Year: 1879

To the Hon. George Walker, Mayor:


SIR:-On the eleventh of August you did as
the honor to request us to act as Commission
to investigate certain agencies believed to be
detrimental to the public health. We have
attended to the duty assigned us, and now
beg leave to submit the following report:


For some ye hrs past great deal OF complaint
has been made by the inhabitants of the
northern slope of the city concerning certain
vile odors which emanated, it was generally
alleged from Back Cove and the adjoining
Mill Pond. This summer the murmuringS
have been louder than ever before, and the
sufferers have given expression to their dis
content and indignation in the columns OF the
newspapers and i'll anonymous communlca-
tions to the chief magistrate OF the city, as
well as in their familiar and daily converse
with each other. Indeed, the trouble was so
aggravated that it became the common subject
of town talk; and many thoughtful people be-
gan to fear that the reputation for unhealthful-
ness which Portland was getting from its own
citizens would have so restraining an effect
upon would-be visitors, that 1.-THE commercial
interests of the place would suffer more than
they ever did from the detractions of its rivals
ard enemies 1t was not asserted that the
death-rate had notably increased in the last
year; on the contrary, the official hgureS OF
the superintendent of burials show decided
decrease. There has been no violent or
alarming epidemic of any kind for years. But
the opinion somehow became prevalent that
the health of the people in the districts most
annoyed by the stenches was on the whole,
markedly impaired; and not few families OF
wealth and influence announced their deter
mination to move away rather than be longer
exposed to the danger associated with contin-
ued residence. The affair was assuming a
very serious aspect. Whether the opinion
was correct or not, it was certain that body
of citizens of pronounced respectability as re-
CARDS numbers and standing considered them
col the victims Of lntOIeraDle nuisance,
for the existence and continuance OF which
they believed the municipal authorities to be
responsible. At this juncture we were re-
Quested and empowered to ascertain the cause
or causes of the difficulty, and to make recon-
mendatons for its removal; and we entered at
once upon the work.


Before describing any of the results of our
investigations, we desire to call attention to q
single point which is very generally ignored,
and lack of appreciation of which is sure to
lead into errors, perhaps of fatal character
1t is this Foul smelling gases are not always
productive of disease, and often those which
have no very noticeable odor are most danger
GUS to life. In other words the harmfulness
of gas is not at all to be estimated by the
vileness of its smell. Even the fact that
nausea and vomiting are induced by the in
haation of a foul vapor does not prove that
there are any disease e-germs in it; for the same
symptoms may be excited by disgusting
sight or even the thought of something disa-
ereeable. And, on the other hand, it is well
known that some absolutely lnodorous gases
are rapidly destructive of life, If breathed for
only few minutes. We do not wish to be
understood as asserting that any agency which


will induce habitual nausea is innocuous; de-
bility, at the very least, would be fairly eX-
pected as a consequence of such continuous
impression. But we claim that infective dis
eases are by no means necessarily produced by


bad odors, and that the olfactory sense is not


to be trusted il Judging of the injuriousness OF
gaseous emanations. We have dwelt upon
this point at some length to correct wide
spread msapprehension, which expressed 1T
self in the name so generally applied to our
Commission partly, no doubt III spirit OF
gentle facetiousness, but more, we believe,
from misconceptiOn of our functions-name-
iy, The Smelling Committee.


The principal objective points in the inves-
tigation would naturally be the much accused
Back Cove and the Mill Pond. To these,
therefore, we Immediately directed our atten-
ton, well understanding, however, that few
inspections would probably lead to no satisfac-
tory conclusions and prepared to make pro-
longed observations on many different days,
| at various hours and times of tide, and under
| numerous meteorological conditions. 1t was
| unnecessary to spend all our time in this work,
and, therefofe, in the intervals we applied our
| selves to the close examination of several 9TH
| er agencies which, in our opinion, based upon
| previous professional experience, were quite
| as likely to be productive of sickness as were


the more prominently mentioned Cove and
| Mill Pond.


| In order to obtain all the reliable evidence
attainable relating to the subject, we adver-


tised series of public hearings, which we ur,
gently requested all citizens to attend who had


any odorous nuisance to complain Of At these
meetings large number of gentlemen and
| few ladies were present, individually stat,
| ed their grievances and offered explanations OF


the difficulties and suggestions for their abate-


ment. From the evidence thus presented we
are enabled to make up the following state
| ment of the case:


Previously to six years ago the residents on
| the northern slope of the city experienced
| little or no annoyance from disagreeable odors
| but since that time there has been rapidly in