18 



1864. 

 Memo- 

 rial of the 

 Rotherham 

 and Kimber- 

 worth Board 

 of Health to 

 the Home 

 Secretary. 

 [Pari. Paper 

 105, page 4, 

 6 Mar. 1865.] 



Excessive 

 mortality of 

 Rotherham. 



" into the river Trent, about a mile and a half above the 

 " jwint at icJiich A large part of the water supply 

 " of Xottitu/hani is now draicn from that riccr. 



" That the River Leen, which passes through this town, 

 " and which was about 40 years ago a pure stream, and 

 " afforded the principal supply of water to the town for 

 " all purposes, is now foul and offensive by reason of its 

 " conteyiny jiart of the sewaye of Nottingha7n, and the 

 " xohole ef the sewaye of an extensine and populous hiyher 

 " district over which the authorities of Nottingham have 

 " no control, and flows with the rest of the seicaye of Kot- 

 " tirigham, into the parish of Sneinton, and thence into the 

 " llii'er Trent:' 



Epidemics 

 there in 1862 

 and 1863. 



Memorial of the Rotherham and Kimberworth Board of 



Heahh to the Home Secretary : — 



" Sheweth, 

 " That this Board have been under deep concern on it 

 " appearing from the returns made by their officer of 

 " health from time to time, that the mortality of part of 

 " the district of the Rotherham and Kimberworth Local 

 " Board of Health (the town of Rotherham) has been for 

 " some time greatly in excess of the regular rates of mor- 

 " tality, having, for instance, in the two quarters ending 

 " June 30,* been at the rate oi forty in the 1,000 ! ! 



" That the town has on several occasions been subject 

 " to fatal epidemics, and in the years 1862 and 1863, a 

 " medical officer from the Health Department of Her 

 " Majesty's Secretary of State visited Rotherham to in- 

 " quire into the state of its health, and especially loith 

 " reference to the outbreak of typhoid fecer. 



" That your memorialists believe the natural situation 

 " and state of Rotherham to be such as will not account 

 " for the sickness and death which have prevailed ; but 

 " they arc of opinion that being situate on the River Don, 

 " which flows from Sheffield, and brings down an imynense 

 " quantity of seioerage which falls into it at Sheffield, and 

 " is deposited in the bed of the river near Rothcrha?n, 

 " polluting the stream and poisoning the air, is mainly 

 in river from " the cause of the sickness and mortality ivhich have pre- 

 Sheffield. « vailed, and lohich, to the belief of your memorialists, 

 " cannot be accounted for in any other way. 



" Your memorialists therefore pray that you will intro- 

 " duce a Bill next Session of Parliament, to carry out the 

 " recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee, that 



* June 30, 1861. 



Memorialists 

 believe cause 

 thereof the 

 sewage 

 broughtdown 



