v-Cesspool. o-Well. x-Privy. a-Locality of house shown in Plate I. b-Plate 2, house faces Franklin street. c-Plate 3, house faces Franklin street. d-Plate 4, house faces Elkins street. e-Plate 5, corners of Franklin and Winnipesaukee streets. f-Plate 6, three houses on southeast corner of Franklin and Winnipesaukee streets. g-Plate 7, house faces Franklin street. Three cases of typhoid fever, I of erysipelas, 3 of scarlet fever.

h

beginning parallel to the east side of Franklin street, which runs nearly north and south. This sidehill is filled with springs which furnish quite a steady supply of water with which to keep the low land wet most of the year. In past years, the place has been the receptacle for all sorts of filth, waste, and refuse

High St.

Franklin St.

STREET ELEVATIONS.

which, in a majority of cases, are never cleaned out. This is carried down the three principal streets on the sidehill to the ditches of the same kind on Franklin street, thence carried along and spread out in the front and back yards of the houses on the "Flat." The soil, which is sand and loam in most of the localities, is very loose, and has furnished the very best material for

Russell St.

629

Winneresaukee

75

matter; but as it became settled, many of the lower places have been filled in and graded up. On each side of the streets which run east-Russell, High, and Winnipesaukee—is a surface ditch, which, in reality, is the sewer, receiving the drainage from privies, pig-pens, hen-pens, cellars, and overflowing cesspools,

becoming impregnated with all the foulness which has been flowing down these surface drains in the years past.

The accompanying plates show some of the worst places, also the houses where most of the typhoid fever occurred.

Plate 1* represents the house where the epidemic started. Figure 1, as seen, the privy is in the rear of the house, on the surface of the ground, and has no vault. The well is in the cel. lar, about twenty-five feet from and much lower than the privy. It has been the custom to throw all sorts of house slops out the back door. The soil is very sandy, and it can readily be seen how it is possible for the well to become infected with disease germs. For a long time before the fever appeared in the house the water was unfit to use, being obnoxious to both taste and smell. The following is an analysis of the water taken from the well the April following, together with the expert's opinion:

Little.

Fresh water algæ.

Sediment (considerable from bottle)
Microscopic examination

The water does not appear bad microscopically. It is a little suspicious chemically, and will become worse as the season advances.

In August, G. G., aged 20, was taken sick with typhoid fever, confined to the bed till September 27; mild delirium one week; highest temperature, 105 2-5°; highest pulse, 130; recovered.

September 6, Nathan G., aged 61, took the bed with typhoid fever; remained in bed till November 2; muttering delirium four weeks; highest temperature, 105 4-5°; highest pulse, 140; lowest temperature, 98.8°; lowest pulse, 60; recovered.

In an adjoining house occurred one case attended with severe diarrhea, and after two weeks resulted in death. By referring

to the ground plan it will be seen that these two houses face on High street, near the corner of Franklin street, included in group a. By studying the ground plan, all the cases can be located,-18 in all.

Plate 2 shows the rear of b on the plan, also the head of what rejoices in the suggestive name of "Cat Alley." There are four privies in the shed, no vaults; receives the wash of the house, and overflow water stands on the surface of the ground nine months of the year. In this house there is sickness of some kind most of the time, embracing in the list, diphtheria, scarlet fever, erysipelas, and puerperal fever. These privies have not been cleaned out for an unknown period, the excrement and rubbish being exposed to view and sunlight at points marked 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Plate 3 is the house which is marked c on ground plan, within a few feet of house marked b. This house was built on a "muckhole"; the lot is lower than its surroundings; the well is in the cellar, as shown in the plate. Before the fever appeared, the water was foul and unfit for use; during the sickness in this family, the surface water ran into the cellar to a point near the well, into an excavation which the owner made for the purpose, and what did not soak into the ground and thus into the well was carried out in buckets and thrown on the ground, thence to find its way back into the well.