I beg therefore to recommend that the State Board of Health proceed to take the action on these two complaints of September 15th herewith returned which the Public health law specifically indicates for such cases. I am, dear sir, Yours very truly, OLIN H. LANDRETH, Consulting engineer ALBANY, December 24, 1898 G. B. HILL, President Board of Health, Village of Chittenango, Chittenango, N. Y.: Dear Sir-Under date of September 15, 1898, the attention of this Board was called by a petition signed by Luke McHenry, president; Thomas H. Mitchell and George E. Merwin, trustees of the village of Chittenango, also Dr. S. D. Hanchett, the health officer, to certain alleged unsanitary conditions existing in your village, caused, as stated in a communication to your board from Dr. Hanchett, under date of September 15, 1898, by reason of the use of a stream running parallel with Seneca street for the deposit therein of the contents of privy vaults, offal, garbage and other unsanitary substances. An investigation having been made by Prof. Olin H. Landreth, one of the consulting engineers of this Board, his report upon such investigation (a copy of which was sent to your board), fully justifies the complaints made. Therefore by virtue of the authority vested in us under section 25 of the Public health law, you are hereby directed to convene the board of health of the village of Chittenango within 15 days from the date of this notice, for the purpose of taking the action necessary to cause the abatement of the nuisances complained of, provision for which is made by sections 25,26 and 27 of the Public. health law, a copy of which has been sent to you. Please acknowledge the receipt of this communication. Very respectfully, BAXTER T. SMELZER, Secretary DANIEL LEWIS, President BAXTER T. SMELZER, M. D.: CHITTENANGO, September 4, 1899 The law in regard to vaccination in our union school district has been fully complied with. The stream or ditch running parallel with Seneca street in the village of which a former complaint was made to your Board, September 15, 1898, remains in the same condition at this time. The president of the board of health, Mr. Hill, after receiving your instructions last fall, resigned; also, Mr. Spencer, secretary of the board, resigned, in order to avoid carrying out your instructions. A new board was appointed last spring and they have refused to receive your instructions, but passed a resolution of which I send you a copy and after serving notice upon property owners in accordance with the resolution of the board, C. A. Hitchcock, a lawyer and a member of the board of health of said village, says the resolution of the board and the notice to property owners is defective and not worth the paper it is written upon. I submit the notice and resolution to your inspection and if you find it is not in accordance with the law, I see no other way only that your State Board of Health take hold of the matter and abate the nuisance com. plained of. An early reply is desired. Yours respectfully, S. D. HANCHETT, M. D., Health officer A copy of the resolution of the board of health of Chittenango, dated July 10, 1899: To You are hereby required to immediately abate a nuisance on your premises on Seneca and Rouse streets road, viz.: A ditch or stream to be cleaned and made two feet wide and two feet deep on grade of map on file with the village clerk, and that all privies and obstructions be removed from said ditch within 10 days after the service of this notice, or the same will be executed as the board may otherwise provide and the expense thereof will be collected from you together with the penalty for neglect in relation thereto. By order of the board of health of the village of Chittenango. S. D. HANCHETT, Health officer Hereunto annexed is a copy of the resolution of the board of health: To S. D. HANCHETT, Health officer: Resolved, That the board clean the ditch from P. Carl's north line to George Clark's north line, two feet wide, two feet deep, on grade of map on file with village clerk, and that all privies and obstructions be removed from said ditch. Further Resolved, That health officer serve notices on the property owners along said ditch to clean ditch in accordance with resolution within 10 days of serving of notices. J. V. FLAHERTY, Clerk CHITTENANGO, N. Y., July 10, 1899 ALBANY, September 11, 1899 S. D. HANCHETT, Health officer, Chittenango, N. Y.: Dear Sir-I am in receipt of your communication of the 4th inst., in which you state that the board of health of your village have failed to cause the abatement of a nuisance in the village of Chittenango, as directed by an order from this Board under date of December 24, 1898. In reply you are informed that the attention of the Board will be called to the matter at a meeting to be held within the next two weeks. Very respectfully, BAXTER T. SMELZER, Secretary CHITTENANGO, N. Y., September 23, 1899 BAXTER T. SMELZER, Secretary State Board of Health: Dear Sir-Yours of September 11th was duly received, and in reply I would say that our local board have finally commenced to fix the ditch in accordance with their resolution, a copy of which I sent you. If they should fail in any particular I will notify you at once. S. D. HANCHETT, ALBANY, September 25, 1899 S. D. HANCHETT, Health officer, Chittenango, N. Y.: Dear Sir-I am in receipt of your communication of the 23d inst. and am pleased to note your statement that the local authorities are about to abate a nuisance caused by an open ditch in your village as directed by this Board. Very respectfully, BAXTER T. SMELZER, Secretary COMPLAINT OF TOWN OF CLAY, CONCERNING DISPOSITION BEING MADE OF GARBAGE FROM CITY OF SYRACUSE BAXTER T. SMELZER, M. D.: EUCLID, N. Y., March 2, 1898 Dear Doctor-Inclosed you will find copies of the orders which have been served upon the city of Syracuse by this board, on account of the garbage dumped by that city on the bank of the Seneca river about two and one-half (21) miles above the village of Belgium. Upon the receipt of the first notice the dumping was stopped in this town only to be carried on on the opposite side of the river, which is in the town of Lysander. The first order was obeyed, but the second was almost entirely disregarded. The drainage of the garbage left in the town of Lysander is into the river, and in case of high water a large amount of land will be overflowed by the river in Clay and much garbage will of necessity be carried into the stream. Already I have observed two cases of typhoid fever in the village of Belgium which are directly traceable to drinking the water of the river below the dumps. Believing the continuance of these uncared for garbage dumps to be a constant menace to the health of the people living along the river, that is in Belgium, Phoenix, Fulton and Oswego (many of whom use water from this stream), I would respectfully ask the State Board of Health to thoroughly investigate the matter. Respectfully, [Copy] G. L. BROWN, Health officer for Clay To the City of Syracuse, County of Onondaga, State of New York: We the undersigned members of the board of health of the town of Clay, county and state aforesaid, in accordance with an order served by this board upon the mayor, superintendent of public works and clerk of the board of health of the city of Syracuse, N. Y., on the 13th day of September, 1897, further order and direct that you cover all garbage dumped by the above named city or any agent or employee of the same within the limits of the aforesaid town, with quicklime at least two (2) inches deep, that this be covered with at least one foot of sound earth, also that a bank of earth at least six (6) feet thick and as high as the highest portion of the earth covering the garbage be so placed as to surround the whole dump. The whole work to be completed within the next thirty (30) days. Dated this 4th day of October, 1897. We, the undersigned members of the board of health of the town of Clay, county of Onondaga, state of New York, convened this 11th day of September, 1897, on the farm of Edward Clay in the town, county and state aforesaid, do hereby order the dis |