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6
FIFTY-FOURTH REPORT.
Gentlemen,
On Friday, the 29th June, the Summons against Mr. Lipscomb,
Dust Contractor, was heard at the Greenwich Police Court The
case was adjourned by the Magistrate for tour weeks to give the
Defendant time to clear away the dust mound, and in the interval,
if any addition be made to it, the Defendant is to he brought again
into court, and should the heap not be removed in the time
specified, a fine of twenty shillings per diem is to be levied for
every day after the four weeks. The appearance of the nuisance
is gradually changing, the greater part, ot the materials composing
it have been sifted, and several barge loads of the ashes have been
taken away, so that thus far the order of the Magistrate is being
carried out. One of the witnesses for the Defendant, a Medical
Gentleman, resident in Bermondaey, drew the Magistrate s attention
to the fact, that several charcoal and other like substances in the
pulverized state have the property of absorbing large quantities of
gases, and from this property he seemed to draw the conclusion
that the ashes rendered almost innocuous the exhalations resulting
from tiie putrifying organic matter of the dust heap. That part ot
the exhalations may be thus absorbed, I will admit, but the smell
of these accumulations of house refuse in hot weather, particularly
after rain, proves clearly to the senses of every unprejudiced person
that, notwithstanding such absorption, enough supertluous vapours
escape to infect the atmosphere for some distance round the dust
heaps.
Some obloquy has been cast on your officers for the perseverance
with which they have brought these nuisances under the notice of
the Vestry. Interested persons state that they (the heaps) are not
injurious to health, and mostly wind up their speeches on the
subject by saying, look at the dustmen, how strong and vigorous
they are ; now before such an assertion can be taken for a truth,
some correct data ought to be given relatively to the sickness and
mortality of these men. But even allowing that dustmen enjoy
good health, it does not appear to me a necessary conclusion that
dust accumulations are not hurtful, for, if such a conclusion be
admitted, every filthy business—such as patent manure making
bone boiling, glue making, &c.—has a plea to be tolerated, the
persons who labour at these callings appearing often hearty enough
This apparent health may be easily explained—the men are mostly
in the prime of life, earn good wages, live well and use stimulantf
freely, and in some of the above-named occupations arc often in the