South Canterbury Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1889.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 5024, 4 June 1889, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1889.

The terrible disaster which has befallen Johnstown and the neighboring hamlets has not been without precedent in suddenness, nor without precedent as to the extent of the loss of life and destruction of property by flood, but probably ;V a has been but once or twice equalled and exceeded, in both circumstances. Much larger numbers of people have been drowned, as in China quite recently ; the bursting of the Sheffield reservoir in 1864, when 250 persons were drowned; of the Huddersfield reservoir, “ the Holmfirth flood,” in 1852, when 100 persons were drowned; and of the Valparaiso dam, a few months ago, were examples of similar suddenness. But in the extent of the catastrophe, and the lack of warning given to the people, together, we should probably have to go back about 350 or 400 years, to the great inundations of Holland from the failure of the sea dykes. In 1421 over 100,000 people, and in 1530 no less than 400,000 people, were drowned from this cause, A disaster comparable with the one of which such painful particulars are being cabled to us,happened in 1802 in Spain,where,near Lcrca, a reservoir burst and drowned

1000 people, and urm’ueiiess I : ve Siock.; The tale of great floods recorded in j history and even in quite recent history ( is a dreadful one, : ? we count the misery j that they occasion ; but fresh-water floods have been rare, in Europe at an events, that have counted their victims by thousands. Such floods, usually due to heavy ra : us on the melting of snows, give some warning of coming danger, and give people a chance to make thenescape ; bat when a huge body of water is suddenly let loose from a reservoir, there is do pause between danger and destruction.

The Colonial Secretary has just had printed and issued copies of a memorandum from Dr Buchanan, medical officer to the English Local Government Board, dated April of last year, on the subject of disinfectants for sanitary use. Dr Buchanan in a note dated January 2nd of this year states that careful inquiry into the action of alleged disinfectants upon disease germs has demonstrated that carbolic acid is of doubtful value as a disinfectant. It may destroy smells, while not destroying the infectiousness of any substance. The only disinfectants recommended by his memorandum and later note, are (1) beat (where it can be applied), (2) perchlorido of mercury, (3) sulphurous acid, and (4) sulphate of iron (green copperas). For indoor purposes perchloride of mercury is recommended in a solution of the following proportions: half an ounce corrosive sublimate, one fluid ounce hydrochloric acid, with (for coloring) five grains of aniline blue, in three gallons (a bucketful) of common water. It ought not to cost more than 3d a bucketful, and should not be further diluted. A wooden vessel must be used to contain the solution. This solution is for treating soiled clothing and handkerchiefs, swabbing floors, and the like, and treating excreta in the house. For outdoor purposes, dirty yards, foul drains, closets, cesspits, etc., sulphate of iron is recommended, either in strong solution, or, better for application in wet places, in the form of powder, to which form the crystals are easily reduced after well drying them. For the disinfection of rooms, the best agent is sulphurous acid gas. After removal of persons’and of such articles as are best, disinfected by heat (where this form of disinfection can be applied), windows and doors and all crevices are to be carefully closed, and an atmosphere of the sulphurous gas maintained in the room for six hours or more. The gas is obtained by burning, over a small fire properly secured on the floor, a quantity of sulphur (roll brimstone) say 1-lflbs for a moderate sized room. The memorandum gives many hints to sanitary officers as matters they should note in their inspections. The circular will no [doubt be sent to each of the local bodies by the Colonial Secretary, and we hope that our Borough Council will draw their officer’s attention to some of these points we allude to.

The Timaru School .Committee are of opinion that military drill should form part of the primary school course, and have determined to ask the Board of Education to appoint a professional drill instructor for the chief schools in the district. They have also determined to ark the Board to fix a turnstile at the south-west corner of the school ground, where there is no gate, because the children have broken down the wires and use the gap as a thoroughfare on their way to and from school. A turnstile is recommended for another point, and there was some talk of putting turnstiles in place of some of the gate to save the children the trouble of opening the gates, or rather to save them from the temptation to make gaps in the fences, in order to avoid the trouble of opening gates. Now military drill is all very well in its way, but the combination of requests to be made to the Board, with the reason given for one of them, leads us to remark that it would be a good thing to introduce into the school course a drill of another sort than the military, or, if it is already practised, a little more of it—a drill in the practice of respect for other people’s property.