tion of the dry-closets had been occasionally observed, generally at times when the weather had changed suddenly from cool to

warm.

Of these four complaints, the first is fully accounted for by the deficient amount of heating surface in the furnaces, permitting the air to pass through the furnace chambers without taking up the full amount of heat, coupled with the reduced amount of air flowing through the rooms and the "short-circuiting" or defective circulation in the rooms due to the deficiency in the sizes of registers; complaint two is evidently due to the manner in which the branch airflue supplying the room with air, is connected with the main flue; instead of having its own independent air-flue, or even of leaving the main flue at an acute angle, it leaves the latter at a right angle; complaint three is accounted for by the deficient amount of air drawn through the rooms, which defect, due at all times to the restriction and "short-circuiting" caused by the registers, is worse when the motive power of the circulation-the buoyancy of the air in the shaft-is weakened by the external temperature being high and no heat is being received from the heating furnaces, which is the case during the warm months of the school year. This latter cause also is accountable for complaint fourth, whenever occasion comes when the temperature of the air in the dry-closet airshaft after being warmed by the smoke.from the ventilating furnace in the large airshaft, is still cooler than the outer air, the circulation will be down instead of up the closet shaft and out through the closets, and may even pass upward through the basement stairways to the halls above, reversing the ordinary and proper direction of flow. I present here a table showing the sizes which the air inlet registers should have to furnish the stated 30 cubic feet of air per capita, per minute, with a velocity of 4.1 linear feet per second, which is as great as should be permitted, together with a similar table of the actual sizes as they exist; the areas are the net areas of the actual openings through the regis ter gratings.

The remedies for the defective heating and defective ventilation in the school-room are two-fold: first the increase in the heating surface of the furnaces, without necessarily changing the combustion parts of the furnaces, since the grate areas are probably sufficient with moderate crowding in coldest weather; second, an enlargement of the air flues and registers leading air into the school rooms.

The minimum amount of increase in these two items consistent with a satisfactory working of the systems it is impossible to state without an examination of the system when in operation, by measurement of the air volumes and temperatures produced by the present system, and temperature observations of the chimney gases. As the complete rectification of the defects of the system will necessitate important changes which could only be done during the summer vacation. I beg to recommend that for the present winter the following changes only be made now, and the more thorough ones be carried out next summer, after a more thorough examination of the present system while in operation.

The changes recommended for the present are: 1 The replacing of the broken or cracked portions of the furnaces by new ones, having greater extent of heating surface, with provisions made now for adding still further to the heating surface next summer when more time is available; 2 The removal of the reg isters on all inlets into school rooms, in order to thereby increase the effective areas of air-inlets; 3 The placing of a deflecting plate in the main airduct at the junction of the branch flue to your room, so as to deflect a portion of the main air current into your branch flue, and the removal of your inlet register; 4 The carrying of a stronger fire in the ventilating furnace in the main airshaft when warm weather arrives, provided it is found that

the removal of the registers in school rooms has not improved the defective ventilations as much as is desired.

I have no reason to believe that the changes recommended to be made now will furnish a full remedy for the defective heating, though it may do so for the defective ventilation of school rooms. The occasional reversal of flow in the dry-closet ventilating system is one of the contingencies incident to the system, which can only be prevented by stronger fire in the ventilating furnace when the atmospheric conditions are such as to render the re versal possible.

Very truly yours,

OLIN H. LANDRETH,

Consulting engineer State Board of Health

CITY OF NIAGARA FALLS

NIAGARA FALLS, N. Y., July 25, 1898

BAXTER T. SMELZER, M. D., Secretary State Board of Health, Albany, N. Y.:

Dear Sir-I herewith enclose you certified copies of the official minutes of the Board of Health for July 14 and 21, 1898. On page 244 of the official minutes of July 14th, you will notice a report of an investigation conducted by me relative to an endemic of typhoid fever existing in the locality mentioned in that report. Further on in this report, you will notice that I was directed by the Board to have the water in the wells of Jacob Bingenheimer, Louis Elsheimer and Marcus Brown analyzed. This was done and on July 21st, I submitted a report of the findings of Dr. William G. Bissell, city bacteriologist of Buffalo. In face of the fact that these wells show a number of cultures of bacteria per cubic centimeter which is far in excess of that found in potable water, ranging in number from 3020 to 5050, also that bacteria colli communis was found present in all three of the wells, the board of health of the city of Niagara Falls voted to dismiss the com

plaint against said wells, thereby endangering the lives of all the people living in the vicinity of these wells and securing their water supply from them.

I will add further in regard to the condition of these wells, than is specified in either my report or in Dr. Bissell's analysis, that the well known as Brown's well, and so described in Dr. Bissell's report, is a drilled well, 50 feet deep, in rock which is full of crevices. This well is located only 27 feet, actual measurement, from the curb of the well to the edge of a vault over which are located six closets. This vault is six or eight feet deep and is probably one-quarter full of excrement. This well you will notice by the report had 5050 cultures of bacteria per cubic centimeter.

I also asked Dr. Bissell his opinion relative to the potability of the well water in question and the city hydrant water in the same part of the city, he having already analyzed a specimen of the city water. His report on that question you will notice in the official minutes.

Typhoid fever in the city of Niagara Falls is endemic in some particular part of the city almost constantly. Our water supply here is taken from the river and numerous wells about the city. It does not seem possible that in a city of this size, and indeed the analysis submitted would bear out the statement, that well water can be potable; and it seems to be in this particular instance that a very grave mistake has been made in allowing these wells to be left open.

I therefore request you as secretary of the State Board of Health to look into this matter and take such action as you may see fit. It would seem to me that a Board of Health that, in the face of such a report as was submitted to them by a man of the ability of Dr. W. G. Bissell, would vote directly in opposition to such a report and upon such a subject is certainly derelict in its duty. Trusting that this matter may have your attention, I remain,

Very respectfully your obedient servant,

WALTER A. SCOTT,

Health officer city of Niagara Falls

STATE OF NEW YORK,

COUNTY OF NIAGARA, CITY OF NIAGARA FALLS,

}

88.:

I, S. F. Arkush, city clerk of the city of Niagara Falls, do hereby certify that I have compared the preceding with the original min utes of the board of health of this city of their meetings of July 14 and July 21, 1898, and that the same are true and correct transcripts therefrom, and of the whole of such original.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and [SEAL.] affixed the seal of my office this 25th day of July, 1898. S. F. ARKUSH,

City clerk city of Niagara Falls

BOARD OF HEALTH,

NIAGARA FALLS, N. Y., July 14, 1898

REGULAR MEETING-OFFICIAL RECORD

Meeting called to order by Mayor Hastings at 8.15 o'clock

p. m.

Present-Messrs. Collins, Eames, Reiss, Reickhoff and Sullivan. Absent-Dr. McCarty.

The health officer, plumbing and sanitary inspectors were also present.

Upon motion of Mr. Collins, the minutes of the last meeting were approved as officially printed in the Journal of Proceedings. From the health officer:

NIAGARA FALLS, N. Y., July 14, 1898

To the Honorable Board of Health, Niagara Falls, N. Y.:

Gentlemen-Pursuant to your resolution of July 7, 1898, I have summoned the following named persons to appear before this meeting and answer to complaint made against their properties: Marcus Brown, Charles Trusdale, Fred Trusdale, John Spillane, V. M. Porter, Adolph Rose, Franklin Pletcher, Alice Lafflin, Eliza Brown, James Hewett, Michael Spillane, Frank Giroux, Jeremiah Callahan, Jacob Schneider, I. J. F. King, George King, A. J. Porter, John McDonald, James Norman, Mrs. A. C. Johns, Mrs. Laura Isaacs, Wm. Pool.