Page images
PDF
EPUB

tion in pamphlet sent you under another cover.) The sewage running north should be taken by a drain, or sewer pipe, into the village system. If, at the point where this begins, it is too shallow, then carry it further down the street to a point where it will be safe from frost, take out a length or two of the present village sewer and put in a Y, thus discharging all into the sewer pipe of the village. In these ways we believe you can remedy the evils that now infest that portion of your village.

In behalf of the State Board of Health,

HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary and Executive Officer.

BRATTLEBORO, VT., July 13, 1907.

School Directors, Sheldon, Vt.

GENTLEMEN:-An inspection of your school house in the village of Sheldon was recently made, with the following result: You should discontinue taking air from the cellar and the hallway to the furnace to be warmed and distributed to the various rooms of the building; it should be taken from outside the building. The ventilating spaces between the side of the chimneys and the sheathing around them is entirely inadequate; proper ventilating flues should be provided. The seats in some of the rooms should be turned around, so that the light would come over the left, or the left and back.

The Rules and Regulations accompanying this report and which are made a part of it will indicate what other changes, if any, are required to make the rooms conform to the requirements of this Board. After a careful examination of these rules you should proceed to put the whole building into conformity with them.

In behalf of the State Board of Health,

HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary and Executive Officer.

BRATTLEBORO, Vr., July 13, 1907.

Local Board of Health, Sheldon, W. H. POWERS, M. D., Secretary and Executive Officer.

GENTLEMEN :-An examination of the creamery of Batchelder, Snyder & Co., of Boston, which is located in your village, shows it to be in an unsanitary condition. The floors, now of wood, should be replaced by cement, in order that it may be kept clean, not allowing any of the waste to run down under the floor, where it decomposes. The street in the rear should

be repaired and drained, so that water and decaying matter would not stand in depressions, from which foul odors emanate. The sewer pipe should be repaired and put in good order from the building down to the "mill pond," but should not be allowed to discharge its contents into the pond, but should be extended through the pond and the dam of U. B. Northrup and Edgar Holmes, discharging below, thus avoiding the foul odors that arise from the decomposition of the refuse from the creamery, which creates an intolerable nuisance. The owners of the dam, Messrs. Northrup and Holmes, both stated at the time of our visit that they were willing that this sewer should be thus extended through their dam, providing that the Creamery Company stipulated that such extension shall be made and the dam left in a way that shall be to their entire satisfaction.

You should serve notice in accordance with Section 13, of the Laws of 1902, on said Batchelder, Snyder & Co., that they. must abate the nuisance caused by the disposition they now make of the refuse from their creamery. You should give them a reasonable time in which to begin and complete this work. If they refuse or neglect to do this work, then proceed under Section 12 of the Act before referred to. In behalf of the State Board of Health,

HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary and Executive Officer.

BRATTLEBORO, Vт., July 15, 1907.

Local Board of Health, Barre Town, E. H. BAILEY, M. D., Secretary and Executive Officer.

GENTLEMEN:-Having inspected the various parts of your town we find insanitary conditions in every portion. You should provide several places where all families should be required to dump their rubbish, rather than to throw it out around the buildings where they may live. At stated times all combustible materials should be burned and others buried. All outhouses, or privies, should be thoroughly cleaned every month and contents buried. Dry earth or ashes should always be kept at hand for use every time the house is used, in order to deodorize and keep flies away. Many of the houses are discharging their sewage into the gutter beside the road. This not only causes the air near the dwellings to become most foul, but is a nuisance to all who have occasion to pass along the highway. Other means should be found to dispose of this waste. The law provides that selectmen may lay drains to

dispose of surface water and may allow abutters to discharge their sewage into such drains, but they are not authorized to lay sewers. Without a water system which would give plenty of water with which to flush sewers, they would be worse than useless. We are of the opinion that the best means, under these circumstances, is for you to dispose of sewage from each house by what is known as subsoil, or downward, filtration. (A pamphlet is sent you, under another cover, which will explain the method of its operation and describe the way to construct it. Several houses could combine and, sharing the expense of building, could materially reduce the cost to each family or owner of the house.)

There are various accumulations of water, or swampy places, where decaying animal and vegetable substances have been placed which are dangerous to public health. One of these is near the store of A. L. Foster; others of a similar character are scattered about the town. All such places should be cleaned out and the filth buried or used as fertilizer. A cheap and efficient disinfectant for such places and which may be used about buildings could be kept on hand and sold or supplied at a very low price. It is made as follows:-Dissolve one pound of sulphate of copper (blue vitriol) in five gallons of water; in another wooden vessel one pound of chloride of lime in four gallons of water; when they are fully dissolved, mix them (or turn together.) All of this should be done in wooden vessels. A quart of this mixture would disinfect a barrel of filth.

The law has provided for each town a local board of health. See Section 10 of No. 113, Acts of 1902. In Section 13 of same act the duties of this local board are defined, as well as their liability in case of neglect of duty. Study carefully these sections and, so far as possible, make your town a clean one. If you would call the owners of dwellings together, secure their co-operation, explain their duties and the penalties which follow a failure to perform them, your efforts may be more effective, for all good citizens will sustain and aid you in this work.

In behalf of the State Board of Health,

HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary and Executive Officer.

BRATTLEBORO, VT., July 16, 1907.

ARTHUR MORTON, M. D., Health Officer, St. Albans, Vt.

DEAR DOCTOR:-Having by request inspected the premises of Mr. J. D. Roberts, on Elm Street, we find water in his cellar.

As there is no sewer in the street, he cannot drain it. His sewage is discharged into a shallow ditch in the yard. His outhouse is a dry one. In order to remedy these insanitary conditions a sewer should be laid through the street, connecting with the one on Bellows street; then he should be notified to connect with such a sewer, draining his cellar into it and putting in a water closet. We were informed that three out of the five land holders abutting on the street were in favor of a sewer in the street. Until this is done the wet cellar will be a menace to the health of the family. His sewage should be piped on to his garden and discharged for a week on one portion, then the direction changed, so that it could be emptied upon another, thus alternating its point of discharge. Dry earth should be used in the privy every day and it should be cleaned every month.

For the safety of this family and the removal of a menace to the neighbors you should secure a vote of your city government to lay a sewer for the relief of the families in that neighborhood.

We would call your attention to a report made by this Board in August, 1904. (See page 37 of Biennial Report of 1904-5). It is possible that some of the recommendations made in that report have been adopted, but apparently the major portion of them have not been. You should bring this to the notice of your city government and urge them to attend to the correction of the insanitary conditions, in accordance with the recommendations then made.

In behalf of the State Board of Health,

HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary and Executive Officer.

BRATTLEBORO, Vr., July 15, 1907.

C. E. SOULE, Superintendent Northern Division C. V. R. R., St. Albans, Vt.

DEAR SIR: While in Essex Junction a few days ago our attention was called to the point where the Central Vermont Railroad discharge their sewage. It appeared that a complaint had been made that it created a nuisance. As a result you were preparing to make a change and discharge it into the river. At the suggestion of the local health officer, we write you with reference to this change. Evidently something must be done to remove the nuisance. In 1904, under authority

given the State Board of Health, we issued an order that no more sewage should be discharged into any stream or body of

water, without permission of the Board. The Winooski river is already polluted with sewage which it discharges into Lake Champlain. You are probably aware that New York State began three years ago to agitate the question of the pollution of the Lake. Their Governor Higgins called the attention of the governor of Vermont to the conditions, who, in turn, referred the communication to the State Board. It seems probable that the time will come (how soon we cannot say) when the discharging of sewage and other polluted matter into the Lake will be prohibited. In view of this state of affairs we could not permit, neither could you afford, to make the change contemplated of adding this sewage to further pollute this stream. We would advise that you dispose of your sewage by what is known as sub-surface irrigation," or the " Waring Method." It appears that the Railroad own a sufficient area of land near the outlet of this sewer on which you could install this method for the care of your sewage.

66

Under another cover we send you a pamphlet describing the system and the necessary instructions for installing it. In behalf of the State Board of Health,

HENRY D. HOLTON, Secretary and Executive Officer.

BRATTLEBORO, Vr., July 15, 1907.

Local Board of Health, Essex, Vt., C. M. FERRIN, M. D., Secretary and Executive Officer.

GENTLEMEN :-An inspection of the village of Essex Junction disclosed the fact that some of the residents abutting on one or two streets were discharging their sewage, consisting of water from their sinks, bath tubs and laundry tubs, into gutters beside the street on which they lived. This creates a nuisance which, at times, results in odors so offensive as to demand that it be abated without delay. Hence, you should notify, in writing, all persons who have and now are thus disposing of their sewage, to cease at once to do so. You should further see that all sewer pipes in the various houses are disconnected, so that they may not be used by mistake. We understand that the charter of the village of Essex Junction provides for the building of sewers whenever the voters, in a legal way, vote so to do. Steps should be taken, as soon as possible, to provide a system of sewers for the whole village. It might not be feasible to build a complete system at once, but a portion could be built each year. Your soil is of such a character that the sewage could be easily filtered, allowing only the effluent to discharge

« PreviousContinue »