only
fourteen cases in all had been re-
ported since Saturday. This runs the
total for the month to 175.