[Report 1898] / Medical Officer of Health, Keighley Borough.

  • Keighley (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1898] / Medical Officer of Health, Keighley Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/54 (page 4)
    for several years, this result being largely due to the very serious epidemic of Diphtheria which prevailed during the greater part of the year. Before entering upon any statistical details I give, as in former Reports, a few general facts connected with the Borough and its Health Department. Details of Borough.—The Borough of Keighley, situated at the confluence of the River Worth, with the River Aire, is built upon the millstone grits—a hard sandstone found in the coal measures. The town is intersected by the River Worth and its tributary the North Beck, and extends up the hillside towards the village of Hainworth, Thwaites Brow, and Braith waite, which now form part of the Borough. Acreage of Borough ... 3,600 acres Population at Census of 1891 ... ... 30,811 Estimated Population at middle of 1898 40,000 Houses inhabited at Census of 1891 ... 6,415 Houses inhabited at end of 1898 (about) 8,000 New Houses occupied during 1898 ... 318 Height above sea-level at Technical Institute 365 ft. Rainfall for 1898 ... 33.5 inches. Average annual Rainfall about 36 inches. Mean Temperature for 1898, 48^4 ... degrees. Rateable Value... ... ... ,£*122,764 15 o Water Supply.—As stated in former Reports, the Keighley supply is derived partly from springs and partly from moorland gathering ground, and is distributed by four separate services, namely:—Watersheddles, Calversyke Hill, Park Dane, and Green House. The three last services are very small and are untreated before distribu¬ tion. This is unsatisfactory because of possible pollution, and it is to be hoped that these services may be superseded ere long by the larger supply to be derived from the Sladen scheme, for which powers have recently been got from Parliament. The principal supply from Watersheddles is carefully filtered through coke, sand, limestone, and polarite, and although at times the water has a slightly peaty colour, which is completely removed by filtration, it is nevertheless a water of undoubted purity. I have fre¬ quently tested the water during the year, more especially