Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the township of Bishop Auckland in the county of Durham / by Thomas Webster Rammell, Superintending Inspector.

  • Rammell, Thomas Webster
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the township of Bishop Auckland in the county of Durham / by Thomas Webster Rammell, Superintending Inspector. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    M night accommodation of the casual poor, a practice which t is impossible to approve of, tending, as it does, alike to promote vagabondage and immorality, and to spread the seeds of infectious disorders. Wm Brown, the Superintendent of Police, who gave evidence upon the general condition of these lodging-houses, particularly described that referred to me as most miserable as affording an instance of excessive overcrowding. He said,— « One of these houses is kept by Nathan Green, who contracts with the Auckland Union for the casual paupers. He has 2d a night for adults, and Id. for children under 7 years of age. I his house contains 10 rooms. Ft. In. Ft, In. Ft. In. One of these measures - 15 9 by 13 4 and 8 2 high. Another „ - J2 10 ,v; 13 4 „ 7 7 » Another „ - 13 5 „ 10 7 „ 7 7 „ Another „ - 18 0 „ 15 0 „ 6 0 „ Another „ - 15 8 „ 7 3 „ b 0 „ With respect to others of the rooms, some had sloping ceilings, and I was obliged to average the height as follows : Ft In. Ft. In. Ft. In. One - 24 0 by 14 0 - average height - 7 5 Another - 7 9 „ 5 0 - „ „ - 7 5 Another « 13 2 „ 8 3 - „ „ 7b Another - 13 2 „ 8 3 - „ ,. -7b Another - b 9 „ b 8 - „ „ - b U « The last is a sort of cupboard, without light or ventilation ; it contains one bed. They have in all 22 beds. I have known it, from repeatedly visiting it during the night, to have from 3o to 45 inmates at the same time. In one room alone in this house 1 have counted as many as 17 persons at the same time,—men, women, and children,—all sleeping together indiscriminately. The witness states that this is one of the best lodging- houses in the town. He gives some general statements as to the condition and conduct of the inmates of these abodes. The first is a remark which I have heard made frequently of similar houses in other towns :— The practice is universal in these lodging-houses for the lodgers to sleep quite naked, entirely without clothes. The motive I have heard assigned for this is, that by so doing they are less liable to catch any infectious disease, also less liable to get vermin upon their clothes. He adds,— Hitherto no control whatever has been exercised over these houses. From an inspection I have made amongst them this morning, I am satisfied that, from their filthy state and the over- [88] B 2