Report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the causes which have led to, or have aggravated the late outbreak of cholera in the towns of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, and Tynemouth.

  • Great Britain. Cholera Inquiry Commission.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the causes which have led to, or have aggravated the late outbreak of cholera in the towns of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, and Tynemouth. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE CHOLEExi INaUIliY COMMISSIONERS, TYNEMOUTH. Commission ers. JOSEPH BURNLEY HUME, Esq, in the chair. JOHN SIMON, Esq., JOHN FREDERIC BATEMAN, Esq. Thomas Carr Lietch, Esq., sworn. 9969. (Ghairmani) You are Town Clerk of the borough of Tynemouth ?—I am. 9970. And Clerk to the Local Board of Healtli there?—I am. The Council are the Local Board of Health there ; the district is co-extensive with the borough. 9971. How many years have you been Town Clerk?—Since November 1819, when the borough of Tynemouth Avas incorporated. 1 Avas appointed Town Clerk on its incorporation. 9972. That borough Avas one of the places Amry severely \dsited with the cliolera in 1848-9 ?—In 1849 it Avas. 9973. At the time of the outbreak of cholera in 1849 the sanitary state of the toAAUi was bad ?—Very bad, and it is very far from Iieing good yet. 9974. The houses were undi'ained and supjilied with bad water ?—TheA* v.^ere and are still undrained, and not A’ery Avell supplied with Avater. 9975. They Avere in a filthy condition too, many of them ?—Many parts of the town certainly were in a very filthy condition. 9976. Unprovided Avith pjroper accommodation-?—Yes, and are so still to a great extent. 9977. There were great nuisances and accumulations of filth in Amrious parts of the town ?—Yes ; these Avere certainly Avorse than they are now. I may state in general that with re.spect to permanent works, main seAverage and drainage Avorks, the liorough is in very nearly the same condition as it Avas in 1849. 9978. (Mr. Simon.) Hoav long have jmu been under the Public Health Act ?—Rather more than two years noAV ; the Act of Parliament confirming the provisional order of the General Board of Health received the royal assent on 8th August 1851, but some time elapsed before Ave could get anything done towards carrying out the piow'ers. A committee was ap>pointed to rejiort upon tlie powers that the Council had then oljtained, and it was January 1852 before the officers Arere appointed and before anything really could be said to be done under the poA\mrs of the Public Health Act. 9979. (Chairman.) After the Local Board of Health commenceif its opemtions were considerable accumulations of filth and so on removed ?—Yes ; since the Public Health Act has been applied to the district, the scavenging and surfiice cleansing has been attended to very much indeed. 9980. Was not also a systematic and thorougli cleansing of the borough eftected ?— A thorough cleansing took place in September last, and also in September of the previous year, when the cholera was making A^ery rapid progress on the continent, and when fears were entertained Acdiether it might not also come to the east coast of England. Accor- dingly an additional force of scavengers was employed by the Local Board of Health, and a great deal done toAvards j)utting the borough into a much more cleanly condition, in the way of surface cleansing, cleaning of alleys and back courts, and OAuo-crowded buildings in the town. 9981. (Mr. Bateman.) At what time Avas this?—This A\ns in SepAtember 1852. 9982. (Chairman) Something like 1,500 cart loads of absolute filth were reraoA'ed, ■were they not ?—That was in Sep)tember last; the surface cleansing in 1852 Avas not to so great an extent. 9983. (Mr. Simon) When did ^onir more active process of cleansing begin in 1853 ?— In September 18.53. 9984. The middle, the end, or the beginning of the month (—-Tlie beginning. We had a meeting on the 6th of Se])teml)er 1853, a special meeting of the Public Health Act. Committee of the Local Board of Health of Tynemouth. Dr. Gieeuhow, noAV of London, at that time resident in Tynemoutli, w;)S the-chairman of that committee. My impression is that at that time there Avas a report in circulation that some one case had occurred in this immediate locality. Of that I am not quite sure, but certainly it was fast apjn’oaching Dr. Greonhow consulted me as to the stc])s tliat could lie taken, and the pi-ecautionaiw i E T. C. Lietch, Esq. 24th Jan. 1854.