SANITARY LAWS.

TITLE XVI, CHAPTER II.

Coroner's Inquests.

SEC. 1. When any person shall come to a sudden or unnatural death, or be found dead, the manner of whose death is not known, any justice of the peace shall, by warrant, forthwith cause a jury of twelve judicious men to be summoned, who shall be sworn by such officer to inquire of the cause and manner of such death, and shall present on oath a true verdict thereof, under their hands, to some justice of the peace, who shall return it to the next Superior Court in the county; and no fees shall be allowed for any of said services.

SEC. 2. Any officer who shall unnecessarily neglect or fail to execute such warrant, or any person summoned as a juror who shall fail to appear and serve without reasonable excuse therefor, shall forfeit five dollars to the town; and the officer serving said warrant shall remain in attendance upon said justice and jury, so long as he shall be required so to do.

SEC. 3. The attendance of witnesses may be enforced by subpoena and capias issued by the justice of the peace holding any such inquest, and their testimony taken in the same manner as on the trial of a criminal prosecution before a justice of the peace.

SEC. 4. In New Haven, and any other town which shall vote so to regulate inquests therein, a jury of six men only shall be summoned, and the proceedings shall otherwise be as provided in the preceding sections, except that fees shall be paid as provided in Chapter XXIII of Title XIII.

TITLE XVI, CHAPTER XI.

Public Health and Safety.

SEC. 1. The justices of the peace and selectmen in each town shall constitute a board of health, and have all the power necessary and proper for preserving the public health and preventing the

spread of malignant diseases therein, and may appoint its president and such health officers or health committees as it may deem expedient, and delegate to them any of its powers, and the members present at any meeting convened as the board shall direct, shall be a quorum for business; and may appoint a clerk, who shall be sworn and shall record the acts of such board.

SEC. 2. Such board, or such health officers, or health committees shall examine into all nuisances and sources of filth injurious to the public health, and cause to be removed all filth found within the town, which in their judgment shall endanger the health of the inhabitants; and all expenses for such removal shall be paid by the person who placed it there, if known, and if not known, by the town; and when any such filth or nuisances shall be found on private property, such board shall notify the owner or occupant of such property to remove the same at his expense, within such time as the board shall direct; and if he shall neglect to remove it. he shall be fined not less than twenty dollars nor exceeding one hundred dollars, and pay such expense and costs as the town shall incur by such removal; and after the expiration of such time, such board shall cause such filth or nuisance forthwith to be removed or abated; and such board, or such health officer or committee as it shall direct, may enter all places where such board shall have just cause to suspect any such nuisances or causes of filth to exist.

SEC. 3. It shall be sufficient notice to all persons of any regulation of such board, if it be published in a newspaper published in the town, or posted for three days on each sign-post in said town; and if any person shall willfully violate such rules, after they have been so published or posted, or after actual notice thereof shall have been given to him, he shall forfeit not less than fifteen dollars, nor exceeding one hundred dollars.

SEC. 4. The board of health, in any town contiguous to navigable waters, may assign within the town, or the waters contiguous thereto, the port or place in any harbor, road, river or bay, where vessels coming into the limits of such town or into such contiguous waters shall, if need be, perform quarantine; and every vessel which shall, between the first day of June and the first day of November, come from any foreign port or place, or from any port or place in the United States south of the capes of the Delaware, and come to anchor in any such harbor, road, bay, river or contiguous waters, if any place for quarantine shall have been assigned

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as aforesaid, shall come to anchor and lie at such place so assigned, and at no other place, until discharged in manner as is hereinafter provided; and the master of every vessel coming to anchor as aforesaid shall forthwith make signal for a health officer by hoisting colors in the shrouds, or, if need be, may send a person on shore, who shall notify the health officer of the port, or if there be no health officer, a member of the board of health, of the arrival of such vessel, and forthwith return on board; but the provisions of this section shall not apply to any such vessel which shall have entered any port or place in the United States north of said capes, where there are quarantine regulations, and been visited by a health officer, received a clean bill of health, and been permitted to go to the wharves and unload thereat; and such clean bill of health, or a certified copy thereof, shall be left with the collector of the port within twenty-four hours after the arrival of such vessel.

SEC. 5. When the board of health in any town shall deem it expedient that vessels arriving in its town or in the waters contiguous thereto, from any port or place in the United States, north of the capes of the Delaware, should perform quarantine, such board may by an order, published or posted as aforesaid, subject such vessels to quarantine in the same manner as if they arrived from a foreign port or place.

SEC. 6. Any vessel subject to quarantine, arriving in the harbor of New Haven, on board of which there shall be no sickness at the time of such arrival, or on board of which, during the passage, there shall have been no case of malignant or contagious disease, may come to and make fast at the end of any public wharf in said harbor, without incurring any penalty for violation of the quarantine laws; but no person shall be allowed to leave said vessel, except to make fast to the wharf, until said vessel shall have been visited by a health officer, and by him discharged from quarantine; and if the health officer, on visiting any such vessel, shall find any such sickness on board as, in his opinion, shall make it proper for him to cause such vessel to continue subject to quarantine, he shall order it to be removed to such place as shall be assigned as a place of quarantine.

SEC. 7. On notice given to a health officer or member of the board of health of the arrival of any vessel as aforesaid, he shall visit it without delay, and may, on examination, give a certificate of health, discharging it from quarantine, or cause it to