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

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.

629/636 (page 579)

$engine; it throws up a ton of water per minute, I believe. We carried that on for four days ; pumping the salt water from the river up all the bank sides, which ran down again, cleaning out all the courts and lanes and stairs, sometimes causing a little annoyance to the inhabitants ; but it certainly purified the air in a remarkable degree for many days after that. Places that usually did not smell at all sweet Avere fresh and clean after that. 10.000. {Mt. Simon) On what day did you do that?—That I am not able to state. I have not taken a note of it. 10.001. (Ghairmcm.) Have you the date of your first death ?—Yes. The first was on the 15th of September, a person named Mary Ann Carr, an old woman of 64, living in Stephenson Street, North Shields. The entry which I have opposite her name, olDtained from the medical officer of the union, is that she came from Newcastle, and took the complaint immediately on her return. 10.002. When was the last case ?—The .30th of Octobei’, Mary Soden, aged 54, a tramp. She had come from a house in Blyth, which she had left in consequence of cholera having broken out there, and came to Shields and died. 10.003. Had you altogether twelve deaths between the 15th of September and the 30th of October ?—Yes. 10.004. {Mr. Simon.) Was there much diarrhoea within the district?—Yes; a good deal, but not so much, I have heard, as occurred in Newcastle, or so much as occurred here on other occasions. 10.005. {Ghairman. ) Just at your western border, in Howden, there was a good deal of cholera, was there not ?—In pi’oportion to the population the cases on the Avestern border were very much more niimerous than in any other part of the borougli. The population of the whole of Howden cannot exceed 200 or 300, I should think; and there were four cases in East Howden alone, out of a very small population. 10.006. On the whole, as compared with preAuous visitations, the recent visitation in Tynemouth was exceedingly light ?—It was. 10.007. {M/r. Simon.) Is Walker within your union?—It is within Tynemouth Union, but far beyond the limits of Tynemouth borough or town. 10.008. Did the mortality of that place come within your cognizance ?—No ; but I know it was considerable. 10.009. Do you know its sanitary condition?—No. 10.010. Do not your union officers attend there ?—Yes. 10.011. But its sanitary condition has not come under your knowledge?—Only as it might ha\e come to the knowledge of any other person; I have no official knowledge of it and no accurate knowledo’e of it. o 10.012. With Avhat view Avere all these measures adopted ?—Certainly in the hope that they Avould be of serAuce either in pi’CA^enting or checking and mitigating the attack of cholei'a, AA’ith w’hich we then appeared to be threatened. 10,01 3. Do you believe that they were of service ?—I certainlj^ believe that they Avere of some service; but I Avould rather give evidence upon facts than opinions. I certainly believe they Avere of service ; they were adopted in the hope and with the view of their being of service; and if Ave had not believed that they would be of seiwice we .should not have taken them. 10.014. When you set about adopting them Avere you not all in great fear of tlie Ausi- tation of cholera ?—Certainly. 10.015. Did you not believe that it was impending?—Quite so; A\m expected it from day to day. 10.016. Have you any reason to belieAm noAv that it was not then impending ?—Under the same circumstances I Avould believe again that it Avas impending. 10.017. {Ghairman) The Avater in Tynemouth I belieAm is very Ijad ?—It is not very good, but it is mk very bad ; it is deficient in rpiantity, and not very excellent in quality; but still it is very fair water, if we had plenty of it. At present it is supplied to a large portion of the town on the intermittent system. We are getting better, but not qinte so fast as I should like to see things getting on. The water company are making considerable improA-ements from time to time, but they do not get on quite fast enough for us. 10.018. {Mr. Glayton.) You are wise people at Tynemouth; you do not standstill, but bestir yourselves—clurn pro'xirnus ardet. You commenced your cleansing on the 6th of September?—From the 6th of September. A meeting Avas held on the 6th of September, at which measures were ordered. 10.019. Cases of cholera haAung already occurred in Newcastle ?—You knoAv that much better tlian I do, but I believe it Avas in consequence of the fire having burst out so extremely near to us. 10.020. You had not, I think, till then, put in force the Common Lodging-houses Act? —No; but Ave had appointed an inspector of lodging-houses Auider the powers of the Public Health Act, which confers powers of that kind, independently of the poAvers of the Common Lodging-house Act. We have since adopted the Common Lodging-houses Act and passed our byelaAvs under that Act, but Ave had a considerable time previous to that appointed an ins])ector of common lodging-houses under tlie Public Health Act. 10.021. Which prevails Avith you, but not in NeAvcastle ?—Exactly; also as to slaughter-houses, we instituted regulations for them, and an inspector of slaughter- houses had been appointed for some time. jT. C, JAetch, Esq. 24tli Jan. 1854 4 E 2$