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congratulating ourselves upon the sanitary improvements which have been
effected in this district; for had a similar state of things existed now as it did
formerly, instead of my having to record an increase of the death rate during
the last three or four years of about 4 in 1,000 annually, a death rate of treble
that amount might have taken place
For the information of those members of the Board who were not acquainted
with the physical condition of the district twenty years ago, I subjoin a
description of the state of Blue Anchor Yard in 1846; and I may state, from
my own personal knowledge, that some of the courts in Essex Street, now the
site of Commercial Street, were in equally as bad a condition before the new
street was formed I quote from a copy of my petition to the House of Lords,
which was presented by the late Marquis of Normanby After alluding to the
bad physical condition of several of the localities in Whitechapel Parish, and
stating that not only had nothing been done to improve the condition of these
places, but that they had been progressively getting worse and worse, it goes on
to state, that in "Blue Anchor Yard, which is a street abounding with narrow
courts, which it is scarcely possible for any one to penetrate, there being in
the centre of the street an open gutter which is almost always full of putri
fying matter, there are now, in addition, large holes, which, as well as the
gutter, are constantly filled with all sorts of refuse and filth There is no
footpath, and the houses, which are dilapidated, are filthy to the last degree—
without drainage, without water, and without privies That among the houses
in one of the small courts in this street, Cooper's Court, one was in such a
dilapidated condition that it was necessary to take it down some time ago,
and the site is now occupied by a large dunghill, formed of every description of
refuse matter, mixed with the contents of privies, and the filth of adjoining pigsties,
several of the rooms in the immediate neighbourhood of the court being
inhabited by pigs Again, in Rose Court, another court in this street, some
old dilapidated wooden houses, which formed one side of this court, have been
recently pulled down Into the vacant space the contents of the privies of
Crown Court empty themselves, forming a large reservoir of most filthy fluid,
composed of the contents of the privies and rainwater, from which a noisome
stench exhales, and into which the children, many of whom are always found
at play near this dangerous spot, may readily fall, and perish instantaneously
from suffocation" After the publication of this petition in some of the daily
newspapers, the Trustees of Whitechapel Parish offered to the Ratcliff Commission,
to which this street was adjacent, the sum of £250 to take it under
their jurisdiction This offer was accepted, and the Ratcliff Commission paved
the street, and those courts which their respective landlords were willing to
place under the control of the Board A sewer was soon after constructed in
this street by the Tower Hamlets Commission of Sewers
As regards the sanitary work performed during the year, I may state, among
other things done, that all the courts in the district have been visited and
reported upon by the Inspectors about once in every three weeks, by which