CONSUMPTION SANATORIUM.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13737, 19 May 1910, Page 5

CONSUMPTION SANATORIUM.

INSUFFICIENT "WATER SUPI-LY

A DEFECTIVE SEPTIC TANK

I It wjII probably como as .*. surprise | I to many people to learn that a few jj days ago tiiere was a probability of thc ;<j Consumption Sanatorium on Cashmere >, Hills being closed, and the twenty-live r , patients returned to their homes or j accommodated elsewhere. A represents tative of 'The . Press" Jearned 8™ tliat sucli was tho case, and also that unless some matter* aro attended to witii more promptitude than has been displayed in tho past, the contingency j relerred to "s not yet an impossible I one. There lias been serious troublo ji »vith the water supply, which on Mon- | day failed entirely, and has been very I spasmodic and entirely insufficient | smce. This, ;_ will be seen, is not the j only thing which is causing incouveniI er.ee, aim .some discontent, at tho jj • -Sanatorium. \ | The Sanatorium water supply is, apij parently worked on a rather peculiar | .-vstcm. As far as our representative j could gather, thero is some connection | with .ho city reservoir, which is also B situated on tho Hills. When the water in that reservoir reaches a certain. jj height, tho overflow- is conducted to a j . tank in the Sanatorium grounds | Thence it is'pumped by a small wind- ; | mill to a concrete reservoir some disj j tance above '.he Sanatorium, so that j j tho necessary pressuro is secured. For j .some reason or other, the supply fail--1 cd, and tljo top reservoir practically ran | dry. The water appears to be coming M in from the city reservoir well enough, H but tho "windmill'has not managed to fl lift sufficient to tho reservoir to keep H the institution going with even a mod- ! H crate supply. Tiio water servico throughout the institution "s connected 'with-tho: top reservoir, with tbe exception of ono or two bathrooms and lavatories in the men's ward, which are connected with the tank. There was consternation on Monday • when the -main supply failed. Tho hot and cold water service throughout '_io 'institution was cut off, and tlie t_.ps wero labelled •'not to be used." The fires in tho big cooking range—on which the cooking for forty-one peoplo had to bo done—were drawn, as the cylinder which (serves tbe hot /water service -was empty. Gas rings _.nd other fireplaces were utilised, and the coqk bad to fly from ono room to another to keep the day's dinner from burning. The patients wcjo called upon to carry -water from the bathrooms and lavatories which are connected with the tank, so that thp work of the institution could be continued and its cleanliness maintained. j.nis state of affairs was fortunately not of lengthy duration. It was. contrived to fill the hot water cylinder so that the big range regained its usefulness as a cooker. As far as the general water supply is concerned thero is still a shortage, and the quantity in hand is being conserved as much as possible. Arrangements arc being made now to displace, the windmill by an oil engine, so that the pumping of water lo the reservoir will not depend on the winds that blow. It was pointed nit some time ago that the windmill could not pump sufficient for tho needs cf the institution unices it was working for the full .twenty-four hours. Tha winds do not .Wow so persistently even on Cashmere HSlls, but it lias taken a long time to find that out. Another cause for complaint is the noxious smell issuing from the septic tank. Theoretically these contrivanceare perfection, but in practice they sometimes do not realise all that is expected of them. Tho tank at tho Sanatorium is one of- the latter. The smell iv its vicinity is so pronounced that it is impossible to use one of tho shelters, which would, und-i- ordinary circumstances, provide accommodation for four or five i-atients. "VSTien our representative visited the place tho smell was not particularly strong, aa a good breeze was blowing. It was, however, easily enough detected, and on a calm day it would undoubtedly be extremely offensive. Tho most serious aspect of this affair is that all the other men's shelters are fully occupied, and while the smell spreads itself abroad and taints the atmosphere no fresh male patients can be conveniently received, as they could not be put in tho empty shelter. The septic tank ( has, our representative was informed, been in a bad condition for some months. An attempt is now being made to right it. Another thing iv which the patients are interested, though it affects them less directly than it does the nursing staff, is the absence of a covered way from the lower shelters to the administrative block. The shelters are visited regularly every two liburs, night and day, by the nurses on duty, and sometimes more frequently when there are some patients requiring more than ordinary attention. Sometimes the nurses hr.ye to carry meals to men who cannot leave the shelters. When rain is falling, cr a sou-wester is blowing, the journey to tlie shelters is an unpleasant one. The wind blows with a penetrating fierceness and an icy chili. It has been, known to dash a provision-laden tray from the hands oi" the muse carry-! ing jt. Ono can imagine that thc inp ha. no attractions «>n a wot and stormy night, as the hillside is exposed to the full blast of bad weather storms. As a matter of fact, some of the parents, re-.-ognbi.ig that the journey .'s not one which a woman should undertake when the weather conditions are on their worst behaviour, relieve them of that part of their fluty. The Board j talked ,some time ago about a covered way, and a suggestion was made that the patients /night do the work. Since that time nothing has been done, and ;n a month mid-winter will be here. One patient gives the members of the Board some advice. "Don't come up hero on a fino day to see what is wanted.- Come up on a stormy day or right, and you will get some" idea of tfcte necessities of tho place.''