1873-74.] 
CITY DOCUMENT. 
[No. 17. 
THE CITY OF PROVIDENCE. 
REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF HEALTH IN RELATION 
TO PRIVY VAULTS AND STABLES, WITH RULES AND REGU- 
LATIONS THEREON. 
(Adopted by the Board of Aidermen August 7, 1873.) 
REPOR T. 
Office of the Superintendent of Health, [ 
Providence, August 7, 1873. ) 
To the Honorable the Board of Aidermen : 
Gentlemen : I have often in past years, called the atten- 
tion of your board, and of the public, to the dangers to the 
public health from the privy vaults in the city. The evil is 
not removed ; many vaults are built of wood which soon rots ; 
many are uncovered; many are made the receptacles of slops 
and vegetable matters, thus increasing ten-fold the dangers 
from them. Nearly all have open walls, to favor the escape of 
the contents into the surrounding soil; but the same construc- 
tion often admits water and increases the nuisance. 
In many localities, and in most of the poorer class of tene- 
ment houses, the foul air from privies is almost suffocating, and 
is a most prolific cause of disease, sickness and death. Even 
in the best places, the blackening of the paint in privies 
shows that a rank poison is constantly formed, and is escaping 
in the form of sulphuretted hydrogen gas. 2 
CITY DOCUMENT. 
No. 17. 
Every man puts his own privy as far as possible from his 
own house, but with little reference to the houses of his neio-h- 
bors, and in all the thickly settled portions of the city nearly 
every man's privy is much nearer some other person's house 
than his own. Most persons seem to act as if they believed 
they had a perfect right to poison their neighbors if they are 
safe themselves. 
But it is not necessary to dwell upon facts well known to 
every one. It is certain that the offensive odors from these de. 
posits of filth form one of the most dangerous nuisances we 
have to contend with, and are the cause of a very great amount 
of disease and death. 
The progress of sanitary investigation and chemical science 
within a few years past, has furnished us with substances by 
which all offensive odors from privies may be effectually pre- 
vented at a very slight expense. 
It seems to me that the danger from this cause is so great 
that it is just and proper that all persons, without exception, 
should be compelled to disinfect and deodorize their privy vaults, 
so as to keep them free from all offensive odors. 
The removal of the contents of privy vaults is also a very 
great nuisance at this season of the year, and as the contents 
can be easily deodorized, I would recommend that until the 
first of October, no person be permitted to remove the contents 
of any privy vault, unless the same shall have been previously 
deodorized so as to remove all offensive odors. 
The same rule should be applied to the city in the removal 
of the contents of sand catch basins. These are often very 
offensive, and the contents make an unpleasant nuisance in the 
streets. 
The removal of manure from stables, especially when it is 
kept in vaults with considerable water, makes a very offensive 
nuisance. It seems proper that disinfectants should be applied 
to the manure before it is removed. 
These orders seem to me to be important as sanitary 
measures, especially at the present time, and as sanitary mea- 
sures are clearly within the province of your board, acting as 
the board of health. PRIVY VAULTS AND STABLES. 
3 
At some future time it is my intention to offer for the action 
of the city council, an entirely new ordinance relating to the 
construction and location of privy vaults, and the removal of 
their contents at all seasons. A radical change is required in re- 
lation to this subject. 
Respectfully. 
EDWIN M. SNOW, M. D., 
Superintendent of Health. 
RULES AND REGULATIONS RELATING TO PRIVY VAULTS AND 
STABLES. 
Ordered, That the following rules and regulations relating 
to privy vaults and stables be hereby adopted by the board of 
health : 
1. Ordered, That the owners of all privy vaults be required to 
disinfect their contents, and keep them free from all offensive 
odors. 
2. Ordered, That if the owner of any privy vault shall re- 
fuse or neglect to disinfect the contents of the same, so as to 
remove all offensive odors, within thirty-six hours after receiv- 
ing a notice so to do from the superintendent of health, he 
shall pay a fine of not less than two nor more than ten dollars 
for each offence. 
3. Ordered, That from this date until the first day of No- 
vember next, no portion of the contents of any privy vault 
shall be removed from the vault, unless previously disinfected, 
so that its removal will cause no offensive odor. 
4. Ordered, That from this date until the first day of No- 
vember next, no portion of any manure in any stable shall be 
removed unless previously disinfected, so that its removal will 
cause no offensive odors. 
5. Ordered, That any person violating either of the provi- 
sions of orders three and four, shall pay a fine of not less than 
ten, nor more than twenty dollars for each offence. 
A true copy, witness, 
SAMUEL W. BROWN, City Clerk.