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Naden, den—G. id, and Beech lmouth-ackney, iromleyTHE EARN HAM WORKHOUSE INQUIRY.The inquiry was resumed yesterday morning, and the examination of Dr. Powell, the house surgeon, was again proceeded with.Dr. Powell, examined by Mr. Smith, said—Nine-tenths of the men in the able-bodied ward are infirm. I do not consider that the ventilation of the dormitories is “ nearly sufficient,” as stated in the report of the Lancet commissioners. The smell is very offensive at night, and worse every morning. The inmates are locked in at night, and there is no water-closet inside, but a night commode is placed in one of the wards, I think in that of the males. I am, however, inclined to think there is one in each. I have never seen a bell by which assistance may be called. I took the Lancet commissioners to the able-bodied male ward, which is a brick of tile-floored room, and there were then four inmates in that ward. At present, whatever the classification may be, there is only one man really able-bodied in this house lie whole of the men in the able-bodied ward were diseased or infirm, and were on the medical book. It if true that the Lancet commissioners could see no really healthy people except a few young women, mostly with babies, and a few young children. I will not take upon myself to say that the tramp-receiving wards look like rabbit-hutches ; I leave the public to judge for themselves ; but I consider them very bad receiving wards for tramps, or any human being whatever ; nor are they fit for human beings. In the male ward there is loose straw to sleep on; I could not say it was frowsy, as it is no part of my duty to see. In the female wards the straw is enclosed in ticking. I think there is a rug for each tramp in these wards. Doth wards are fastened with huge padlocks. I know no limitation las to the hour of receiving tramps at this house. There is no bell, or any other means of communication whatever with the outside world. It would be perfectly impossible to make any official hear. I have always understood that the men on admission are allowed no food, however weary and faint they may be. The women are allowed a piece of bread on admission, if they have children with them, not otherwise. On the 8th of July last I made a representation to the guardians that the women should be allowed to have food on their admission. I remember the case of a female who had been in the tramp ward, respecting whom I wrote to the board about the 8th of July.Mr. Barrow objected to the letter then written being referred to, inasmuch as there was no evidence as to its having come to the hands of the board of guardians, and he was instructed that the guardians had never seen it.Mr. W. Chapman, reporter to the County Chronicle, was then sworn. He stated that he was present at the meeting of the guardians at which the letter alluded to by Dr. Powell was read, and he well remembered a lengthened discussion arising upon it, in the course of which Mr. Roumien, a guardian, said that the tramp wards ought to be improved, that the inmates were obliged to “ rap like criminals,” and that the action of the guardians was fettered by the Poor-law Board, more especially in respect to the allowance of food to the tramps, in which remarks the other members present unanimousiv concurred.Mr. Lambert read a minute of the Poor-law Board, in which it was clearly laid down that tramps should be sup-Elied with bread or potatoes upon their admission into the ouse.Mr. Chapman said that the guardians referred to some document to show that they had no power to alter existing arrangements, and expressed regret that such was theThe witness was cross-examined by Mr. Barrow as to the reading of Dr. Powell’s letter before the board, but his testimony was unshaken, and the report from the County Chronicle, in which the substance of the letter appeared, was put in evidence. It was to the effect “ that a woman named Frances Hopkins and her husband applied for admission, when the husband was refused and the wife admitted and sent into the infirmary in labour, about eight o’clock on Sunday morning. She stated that she had not tasted any food after leaving Cobham at seven o’clock on Saturday morning, until nine o’clock on Sunday morning, when the nurse gave her some bread and butter, and that an interval of 27 hours had elapsed without her partaking of food, of which 14 hours were spent in the workhouse. The general custom of the Farnham workhouse was to give no food to tramps on admission. He did not bring the case as a complaint, but that the custom might be altered if the board thought it advisable.”Dr. Powell’s examination continued—The woman plained when I saw her that she had applied for food, andhad been unable to get any, and that she hadked up when she wasThe government of thehouse, so far as I know, is accurately described as being “a despotism on the part of the late master.” Almost everything I tried to do for good he thwarted, and the things I suggested were for the sick and for the benefit of the house. For the last four years, nearly, I have been trying to introduce changes for the benefit of the sick. The master usually carried his way with the guardians when they remonstrated with him, and was virtually their master. I remember the case of John Tuckey, the epileptic who fell into the cesspool. I do not know at whattimehewastakenoutof the cesspool,butlsaw him at half-past eleven o’clock in one of the dormitories.I heard that ne had afterwards had a warm bath and a glass of gin, and I consider all that was done for him very proper. When I saw him he was becoming comatose, but was not insensible, and was apparently very sleepy. The matter vomited by him was dark and offensive, and appeared to have been swallowed from the cesspool. In my opinion he certainly died from the effects of falling into the cesspool. The late master threatened me with violence on the 16th or 17th of September last. He said he would wring my nose, and I at once applied for a summons against him, the result of which was that he was bound overt in referenceorder of the Poor-law Board.Mr. Smith produced a letter from the Poor-law Board, dated July 26, 1867, which was here read. It related to ti operintimacy on the part of the mastepaupers named Ann Stubbles, which re suited in her giving birth to a child in the Windsor workhouse. The Poor-law Board required the immediate resignation of Mr. Sargent, the master.Examination continued—After my first taking office I confined myself to making verbal requisitions to the master, which were not always attended to. They were certainly not satisfactorily attended to. It was in conse-entries in the medical book produced, containing various applications to the guardians, were written by me. Some of these applications were granted by the board. The supply of milk to the inmates has always been a vexed question, and the nurse has complained that skim milk was often used for the children instead of new, and that the rice was boiled in water. I made no representation of this to the guardians, but to the master, and I never afterwards heard any complaint respecting the milk. I once reported that the wine was not of such good quality as I could wish, and it was remedied for a short time. The constant complaint was that it was merely wine and water, but this was a matter which neither I nor the guardians could remedy, as the wine passed through so many hands. The medical appliances required by me were duly applied. About March, 1866, the witness went on to say, he attended before the guardians, and it was then suggested by the master that his reports should be made verbally, and not entered in the medical book. He refused to adopt that course, having no confidence in the master, and the guardians directed that a separate book should be provided, on one side of which the report cf the medical officer should be entered, and on the opposite side the master’s observations. Numerous and important requisitions were entered in this book, but witness had not seen it since about February last, when it was in the master’s office. One of these requisitions was for a fire-guard for the laundry stove. This was not put there, and about July or August last a child of one of the inmates followed her mother into the laundry and placed both its hands against the stove, burning them very severely. The mother obtained her discharge in the hopping time before the wounds were healed, and on returning to the house the right hand was contracted, and the child ruined for life. If the requisition had been attended to this accident could not have occurred. All the other requisitions were smalL Witness resumed making his representations in the medical book, as there was so much squabbling between the officers, and he abstained from going into the office where the other book was kept. The master very often used abusive language to him. Fifteen additional entries of unimportant things up to September last were all supplied. The witness then continued. When I first took office, in 1864, the females did not wear night dresses; they were subsequently introduced at the instance of one of the guardians. There are no stomach warmers in the house now, and I have never applied for them. I have observed that the water closets usually smelt badly, but on some occasions they are much cleaner than others. Boots or shoes are supplied to the paupers by the guardians, but it is a fact that the majority of the male inmates have worn their own boots, and the master has told me that he had the discretion of allowing them to do so if they wished. On my next visit I found that all the men requiring them in the infirmary had been supplied with slippers or shoes. I have often seen vermin in the heads of adult patients after they had been in the infirmary for some time. The infirmary was very dirty when the Lancet commissioners went over it on the 12thir to keep the peace. An investigation took place ce to the master’s conduct on the 4th of July bySfc an 1 wmuiioowuria WCUb UVC1 lb UU bU6Chester October, but it is now as clean as soap, soda, and iss-lane’ labour can make it.^Macfie’ j The inquiry was again adjourned.rem^x ! Crystal Palace. — One Shilling Day.— cashlre. Friday, Nov. 15.—Admissions on payment, 505; ditto Jddiard by season tickets, 1,104. Total visitors, 1,609.
Newspaper Details
London Express
London, Middlesex, GB
Sat, Nov 16, 1867
Page 4
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