The Washington herald., 1918-07-10
HEALTH PROBE
IN ALEXANDRIA
TO Be DRASTIC
State and Federal Officers
Take Hold to Clean
Up City.
Special To The Washington Herald.

| ~ nc
Alexandria, Va, July 9.-An in
quiry into the sanitary affairs OF
this city was begun today by DR..
L. L. Lumsden. from the United
States Public Health Service, and A.
s. Holway, acting chief engineer OF
the State Health Department They
viii investigate the water and milk
supplies furnished the citizens of
Alexandria and also make a general
inquiry with a view of having the
city cleaned up and finding the cause
of typhoid fever now existing in this
city.
Both held consultations with DR..
E. A. German, city health officer, and
DR.. j. ]. Garvey, deputy health OIL
Ger. "A list of persons suffering from
typhoid fever was obtained. A per-
sonal visit is to be made to each
home where the disease exists.
DIR. William NJ. Smith, chairman
Of the State Board of Health, stated
that water and milk will be tested.
This will be followed by a cleanup
Of the city in general.
Move to Protect ID. C.
DIR. Smith is in receipt of a letter
from DIR. w. c. Fowler, health officer
of the District of Columbia, asking
him to advise as to the exact situation
at this time so that his department
may take action If the conditions war
rant to protect the citizens of the
District of Columbia. DIR. Smith
| stated today that he would write the
District health officer that the con-
dition Is purely local and that Wash
ington need not be alarmed.
The probe into the sanitary affairs
Of the city was a result of the quar-
antine put into effect against Alex
andria by Lieut. Col Park, Camp
Humphreys, Va, prohibiting soldiers
from that camp from purchasing
either food or drink in this city.
The State Corporation Commission
will hold conference at 10 O'Clock
tomorrow morning in Richmond in
reference to the methods of the
Alexandria Water Company in dis
tributing its supply and so forth.
Letter About Conference.
A letter relative to the hearing from
Alexander Toward, a member of the
commission. to Attorney S. G. Brent
reads as follows:
1T has been brought to the atten-
tlon OF the commission and of the
State Health Department that the
methods of the Alexandria Water
Company in distributing its water
supply Is dangerous to the health oi
the community, and the commission
desires in connection with the above
case, which involves the matter OF
service, to have a conference on. this
subject, which will be held in the
commissions ofSce in Richmond or
Wednesday, July 10, at 10 o'clock.
The parties to this conference will
be the attorneys for the city of Alex
andria, for the petitioners IA the above
case and for the Alexandria Water
Company. with representatives of the
State Health Department and the
United States Department of Public
Health. Your presence is, therefore
requested at this time"
Citizens of Alexandria, numbering
about 800, petitioned the Srate cor
poration commission on February Is
1916, to give cheaper rates and better
service, On May 9, 1917, the water
company asked the commission to be
given the privilege of increasing its
rates. The commission has not vet
reported on the matter and the citi-
zens have waited for two years and
fve months for action.
Birds of a featfer-profiteers and