[Report 1907] / Medical Officer of Health, North Riding of Yorkshire County Council.

  • North Riding of Yorkshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1907] / Medical Officer of Health, North Riding of Yorkshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Diarrhoea caused 48 deaths, giving a death rate of 0-18 per thousand. One death occurred at Whitby, one in the Loftus District and one at Redcar. Two in the Northallerton Rural District, two in the Eston District, two in the Pickering Rural, two in the Thirsk District, and eight at Ormesby. Fifteen at Thornaby-on-Tees, two in the South Bank in Normanby District, one in the Flaxton District, and one in the Start- forth District. One in the Hinderwell District, three in the Whitby Rural, two in the Kirbymoorside District, three in the Stokesley District, and one in the Scarborough Rural District. Water Supplies. In the Leyburn District the supply to Bellerby is unsatisfactory, a local scheme is being considered, the supply being from springs to the west of the town, but the sufficiency of the supply is doubtful, at Castle Bolton the water has been laid on from a covered cistern to a standpipe in the village, Garriston and Barden are supplied from surface wells which are unsatisfactory, that of Finghall is most unsatisfactory, and the District Council have issued instructions that a scheme be submitted to them. In the Guisborough Rural District the supply to Newton has been increased by the addition of a further spring, steps are being taken to increase that at Castleton, and to improve the one to Ainthorpe. Dr. Colby, Malton Rural, writes, “ Taking the whole area together, the chief outstanding “ difficulty is the water supply of the street villages, a difficulty which has been with you “ for many years, and which does not appear to be much nearer solution than it was at “ the beginning. Of the absolute need of water, good in quality and sufficient in quantity, there is no doubt, the last villages which were specially reported on being in as bad or “ worse plight than the others. Complaints during the past summer were numerous, that “ is as to the presence of water at all, irrespective of its quality. Analyses of the wells “ in Slingsby, Barton-le-Street, and Amotherby are in your possession, and a consideration “ of them can leave none of you in doubt as to the need of some change. In addition, “ the public pump in Amotherby has been known several times to be the originator of “ enteric fever, and in spite of the notice on it, it is a standing menace to the inhabitants. The water supply of Whitwell is also not satisfactory.” In the Northallerton Rural District the well at West Rounton has been deepened two feet, at Deighton a new well and pump properly protected and away from all source of contamination has been pro¬ vided by Mr. C. A. Emerson, at Brompton water has been laid on to seven additional houses, and at Nether Silton a scheme is being undertaken by voluntary effort. In the Helmsley District a scheme for the supply of Pockley, Harome, and Beadlam jointly with other villages in the Kirbymoorside District has been commenced, the source of supply is the Piethorn Spring on the East Moors five and a half miles north of Helmsley, and yields 66,000 gallons per day, the pipe three miles in length across the moor has already been laid to the site of the new reservoir south of Pockley Grange, work has already been commenced on the reservoir which will have a holding capacity of 46,000 gallons, this along with the 38,000 gallons holding capacity of the present reservoir supplying Beadlam and Harome gives a total storage of 79,000 gallons, equal to two and a half days con¬ sumption. Unsatisfactory supplies are reported from Old Byland, Murton, Sproxton, Rievaulx, and Cold Kirby, and from Oswaldkirk, Oldstead, Cawton, and Coulton in the Oswaldkirk Division of the District. Dr. Cockcroft, Masham, writes, “ Last year your “ Council were in some danger of interference with this supply (Agra) owing to the action “ of the Leeds Corporation promoting a bill in Parliament to construct waterworks just “ above the site of the Masham Reservoir. However, owing to engineering difficulties, “ the Colsterdale Reservoir scheme has been abandoned by the Leeds Corporation for the “ present. Your Council, however, have had a clause inserted in the Leeds Bill protecting “themselves. In the event of any undue interference with Masham Water Supply, the “ Leeds Corporation are bound to supply water to your Council from the spring at Spring “House, or failing that from another spring (Rattling Spring) in Colsterdale.” In the Wath District the supply at Middleton Quernhow was found to be polluted and unfit for domestic use, steps are being taken to pump water by means of a windmill into a service reservoir, and two new wells have been sunk at Asenby. At Northallerton whilst the quality of the water is all that can be desired, the quantity is only equal to the demand when the springs are yielding their full flow, when these decrease there is a shortage of supply, the water was turned off between 8-0 pan. and 7-0 a.m. from September 1st to October 17th, various schemes have been considered with the object of increasing the supply during times of drought, either by obtaining an increased supply or additional storage. In the Pickering Rural District the supply of Lockton is rainwater collected in cisterns, Newton the same, that of Wilton is deficient, also Sinnington, Middleton, Wrelton, and Aislaby, certain springs were gauged with a view of supplying the last three villages but the supply was found to be inadequate. Dr. Hicks, Easingwold, writing on the supply to Easingwold, says, “ The water is hard and is barely sufficient for present, “ not to speak of future, requirements. The quantity of water could I think be easily “ increased, and the quality of it improved both for drinking and domestic purposes by “ softening it. All hot water pipes fur up and are choked in a very short space of time.” In the Thirsk District the public wells at Low Thirkleby, Maunby, Pickhill, and Kirby Hill have been cleaned out and repaired, and a new supply is being provided for Sutton. Dr. Glen, South Bank in Normanby District, writes, “ During nearly the whole of the year “the water supply was not as plentiful as it might have been. For a time the Tees “ Valley Water Board were taxed to the utmost to keep up the water supply for manu- “ facturing purposes, and a full supply for domestic purposes at the same time, but latterly “ a great improvement has taken place, under the extended powers secured during last “ Session of Parliament.” In the Flaxton District nearly all the samples of water taken from different parts of the district during the year were found to be contaminated with gewage, it is recommended that the water from the York mains be laid on to the respective