Dr. F.W. Barry's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary condition and administration of the Cowpen urban district / [Fred. W. Barry].

  • Barry, Frederick W. (Frederick William), 1850-1897.
Date:
[1883]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. F.W. Barry's report to the Local Government Board on the general sanitary condition and administration of the Cowpen urban district / [Fred. W. Barry]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    3/8 (page 3)
    contents of the sewers opening into it, and animal and other refuse from the houses in its immediate neighbourhood. The blind portion of the creek between Waterloo Bridge and Crofton is said to have become much more objectionable since the open or river end has been partially filled in. Y.—Excrement and Refuse Disposal.—The ordinary midden privy is almost universally the form of closet in use throughout this district, and, as constructed and managed, it embodies in the worst form all the sources of nuisance inherent in this form of closet accommodation. Indeed, there are few, if any, parts of the Tynemouth registration district where the evils resulting from this means of excrement disposal, as adopted in Cowpen, are equalled, and in none where they are exceeded. The midden privies are in a large proportion of instances unroofed, hence they are rendered sloppy by means of rainfall, and in addition they are frequently so constructed as to receive the rainfall from the adjoining closet roofs. This sloppy condition of contents is increased in Waterloo and Cowpen Quay in consequence of the middens being below the level of the ground, and the ground itself being waterlogged. They are also so constructed as to render the proper admixture of ashes and excreta impossible. The middens in the country portion of the district are, as a rule, common to two privies, but, in many instances, four, and in some as many as eight closets discharge into one midden. In any position these middens would constitute a serious nuisance, but the danger to health is increased enormously in the town by the fact that these receptacles with their foul decomposing contents are situated in close confined yards, in some cases all but filling up the spaces between the houses, and in others actually adjoining them. Thus the thorough fouling of the air is ensured, and in some instances the walls and foundations of houses are saturated with excremental filth. Many of these conditions were especially noted to exist in their worst forms in close proximity to houses in which there had lately been cases of enteric fever. The following sketch shows the arrangements in one instance where enteric fever has recently prevailed in Wanley Street:— Seale | inch to ] foot. References. A. _Dwelling-house in which there was a case of enteric fever in 1882. B. _Passage leading to a dwelling-house in which two cases of enteric fever occurred in 1882. There is a sink directly con¬ nected with an unventilated sewer in this passage. 0,_Dwelling-house in which a case of enteric fever occurred in 1882. D.—Privy. . , . _Uncovered privy midden, the sloppy contents from which soak into foundation of house C. F. —Coal-houses. G. _Inlet to rain-water tank into which slops are thrown. H. _Gully to take surface drainage of yard. I. —Yard. K.—Covered passage giving access to street. A 2