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COUNTY ALMSHOUSES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS.

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY ALMSHOUSE.

This institution is located in Brentwood, about two miles from the railway station at Epping. The main building, A, is a large wooden structure, five stories in height, including basement. The insane asylum, B, is situated near by and is a much more modern structure than the almshouse.

At the time of inspection the institution contained one hundred and sixty-three inmates, seventy-four of whom were classed as insane, forty-five of the latter being confined in the insane asylum.

The last report upon this institution contained many criticisms on the sanitary condition of the buildings, and the following recommendations were made to the county commissioners:

"1. Improvements in the bathroom used by the superintendent and family, by putting in a new water-closet, a set washbowl, and properly trapping these and the bathtub. The soil-pipe should be extended upward through the roof, and surface ventilation provided for by a pipe extending to a constantly heated chimney.

"2. The men's privy, adjacent to the jail, should be abandoned at once, the vault to be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected, and the brick wall, which forms a part of the corridor wall of the jail, should be thoroughly cleansed with a hot solution of potash, followed by a strong solution of corrosive sublimate.

"3. The sewer openings in the floor of the jail should be closed after the sewer leading therefrom has been properly cleansed and disinfected. These openings are wholly unnecessary, as the surplus water should be carefully removed with mops or cloths so as not to leave a large quantity to be disposed of by evaporation, thus keeping the jail in a state of constant moisture.

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4. Set washbowls should be provided in the jail corridors for the use of the prisoners. A water-closet should also be con

structed in the jail.

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5. The privy used by the female inmates should be abandoned and a water-carriage system substituted. The vaults should be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected and filled with fresh earth.

"6. Water-closets should be substituted for the privies now in

use at the institution, with the possible exception of the wooden building in the rear of the insane asylum.

"7. The sinks, slop-hoppers, etc., in the basement of the main building should all be renovated, and in some instances new structures substituted. Traps should be placed upon all pipes entering the sewer or soil-pipe. It is recommended that all pipes leading to the sewer in the basement of the building run above the brick or cement floor, and not be buried in or below it, as is now the case with many of the pipes.

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8. In the insane asylum proper, water-carriage for the sewage is recommended. The vault in the new wing, constructed for a latrine, should be supplanted by water-closets or a latrine built upon sanitary principles, as in its present construction it will always be disgustingly filthy.

"9. All the cesspools now existing should be cleaned out and filled with earth. There is no occasion for cesspools in any part of the sewer system, except, possibly, at its terminus.

10. One continuous sewer should take all the sewage from the institution to some point sufficiently distant from the buildings to be unobjectionable. There it may be collected in settlingtanks for agricultural purposes, or otherwise disposed of as the county commissioners may determine.

"II. The system of plumbing should be carefully examined and its many faults corrected. The absence of traps, the conducting of the overflow pipes from the water tank in the insane asylum to the privy-vault, and many other defects of a similar character should be corrected.

"These recommendations are general in character and include only those changes which ought to be carried out immediately. Improvements in the system of ventilation will be necessary after the work outlined above has been performed. In carrying out these recommendations, exact specifications in respect to sewering and plumbing should be made, whether done by contract or otherwise. Only first-class fixtures should be purchased, and nothing but first-class work accepted, as such is invariably the cheapest in the end. The work should be placed under the supervision of some person thoroughly competent to determine whether or not it is being properly executed."

In regard to the above recommendations, we are pleased to be

able to report that nearly all of them have been carried out by the county commissioners. The plumbing in the superintendent's part of the building has been improved in accordance with the first suggestion. The men's privy adjacent to the jail, which for years had been a nuisance, has been entirely removed and the vault filled with fresh earth, and the walls of the jail adjacent to the vault disinfected and whitewashed. A sink for washing purposes and a slop-hopper and closet have been constructed in the jail.

The privy used by the female inmates has been abandoned and the building removed, the vaults cleansed and filled with earth, thereby ridding the institution of a bad nuisance. Latrines have been substituted throughout the entire building for the privies which formerly existed. These were found to be in good condition, with the exception of one which did not contain a sufficient amount of water an oversight of the attendant. The sinks, slop-hoppers, etc., in the basement of the main building, have been renovated, the plumbing overhauled, fixtures trapped, and the old box-drain removed and Akron-pipe sewer substituted.

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The eighth recommendation has also been carried out. privies in the insane asylum have been abandoned and latrines put in. The cesspools and privy-vaults which formerly existed have been abandoned, cleansed, and filled with fresh earth, so that there are now no cesspools about the buildings.

One continuous sewer has been built in accordance with the tenth suggestion. Two settling-tanks have been constructed at the mouth of the sewer, while the overflow empties into an adjacent brook. The substance collected in the settling-tanks is used by the superintendent for agricultural purposes.

The plumbing has been entirely reconstructed and the many faults which existed in the old system corrected. The work done in this direction was of considerable magnitude, and has placed the institution upon a much better sanitary basis than heretofore.

In addition to the above a pump has been put in for fire purposes. A stand-pipe runs from basement to attic, with a coupling on each floor for the attachment of hose. The institution has been provided with about five hundred feet of good hose. We would suggest that another stand-pipe be placed in the west end

of the building, as one is liable to be rendered useless by the location of a fire.

A two-story veranda has been built upon the west end of the main building, making a very comfortable and pleasant addition for the female inmates.

The women's hospital consists of three rooms connected by an archway. There are five beds in this hospital. The men's hospital is arranged in a similar manner, and contains eight beds. Neither of the hospitals is large enough for the demands of the institution, the men's in particular being badly crowded.

The general condition of the buildings is good, although there is room for improvement. The ventilation is not as good as it ought to be, neither in the main house nor in the asylum. The almshouse proper is a badly constructed building, not well calculated for this purpose. It is considerably decayed in many places, and the time is not far distant when a new building will be demanded, or extensive repairs to the present one. The absurdity of constructing an almshouse practically five stories in height is apparent to any one who visits this institution. The plastering has been repaired in many places, and presents a patched and unsightly appearance. A considerable portion of the building needs painting and whitewashing.

The institution is under the management of Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Tucker. There is an assistant superintendent, a turnkey, and a male and female attendant in charge of the insane.

The jail was found to be in a most excellent condition, thoroughly whitewashed, neat and clean. It contains thirty-six cells. It is not large enough for the demands of the county. At one time sixty-nine prisoners were confined in it, while for a short time during the past winter there were fifty prisoners.

STRAFFORD COUNTY ALMSHOUSE.

At the time this institution was inspected there were present one hundred and eighty inmates, forty-six of whom were inmates of the insane asylum. The almshouse, situated at Dover, consists of a large, two-story building, A, with two large wings, extending back from the main house and not shown in the photograph. The building was constructed very much after the pattern

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