Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-07-17
DIR. LUMSDEN'S REPORT

The called meeting or the city couH-
ell last night was we'll attended. All
the members of the Board of Alder
men responded and eleven Of the SIN
teen members of the Common Council
were present, The space without the
bar in the chamber Of the lower board,
in which the joint session was held,
was filled with spectators.
DR.. L. L. Lumsden, of the United
States public health service, was pres
ent to make his report to the two
boards His statement had been anX-
icusly anticipated, and was listened
to with close attention.
DR.. Lumsden went into an exhaus-
tive exposition Of conditions in Alex
andria, which will be found elsewhere
in The Gazette, and hy made no recon-
mendations that could not be carried
out Immediately. He showed the ne
cessity of every individual in the city
performing his or her part in the gen
eral cleaning up, ana enjoined upon
all the necessity Of keeping our city
in proper sanitary condition when
once it shall have been given clean
bin of health, which it Will doubtless
receive within short time.
While the speaker said many things
favorable to Alexandria, he called at
tention to others which are to our dis
credit, but in each instance made i
plain that there is nothing in connec-
ton with our health conditions .htt
cannot be remedied immediately.
He said one thing which The Ga
zette has severl times referrd to; that
is the propensity upon the part of out
siders, persons living in contiguous
cities, to make mountains out OF mole
hills concerning Alexandria. He spoke
plainly of the exaggerated accounts of
conditions here, ana said it was the
practice of some persons to give I'M
warrantablc counts of everything
they hear which may be detrimental to
their neighbors As The Gazette has
stated, this has ever been the practice
Of some of our ncighbors.
This was an ancient weakness. The
Greek of old who could appear al
Olympia and recitc the most wonder
full story was regarded as among the
greatest Of the Eellenists.
The doctor in his statement, while
acknowledging that certain cases OF
typhoid fever which now exist here
could have been brought to our city
from other places, that others could
have come from milk or flies. stated
that the squirt" in the ravagcs Of the
disease occurred during the first half
of June, a time in which the chlorine
plant at the water works was out Of
commission. He further said that, in
his opinion, the majority of cases were
the result Of impure water, that fur
n;shed by the Alexandria Water Com
pany But he said that the water
could be rendered practically pure
should the chlorine plant be kept in
operation continuously. There is no
reason why this cannot be done until
the filtration plant which the COM
pany is to construct shall have been
pat in operation. The water company
will no doubt do its part toward plac-
ing the city in its normal condition
Dr.. Lumsden's other recommcnja-
t;ons-compulsory sewer-tapping, the
adoption Of sanitary boxes, cleaning
out grlleys. abolition of cess pools,
etc.-will he adopted immediately.
The readiness Of the city . carry
out his injunctions was shown by the
introduction of a resolution approp~i-
:>ating $4,000 foY the purpose.
The members of the police force
are actively engaged IN ferreting out
everything in the way O. nuisances,
and we believe the community is work
ing with them, Hence We ltaEs every