The New Orleans Daily Democrat

THE SANITARY ASSOCIATION.
Interesting Report From the Sanitary Director.
The executive committee of the New Orleans Auxiliary Sanitary Association assembled in weekly session yesterday. Acting President Fenner in the chair.
The sub-committee on canals and drainage, through their chairman, reported the work of flushing the gutters still in progress, the canals in first-class condition, and the street cleaning force hard at work and effecting good results.
Dr. White, sanitary director, submitted the following report:
A second flying inspection and accompanying disinfection of the city was finished on Wednesday night.
The previous inspection having revealed a large number of full vaults and other nuisances requiring abatement in all but the Seventh District, a sanitary officer was retained at each of the offices of the sanitary inspectors to serve notices to abate nuisances and attend to other office work. Eight of the regular sanitary force only were available for the flying inspection.
This number was increased to seventeen by the sanitary police paid by this association, but reporting to and working under the orders of the Board of Health.
The disinfecting corps was composed of seventeen sections—a foreman, four laborers, a wagon and driver and a commissioned sanitary police officer in command of the section. The police officer and foreman made and recorded the inspections, and the laborers carried out disinfection under their orders. Each wagon carried sprinklers, buckets and pitchers—all articles of tin well coated with coal-tar varnish to protect them from action of the disinfectants, which, to retain all its chlorine and iron, unless soon used, should have hydrochloric acid slightly in excess.
The cordial reception which the disinfecting corps met from citizens enabled non-commissioned foremen to act as inspectors and doubled the rate at which the work could be carried forward.
Five sections of the disinfecting corps were assigned to the First District, and four each to the Second, Third and Fourth Districts. The Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Districts were disinfected after work in the First, Second, Third and Fourth had been completed.
The total force at work was therefore:
Seventeen police officers, sanitary.
Seventeen foremen.
Seventeen wagons with drivers.
Sixty-eight laborers.
A sanitary police officer acted as timekeeper in each district.
The vaults in the locality bounded by Jackson, Toledana, Chestnut and Annunciation streets received, in addition to the zinc iron, a pint each of Calvert's No. 5 carbolic acid.
The total amount of zinc iron disinfectant used was 65 5/6 gallon.
The number of days worked in all was six.
The value of disinfection of vaults, however great, must not divert our attention from the fact that the "accumulative" privy system is a serious evil, and that its remedy, if possible, is distinctly announced and most important aim of this association.
It is not proper, were it possible, to cause the total and immediate change of the present privy system of New Orleans to the Rochdale system. By the Rochdale plan the excreta accumulates for a quarter or less number of days.
The mean temperature of New Orleans for the year is 70 degrees Fahrenheit; that of the latitude of Rochdale closely approximates 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This 20 degrees of excess may be found a serious disadvantage in the use of the pail system here. Skilful application of disinfection may entirely obviate the results of rapid decomposition due to our local high temperature, and it is quite probable that this disinfection can be effected by methods cheap, effective and automatic.
I recommend—
1. That public-spirited men, not less than fifty in number, be found who will, at their own expense and as an experiment for the benefit of the community, introduce this system into their dwellings or places of business.
2. That a contractor be sought who will make necessary alterations at cheapest rates and a responsible one who will take charge of filled pails and replace them.
3. That the automatic method of disinfection suggested in other form by Dr. Perry be carefully studied.
4. That the Board of Health and the city authorities be requested to enact a permissive ordinance.
5. That a special committee with power to act be appointed and put in charge of the matter not less than this experiment than shall be continued for subject thus tages to fully entirely belonging develop as to satisfy the any to propiiety the all advan giving Roch ages or dale attention or.
That the automatic method of disinfection suggested in other form by Dr. Perry be carefully studied.
That the Board of Health and the city authorities be requested to enact a permissive ordinance.
5. That a special committee with power to act be appointed and put in charge of the matter.
Approximate to this portion of the report, a brief recent statement inspection is offered made from of facts this office Re- made by well-known citizen that competent man be sent to examine the and water-closets of his residence, have them disinfected, emptied if necessary, and put in good order, that all might be in proper condition for the return of his family.
Mr. Munford, on duty at this office, made inspection and found one vault, well built, only requiring temporary attention. He found also a water closet, placed between a sitting-room and bedroom, and connecting with and discharging into a vault situated at the side of the house, securely closed with a stone slab—having no ventilating pipe, the inlet pipe being also the only outlet. To test the value of traps and to demonstrate the action of such an arrangement, at my suggestion the water closet door was shut, the stone slab lifted, a small quantity of oil of peppermint poured into the vault and the slab closely and quickly replaced.
Upon opening the door of the water closet, the air was strongly odorous of peppermint, and the odor soon diffusing itself through the rooms, a fetid and noxious gases from the privy have heretofore done and will continue to do, till reconstruction is effected. To secure insidious and deadly poisoning of a family, this mechanical device is perfection.
This instructive specimen of sanitary engineering exists in the house of a prominent citizen, on a noted street, in a fashionable locality, in a house built within three years.
Secretary Henderson submitted the following:
"New Orleans, September 13, 1879.
Mortuary report of the New Orleans Auxiliary Sanitary Association for week ending September 12, 1879:
Total deaths, not including coroners' report 73; of these there were of malarial and other fevers, 6."
After the reading and formal receipt of several communications the committee adjourned.