REPORT HENRY F. VAUGHAN LIBRARY ALBANY, February 6, 1899 To his Excellency, THEODORE Roosevelt, Governor of the State of Sir-The State Board of Health presents its nineteenth annual report as required by law. The experience of another year war rants a reiteration of the statements made in previous reports, that increased interest is being taken by the people of the state on questions of sanitation, and through the local boards of health, in perfecting the registration of births, marriages and deaths, thereby aiding this department in securing complete vital statistical records. Many demands have been made on the board during the past year for advice in the matter of sewerage, also on the question of securing and maintaining pure supplies of potable water. All possible aid has been given by letter in response to these requests, and when deemed to be necessary, sanitary experts have been sent to various municipalities in the state for the purpose of investigating and advising with the local authorities as to the best methods to pursue in order to secure for them satisfactory sanitary results. With reference to the sewerage of villages, it has been the rule of the board to submit all plans received to the state engineer for examination and report, before approving of same. During the past year plans for sewer systems or additions to existing systems of sewers were approved for the following municipalities: Villages of Plattsburgh, New Rochelle, Depew, Dolgeville, Sing Sing, Sharon Springs, Larchmont, North Tarrytown, Albion, Oneida, Lansingburg and Saranac Lake. WATER SUPPLIES During the past year complaints have been investigated as to alleged violations of rules and regulations made by this Board for the sanitary protection of public supplies of potable waters, as follows: VILLAGE OF PORT JERVIS The Port Jervis Water Works Company having complained of the existence of certain nuisances on its watershed, one of the consulting engineers of this board made an investigation and finding the conditions as complained of, arrangements were made by him with the water works company and the owner of the premises whereby the cause of the pollution of the water was removed. CITY OF UTICA Upon an investigation made by a representative of this board, it was found that the public supply of potable water of the city of Utica was being polluted by reason of the owner of a farm in the town of Frankfort spreading manure on his farm, the drainage from which without proper purification, passes into a stream. which empties directly into one of the public reservoirs. The above condition being in direct violation of the rules adopted by this Board, the local board of health was directed, as provided by law, to require the owner of the farm in question to conform to the rules. CITY OF BROOKLYN Some 70 violations of rules made for the protection of the water supply of Brooklyn being found, the attention of the department of health of New York was called to 47 of the cases which come under their jurisdiction, and that the board of health of the town of Hempstead in the borough of Queens, to 23 violations, with the result that the proper measures were taken by the health authorities of both municipalities to require the offending parties to comply with the rules. VILLAGE OF PEEKSKILL It being found that certain rules adopted for the protection of the Peekskill public water supply were being violated, instructions were given to the board of health of the town of Cortlandt in which the violations occurred, to compel compliance with the rules as provided by law. During the year expert service was furnished in the following cases: Village of Avoca in matter of procuring a pure water supply. Village of Athens, inadequate sewering facilities. Village of Depew, defective drainage. Village of Arverne, pollution of oyster beds and fisheries in Jamaica bay, by reason of sewage from the village, also from Edgemere hotel. City of Utica, question of garbage disposal. Village of Ilion, question of garbage disposal. Complaints from town of Clay and village of Camillus, concerning disposal of garbage from city of Syracuse. Investigation as to cause of typhoid fever in the city of Lock port. Typhoid fever in village of Camden. Investigation as to use of polluted wells in the city of Niagara Falls, in connection with epidemic of typhoid fever. Inspection of plants located on Barren Island. Investigation of a nuisance at Oakfield, caused by manufacture of plaster of paris. Investigation of a nuisance caused by pea vines from a canning factory in village of Oneida. Investigation as to alleged nuisance caused by the storing of fertilizers in village of Brighton. Investigation as to condition of works of the National Starch Manufacturing Company at Glen Cove. Report upon investigation of the system of heating and ventilating of the Corinth union school. Report upon bacteriological examination of sputum from a patient suspected as having tuberculosis. Report upon investigation as to the condition of certain sewers in the village of Lansingburgh. Investigation of a nuisance in the village of Chittenango, caused by a stream running through the village. CHEEKTOWAGA Agreeable to arrangements made with the proprietors of the garbage reduction plant and several establishments for the manufacture of fertilizers, all of which are located at Cheektowaga, this Board is represented by an inspector who makes daily visits to the different establishments located there for the purpose seeing that the rules made for the sanitary conduct of the business of the different establishments are complied with. of The monthly reports submitted by our inspector show that the work is being carried on in a sanitary manner, the different com panies availing themselves of any new appliances which would tend to make their establishments more sanitary. INVESTIGATIONS ORDERED BY THE GOVERNOR First. A complaint made by citizens of the village of Catskill, concerning an alleged nuisance caused by the Catskill Shale Brick Paving Company now known as the Eastern Paving Brick Company of Catskill. Second. Complaint of citizens of Saratoga Springs concerning the alleged pollution of the waters of Saratoga lake. Reports covering investigations of both of the above complaints will be found in the appendix. RECORDS OF BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS The card system of indexing records of births, marriages and deaths, which has been in vogue in the registration department of this Board for the past three years continues to furnish satisfactory results, besides being a more economical system than that formerly in use in the department. During the past year some 140,000 certificates of births, marriages and deaths were received from the 1400 local boards of health of the state. As the local registrars in most cases hold their offices for but a year, it necessitates a constant correspondence with the new men, in the matter of giving them instructions as to their duties in connection with the local registration and the forwarding to this Board of all certificates of births, marriages and deaths occurring within their respective municipalities. |