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8
Sanitary Work.
Various parts of the District have required my special attention
during the year, on account of defective sanitary arrangements.
Among them I may mention Five Bell Alley, Timbery Place,
Catherine Street, May's Row, Harris Court, Salmon's Lane, and
Ratcliff Square. I have reported to your Board regarding these
localities on several occasions, and proceedings have been adopted
which have been productive of an improved condition of the places
in question. The Limehouse Cut has been frequently inspected,
with the result of convincing me that the past agitation concerning
its condition has caused a more frequent and efficient cleansing of
the Cut, and consequently a considerable abatement of the effluvium
for which the stream was notorious. The diversion of the sewage
from the Canal has of course contributed greatly to this result.
The Ratcliff dead-house, both as regards site and condition,
came under my consideration, and I had no hesitation in reporting
to you that I considered its situation open to serious objections ;
but in view of the difficulty experienced in finding a site suitable for
the erection of a mortuary in the District, it was decided to take
steps for the improvement of the condition of the existing deadhouse.
It is a matter which will recommend itself to your consideration.
About the middle of November it became apparent that the
District, in common with the rest of the Metropolis, was about to
suffer from an outbreak of Smallpox in an epidemic form. During
the latter part of the month and December, the number of cases