USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1878 > Part 12
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DIPHTHERIA IN 1878. - INSPEC_OR'S REPORT.
208A
No. of Family.
Nationality.
Occupation of Head of Family.
No. of
Patient
Scx of Patient.
Date of Sickness.
Result.
Soil.
Locality.
House Drainage.
Condition of Cellar.
Privy, etc.
Remarks.
1
Canadian
Laborer
1
Female Male Female. . 2
6
March
Fatal
I.
Clayey Gravel
Low and damp.
Drains clogged
None . Privy in shed adjoining house.
Occupants filthy.
2 3
American
Expressman Stationer .
5
6
IX.
Good
Into cesspool, 8 feet from house.
4
Tanner.
6
Florist
7
Male.
3
Fatal VIII Clayey Gravel
8
=
Merchant
18
II
Good.
Not trapped Drain pipes broken in cellar Not trapped
Dry
Water-closet in house. Privy 10 ft. from house.
Water-closet in house.
Irish"
Laborer
16
4
May
17
Bookkeeper
14
V. Clayey Gravel .. V.
Good
Not trapped
Dry
Damp
Water-closet in house. . . Privy Privy in shed. Water-closet in cellar Privy in yard.
Bad odor in house.
American.
Lawyer
23
12
Carpenter
Female . . Male . ..
8 2 3
July
Fatal
August
Fatal
II
13
Low
,1
10 5
September
III. Clay II. Clayey Gravel .. IV. Sand
Low Good
Good
Drains empty under house, and into open cesspool ..
34
5
35
Fomale. . 21 11 Male . Female. 39
II. WVIL.
Clayey Gravel
Good
Pipes clogged and not trapped
Offensive
Dry Filthy.
Not trapped Drain into cesspool not trapped
Damp
Privy 10 ft. from honse. Water-closet in house. Privy filthy Privy in yard; filthy.
None
Privy in yard; filthy. Privy filthy.
Dry . None
Privy 5 ft. from house in yard ... Privy filthy. Water-closet in house.
defective.
,,
Privy 10 ft. from house, offensive.
Cellar dry ; hens kept in it .
None Dry
Privy 30 ft. from house Water-closet in cellar; defective. Privy full; adjoining kitchen.
91
pen, waste pipes not trapped.
Damp
Privy adjoining house.
Dry
Damp and offensive None Dry
Privy adjoins kitchen. Privy 5 ft. from house. Privy filthy ; 5 ft. from house. Water-closet in cellar; defective.
Damp under house.
American
66 67 68
Male Female. . 4
1}
V. Clayey Gravel. Clay
Low and wet
Waste pipe not trapped Drain clogged Drainage on surface ... Waste pipe not trapper
Good Drain not trapped, em
cesspools
=
IV.
Sand
Low
Drain pipes broken
Frequently flooded by tidc. Dry . Filthy Contains decayed vegetables.
Privy in yard Water-closet in house. Privy in yard filthy. Privy 20 ft; from house .
Hogshead cesspool.
Occupants com-
6 7
=
Furniture dealer. Agent
11
Female. .
16
,,
V.
Defect in drain pipes in cellar Good .
Canadian American.
Contractor
14
3
Fatal
V.
II.
"
I. Gravel .
Low
Improperly trapped. Drain pipes broken "
Hens in cellar
Privy near house.
American.
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
23 24 25 26 27 28
French American. Irish
Brickmaker
Dry
No cellar
Privy filthy. Water-closet in cellar. Filthy.
Sick-room in basement dark and damp; sink-spout discharging under window.
Bad odor in kitchen, from hogshead cesspool.
American
=
10
November.
= October
Clay
Low and damp
Slops thrown in street
Low ..
yard
46
November. .
VI
Low and damp
VI.
I. I
IX. Sand
Good
Cesspool 8 feet from house, overflowing Open cesspool, 10 feet from honse Good . Waste pipes not trapped ..
=
45 46
Irish
Teamster.
American.
Tinsmith
39
5
11
11
..
=
7
1!
Fatal
Male +
6
1X. Sand
Female
1
Fatal
IX. Clayey Gravel . . Good
14
69
13
Fatal V.
October
11
=
Mitle.
10
Clay III. Clayey Gravel. I. V. Claycy Gravel .. III. Sand
Low
Drain pipe in cellar broken Drain pipe broken, not trapped Open trap
Dry
Water-closet in cellar.
Water-closet offensive.
Filthy.
Patient sick when first occupied the house.
=
Oil Cloth Manuf.
8
Milkman
Laborer
33
32
October Fatal
Fatal
29 30 31
American
Irish
Laborer
V1. Clay . "
Low and damp
IX. Sand
Good
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
American Irish American
Laborer
19
Flagınanı
Collector
51
Real Estate Agent Merchant 53
52
...
8
VII.
IX.
44
December
Sand." X. Clayey Gravel.
x
Fatal
Wet
47
English.
Mechanic
48
American. Brick Manufacturer
American
Milkman
Salesmal
65
Irish"
Laborer
59 60 61 62 63 61
49 50 51 52 53 54
Irish
Laborer .
Canadian . Irish
"
Male Female .. Male ...
2
47
5
48 Fem: Male ... Female. . Male . . . =
8 38 18 51 5
42 43 44
55 56 57 58
11 Female .. Male Female .. 1-4
Well' 20 ft. from privy.
Drains into cesspool five ft. from house.
2
3 4
8 9 10 11 12 13
Clerk
19
7 16
April.
II.
-
,,
15
Male Female
18 19
28 7 4
June
III. Sand.
Fatal
..
Irish
Produce dealer Provision dealer Laborer
21
24 25 26 27
X. Clayey Gravel III. III.
Fair
Irish American
Laborer
Good
Drains not trapped
Đảmp
Privy near house
Mother of this child died of typhoid fever in 1878.
30 31 32
.. ..
36 37 38 39 40 41
7
42 43 44 45
45 3
VI VI
Drains not trapped
No drainage
Dry
II.| Clayey Gravel.
=
54
Fatal
V. Sand =
Fatal
IX.
IX. Clayey Gravel
Drainage on surface Waste pipes not trapped Drainage on surface ... Joints of drain pipe in c
IV
Fair.
Pipes broken; sewage flowed into cellar. On surface, near house
11
10
16
VII.
.
I.
13
Two fatal cases in this house.
Occupants complain of offensive odor. Drains into open ditch.
Drain pipes clogged Drain not trapped No drainage; slops thrown on next lot
Damp Dry .
Femalo ..
Milkman
8
Male Female. . Male
III.
Low and damp
Good.
street
Direct connection with sewer.
Offensive stable on next lot, 4 ft. from house. Bad odor in kitchen from cesspool.
",
=
20
21
"
Age of
Patient.
District.
Irish" American ..
Bad odor in house; 4 cases in February.
Dwelling adjoining hot-house. plain of dampness in room.
Water-closet in cellar. Privy in yard 7 ft. from house.
Machinist
Fatal
7
Good
209
We are of the opinion that the time is not far distant when this work should be performed by the city, with its own men and teams.
REMOVAL OF NIGHT SOIL.
A contract for one year from April 25, 1878, was made with Messrs. Russell and Fitch for the removal of night soil, the com- pensation to be received by them from the owners or lessees of premises where vaults are emptied being three dollars per load in the months of April, May, June, July, August, September, and October, and two dollars per load in the months of November, December, January, February, and March. The work has been performed in a very satisfactory manner. Five hundred and one vaults were emptied during the year 1878, being one hundred and thirty-three more than the number emptied in 1877. The board has under consideration the expediency of employing the odorless excavating apparatus, such as is used in Boston, Lawrence, and other cities.
Orders for cleaning vaults and cesspools should be sent to the office of the Chief of Police, Bow Street, or to the store of Messrs. J. F. Cole & Co., corner of Perkins and Franklin Streets.
LICENSES.
The following was received by us Feb. 27: -
CITY OF SOMERVILLE.
IN BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN, Feb. 26, 1878.
Ordered, That the City Clerk be, and he is hereby authorized and in- structed to issue such licenses to keep swine and goats, and to collect grease, as the Board of Health may direct.
IN BOARD OF ALDERMEN, Feb. 26, 1878.
Order adopted.
CHAS. E. GILMAN, Clerk.
Under its provisions, recommendations to grant and refuse licenses to keep swine and goats, and to collect grease, have been forwarded to the City Clerk, as stated below.
SWINE. - Applications have been received for licenses to keep 329 swine, of which number we have recommended that licenses be
14
210
granted to keep 269, and that licenses to keep the remaining 60 be refused. 150 of the swine licensed are kept at the stables of the McLean Asylum, where about the same number have been kept with- out a license for several years, the steward not being aware, until notified by us, that it was necessary to obtain a license. Our notice was promptly responded to, however, and a license was applied for.
Fourteen parties have been prosecuted by the Chief of Police for keeping swine without a license, and have been fined by the Court.
GOATS. - Applications have been received for licenses to keep sixty-five goats, and we have recommended that licenses be granted to keep sixty-four, and that a license be refused for the remaining one. Four parties have been prosecuted and fined for keeping goats without a license.
GREASE. - Twenty-five applications have been received for licenses to collect grease, and we have recommended that they all be granted. Of this number several were granted to parties who had formerly rendered grease in open kettles, but in such cases the licenses were refused, as were also recommendations to collect in other cities, until after this practice had been abandoned, and the parties had promised not to resume it.
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
The following table shows the causes of death in Somerville in 1878, with the number of deaths from each cause, classified accord- ing to the Statistical Nosology adopted for registration in Massa- chusetts.
211
MORTALITY IN SOMERVILLE IN. 1878.
January.
February.
March.
April.
May.
June.
July.
August.
September.
October.
November.
December.
Total.
Zymotic Diseases.
MIASMATIC.
Measles
3
Scarlet Fever
15
Diphtheria
4
4
5
1
1
2
1
1
2
1
5
27
Croup
1
1
2
4
Whooping Cough
1
1
6
Erysipelas
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
6
Diarrhea
1
1
1
2
2
1
2
12
Cholera Infantum
8
9
7
1
.
1
1
ENTHETIC.
Syphilis
1
·
1
.
2
DIETIC.
Intemperance
1
· .
.
.
·
.
· .
Constitutional Diseases.
DIATIIETIC.
Dropsy and anæmia
4
Cancer
abdomen
1
1
breast
stomach
1
.
1
4
TURERCULAR.
Phthisis pulmonalis
4
5
4
6
6
2
3
6
6
8 00
7
64
Hydrocephalus
1
·
Local Diseases.
NERVOUS SYSTEM.
Cephalitis
5
Apoplexy
1
6
Paralysis
2
1
N.
1
9
Epilepsy
.
. .
·
.
1
1
1
1
1
1
·
ORGANS OF CIRCULATION.
Aneurism
Heart Diseases
1
1
4
. 1
.
.
.
1
1
.
18
RESPIRATORY ORGANS.
Bronchitis
1
3
4
14
Pneumonia
3
4
2
1
2
3
1
2
2
26
Lung Diseases
1
1
DIGESTIVE ORGANS.
Gastritis .
1
1
2
Enteritis
2
Peritonitis
1
1
1
Ulceration of Intestir es
.
.
Jaundice
1
1
Liver Diseases
1
1
1
.
3
Ileus
1
.
. .
1
·
·
2
2
1
·
1
1
4
9
Insanity .
1
2
.
2.
1
1
2
2
.
.
. .
.
1
.
·
·
·
1
Convulsions
1
.
1
1
1
1
.
.
·
.
1
uterus
1
1
1
.
·
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
.
Dysentery
1
1
1
1
1 1
.
·
.
. .
.
·
4
7
1
Typhoid (and Infantile Fever)
2
25
Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis
1
·
.
.
21
1
1
3
1
1
.
2
.
Brain Diseases
-
1
5
1
1
3
.
212
MORTALITY IN SOMERVILLE IN 1878, continued.
.
January.
February.
March.
April.
May.
June.
| July.
August.
September.
October.
November.
December.
Total.
URINARY ORGANS.
Cystitis .
.
Disease of Kidneys
1
.
.
2
ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. Joint Diseases .
1
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM ..
Phlegmon
2
. .
Developmental Diseases.
OF CHILDREN.
Stillborn .
1
3
1
3
1
1
1
1
2
14
Premature Birth and Infantile
Debility .
1
3
2
2
2
1
·
1
2
Other Malformations .
1
.
.
·
OF WOMEN.
Childbirth . ..
4
OF OLD PEOPLE.
Old Age ..
3
3
1
. .
. .
·
1
11
DISEASES OF NUTRITION.
Atrophy and Debility
1
2
.
.
.
3
1
3
3
3
.
.
.
.
1
17
Violent Deaths.
ACCIDENT OR NEGLIGENCE.
Burns
1
Drowning
1
Railroad .
2
Scalding .
1
1
SUICIDE.
Drowning
1
1
Shooting
1
1
Otherwise
1
1
Unknown
2
2
Total
22
34
32
27
26
23
33
43
32
35
32
45
384
.
1
1
1
.
.
·
.
.
.
.
.
. .
.
.
·
1
·
1
1
2
1
.
15
Cyanosis
I
1
1
1
1
1
.
.
The following table shows the rates of mortality in Somerville and adjoining cities and towns, for the seven years ending Dec. 31, 1878, based upon the population of 1870 and 1875, according to the census returns for those years ; the figures, except those for 1878, being taken from the Massachusetts Registration reports.
213
RATES OF MORTALITY IN SOMERVILLE AND ADJOINING CITIES AND TOWNS, 1872 TO 1878.
City or Town.
Population by census of 1870.
Death rate per cent based on population, 1870.
Population by census of 1875.
Death rate per cent based on popu - lation of 1875.
1872.
1873.
1874.
1875.
1876.
1877.
1878.
Boston
250,526
3.23
3.14
341,919
2.28
2.61
2.40
2.13
2.23
Cambridge
39,634
2.68
2.44
47,838
2.31
2.33
2.02
2.03
2.11
Somerville
14,685
2.69
2.88
21,868
2.23
2.29
2 03
2.02
1.76
Chelsea
18,547
2.07
2.34
20,737
1.70
2.01
1.91
1.53
1.76
Malden
7,367
2.44
1.95
10,843
1.32
1.83
1.74
1.86
1.63
Medford
5,717
1.80
2.15
6,627
1.66
1.69
1.72
1.54
1.69
Arlington
3,261
1.96
2.08
3,906
1.92
2.87
1.92
2.15
1.97
Everett
2,220
2.07
2.48
3,651
1.67
1.67
2.16
1.84
1.56
The following table shows the rates of mortality in the cities of Massachusetts in 1876, based upon the estimated populations for that year, taken from the report of the State Board of Health dated January, 1877.
RATES OF MORTALITY IN MASSACHUSETTS CITIES. - 1876.
CITIES.
POPULATION.
Death rate per 1000.
CITIES.
POPULATION.
Death rates per 1000.
Boston
346,000
23.84
Somerville
22,000
20.18
Worcester
52,000
21.61
Chelsea .
20 692
20.39
Lowell
50,000
22.92
Taunton
20,500
20.39
Cambridge
50,000
19.32
Gloucester*
17,000
25.35
Fall River .
46,000
24.13
Newton
16,500
17.03
Lawrence .
35.000
24.14
Holyoke
16,260
25.22
Lynn
33,000
21.72
Newburyport
13,500
21.85
Springfield
30,000
21.05
Pittsfield
12,267
21.92
Salem .
26,700
23.26
Fitchburg
12,000
21.50
New Bedford
26,000
22.92
* This death rate does not include 212 lost at sea from that port.
*
214
The following table shows the rates of mortality in the principal cities of the United States in 1876, based upon the estimated popu- lation for that year, taken from the report of the State Board of Health, dated January, 1877.
RATES OF MORTALITY IN PRINCIPAL CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 1876.
CITIES.
POPULATION.
Death rate per 1000.
. CITIES.
POPULATION.
Death rate per 1000
New York
1,046,037
27.87
Washington
160,000
26.40
Philadelphia
825,000
22.93
Buffalo
150,000
14.29
Brooklyn
527,830
23.31
Louisville
150,000
18.50
Chicago
420,000
20.41
Pittsburg
145,000
19.97
Baltimore
355,000
20.79
Detroit
120,000
15.31
Boston
346,000
23.84
Milwaukee
110,000
18.95
San Francisco
300,' 00
18 89
Providence
103,000
14.64
Cincinnati
280,000
20.39
New Orleans
215,000
29.10
Cleveland .
162,000
19.90
SEWERS.
The lack of sewers has, in several instances, prevented the abate- ment of nuisances. The locality known as the "Patch " is sadly in need of sewers and is a great part of the time in a filthy condi- tion. In heavy rains the whole territory is flooded, and it is im- possible to thoroughly enforce proper sanitary laws in this locality.
The section bounded by Broadway, Lowell, Appleton, and Hinckley Streets should also be provided with sewers, the soil being so wet that cesspools do but little good.
The sewage from Partridge Avenue, Jenny Lind Avenue, and a part of Vernon Street is now discharged into an open ditch on the north side of the Lowell Railroad near Somerville Centre station. This has caused a nuisance for several years past, and in warm weather the stench seriously annoys the neighboring residents.
A sewer is also needed in Pearl Street between Cross and Mar- shall Streets.
We would call the special attention of the Board of Aldermen to the above-named localities, as it seems necessary, before the lat-
215
eral sewers can be built, to construct a trunk sewer, which will require considerable time to complete, and it is important that the work be commenced at an early day.
Our attention has been called to the thickly populated streets on the northerly side of Winter Hill by the large number of miasmatic diseases reported from that territory. The streets are not provided with sewers, and the cesspools used are constantly overflowing.
The sewage from many of the houses in Joy Street is discharging on the vacant land bounding on Linwood Street, and has been a source of considerable annoyance to this board. The only way to abate the nuisance is to lay a sewer in Joy Street.
On Tufts Street, Fountain Avenue, and Line Street the drain- age is emptied into the open gutters and ditches, causing nuisances which we are unable to abate until the streets are provided with sewers.
We earnestly recommend to the Mayor and Aldermen that early measures be taken to provide proper sewerage for these localities, and we believe that every dollar judiciously expended for sewers will conduce to the health and prosperity of the city.
The locations of all the sewers in the city are indicated by dotted lines on the accompanying map.
DISTRICTS.
For the purpose of comparing the rates of mortality, the preva- lence of scarlet fever, diphtheria, and typhoid fever, and the number of nuisances abated in different localities, the city has been divided into ten districts, indicated on the accompanying map by red lines, the numbers of the districts being in Roman numerals.
In making this division we have been governed mainly by the nature of the soil, the general elevation of the land, the class and density of the population and dwellings, and the facilities for drainage.
In estimating the population the census of 1875 is taken as a basis. The number of poll-tax payers in the city for that year being ascertained from the assessors' books, the ratio of population to polls is found to be a fraction more than four to one. The num- ber of polls for each year and the number of polls in each district in 1878 being ascertained from the same source, the ratio of popu- lation to polls is assumed to be the same as in 1875, and the in- crease or decrease of population, as shown from year to year, is
216
assumed to be uniform throughout the city except in District IX, where a slight deviation is made from this rule, and in District X, where a greater one is made, on account of facts known in regard to the growth of these sections.
The following is a brief statement of the locality and character- istics of each district :
DISTRICT I. This district includes the McLean Asylum, the filled basin of Miller's River, the filled clay-pits near Oliver Street, the territory known as "Brick Bottom," and the thickly populated section near the Union Glass Works ; also all the pork-packing and rendering establishments in the city. Its area is about three hun- dred and thirty-seven acres. The soil is mostly clay. About three eighths of the district is vacant uplands and about one eighth marsh.
The remainder is thickly settled almost entirely by a foreign population, living in small houses, and is nearly all provided with sewers.
The land is generally low, a large part of the settled portion being not more than thirteen feet above mean low water. There are 1,006 dwellings, and the estimated population is 4,100, being an average of four and one tenth persons to a dwelling.
DISTRICT II. This district embraces nearly all that part of the city known as East Somerville, lying east of Cross Street, including the populated part of Mt. Benedict. The area is about one hundred and seven acres. The soil is clayey gravel, and the average eleva- tion is about forty feet above mean low tide. The whole district is thickly populated and, with few exceptions, by native-born people, living in good houses. Most of the streets are provided with sewers. It contains 678 dwellings, and the estimated population is 4.000, being an average of five and nine tenths persons to each dwelling
DISTRICT III. This district is bounded by Washington Street, the Fitchburg Railroad, Prospect Street, and the Cambridge line. Its area is about ninety-three acres. The soil is chiefly clay and the land is generally low and damp, most of the settled portion being about sixteen feet above mean low tide.
About one half of the district is vacant land. The remainder is populated principally by native-born people, living in good houses, and there are sewers in nearly all the thickly settled streets. It contains 285 dwellings, and has an estimated population of 1,550, averaging five and four tenths persons to each dwelling.
217
DISTRICT IV. This district embraces all of the valley south of Somerville Avenue and west of Mystic and Merriam Streets, except those parts included in Districts I and III. It includes the American Tube Works, the Middlesex Bleachery, and the currying shop of Messrs. Reitenbach and Mink. A part of Union Square is also included. It has an area of about one hundred and seventy- one acres. The soil is sandy and the land is low, the average elevation being about twenty feet above mean low tide. About one eighth of the district is vacant land, nearly all of which is scattered over that part lying west of Hawkins Street. East of Hawkins Street, the district is quite closely settled, as are also the two sections, one of which lies west of the Tube Works and north of the Fitchburg Railroad, and the other between the Fitchburg Railroad and Washington Street, east of Vine Street. More than one half of the people are foreign born, most of whom live in small houses, while nearly all the native-born population occupy good houses. Nearly every street east of the Tube Works is provided with a sewer, and sewers extend the entire length of Somerville Avenue and Beacon Street. Most of the thickly settled portions west of the Tube Works are without sewers, except Vine and Dane Streets, where sewers were built during the past year. There are. 499 dwellings, and the population is estimated at 2,750, being an average of five and five tenths persons to each dwelling.
DISTRICT V. This district, which includes Prospect Hill and Spring Hill, and the southerly slope of Central Hill, extends from Medford Street to Willow Avenue, between Highland Avenue and Somerville Avenue. The area is three hundred and sixty-one acres, and the soil is clayey gravel, the elevation ranging from twenty to one hundred and forty feet above mean low tide. About one third of this district consists of large tracts of vacant land, principally on Prospect and Spring Hills.
The population is composed almost entirely of native-born people, living in good houses.
Most of the thickly settled portions are provided with sewers, but there are several localities where cesspools are used There are 814 dwellings, and the population is estimated at 4,300, being an average of five and three tenths persons to each dwelling.
DISTRICT VI. This district is bounded by Highland Avenue, Willow Avenue, the Medford line and Medford Street, and con- tains two hundred and eighty-five acres. The soil in the settled parts is clayey gravel.
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The highest elevation is about one hundred and fifteen feet, and the lowest about thirty-five feet above mean low tide About three fourths of the district consists of large tracts of vacant land, including the "Birch Pasture " and " Polly Swamp," the Tufts' Brick Yard, the City Farm, and the City Land on Central Hill. The more thickly settled portions are the locality known as the " Patch," and the streets between Partridge Avenue and the City Farm, and they are populated by foreign-born people, living in small houses, poorly drained, having no sewers. Partridge Avenue and Jenny Lind Avenue are populated mostly by native-born people, living in small houses, the entire sewage entering a drain which discharges into an open ditch in the immediate vicinity. The remainder of the people of this district are native-born, living in good houses, which have large lots of land and are drained into cesspools. The only public sewer in the settled portion was built late in the past year, and only two dwellings have as yet been connected with it.
There are 255 dwellings, with a population estimated at 950, being an average of three and seven tenths persons to each dwell- ing.
DISTRICT VII. This district is bounded by Medford Street, Broadway, and Cross Street, and includes a part of Winter Hill, its area being one hundred and ninety-four acres. The soil is clayey gravel, and the elevation varies from one hundred and forty to thirty-five feet above mean low tide. About one third consists of vacant lands, - on Broadway opposite the Park, on Pearl and Walnut Streets, and at the northerly extremity of the district between Medford Street and Broadway. Most of the district is thickly populated, principally by native-born people, living in good houses. A large part is provided with sewers, cesspools being used in the remainder. There are 447 dwellings, and the estimated population is 2,350, being an average of five and two tenths per- sons to each dwelling.
DISTRICT VIII. This district is bounded by Broadway, the Med- ford line, Mystic River, the Boston line, Mystic Avenue, and the rear of the lots on the westerly side of Austin Street. Its area is four hundred and eighty-two acres. The soil in the populated parts is clayey gravel, the elevation varying from one hundred and forty-five feet to ten feet above mean low water. About one third of the district consists of water and flats, about one fifth is marsh, and about one quarter is vacant upland, which includes
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Convent Hill, the Broadway Park, the " Ten Hills Farm," and the large tracts of land bordering on Mystic Avenue between Convent Hill and the Park, and between the Park and the Medford line. Nearly the entire population is located in two sections, one north of Mystic Avenue, near the Boston line, and the other on the north- erly and easterly slopes of Winter Hill.
Part of the people are native-born, living in good houses, those of foreign birth living in ordinary houses. The only sewers are in Mystic Avenue, near the Boston line, and in portions of Broadway, most of the houses draining into cesspools. The dwellings num- ber 160, and the population is estimated at 700, averaging four and four tenths persons to each dwelling.
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