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served upon him to make various amendments in the houses and common
yard, and to abate overcrowding, which was discovered when I visited
the place with the Inspector. At this time a circular was delivered to
the owner specifying what it was our practice to regard as overcrowding.
For a time overcrowding was abated and improvements were made, but
not to my full satisfaction. In September, 18G3, and again in December,
complaints were made and further improvements demanded, none of
which were effectually or thoroughly carried out. On January 10, 1864,
a woman, named Martha Roadknight, aged 68, residing at No. 3 (a
double house, with rooms on each side of a central passage), and occupying
the left-hand back room on the ground floor, was found to have typhus
fever. The room was small and occupied by herself and a grown up
daughter with her four children. This woman died. As soon as I heard
of this occurrence I sent the Inspector, and, in consequence of his report,
visited thess houses again myself. They were found to be greatly overcrowded,
and notice for abatement, and for the completion of neglected
improvements, and for ventilation, were served upon the owner in due
course. On January 28th a second case occurred in a boy, aged 13
years, residing with his father (Wm. Waymouth), and his mother (Ann
Kyser or Waymouth), in the left-hand ground floor front room, occupied
altogether by six persons. One of these, Ann Kyser, aged 15 years,
was attacked on February 12th; another, Augusta Kyser or "Waymouth
(the mother), on March 8th; William Waymouth, aged 3 years, on the
same day; William Waymouth (the father), aged 55, on March 17th,
and Ferdinand Kyser, aged 10 years, on the same day—none in this
room escaping. On March 19th, Mr. Keele heard, by accident, that
there was fever upstairs, and there he found a whole family of 8 persons
(Clarke), who occupied the room, ill with typhus; they varied in ages
from 1½ years to 40 years of age. The room was the left hand side back
room, above Roadknights. On the same day typhus was found on the
ground floor front room on the right hand side of the house, in a boy
named Fox, aged 9 years. On the 1st April another case was found,
which had been ill a week, in the left hand front room on first floor,
next Clarke's room; and on the 7th April another, in the room vacated
by the Roadknights after the old woman's death, and re-occupied by a
fresh family. In all, 20 cases of typhus are known to have arisen in this
house, and others, as the Roadknights, left while believed by Mr. Keele