gas

History 104: Sewer, Gas and Electric Infrastructure, Industry and Health

Sewer Infrastructure

• Primitive Sewage Systems

  • Night soil men, cess pits, and open sewers were commonplace.

  • Resulted in cities becoming notably smelly.

  • Lack of organized civic services exacerbated the issue.

• Early Sewer Construction

  • Initiated before Confederation in select major cities.

  • Notable cities:

  • Montreal

  • Limited extent in Toronto and Hamilton.

• Impact of Urbanization

  • Rapid city growth in the 1880s placed stress on existing infrastructure.

  • Polluted slums posed health threats to both the impoverished and the affluent population.

Public Health and Hygiene Movement

• Beliefs About Disease

  • Widespread belief in miasmas as the primary cause of disease (a concept linked to the smell of waste).

  • The miasma theory was beginning to be challenged by germ theory during this period.

• Infrastructure and Health

  • Construction of sewer systems and clean water supplies aimed to eliminate miasmas, thereby improving public health.

  • Increasing activism among middle-class women who sought to enhance societal living conditions.

  • Resulted in the growth of various social movements targeting:

  • Urban cleanliness

  • Enhancements to social conditions for the poor

  • Reduction of alcohol consumption, noting the high drinking rates in 19th-century Canada.

Clean Air, Clean Bodies, Healthy Population

• Link to Societal Health

  • Perception that removal of miasmas would help eradicate diseases affecting middle-class citizens.

• Urban Development

  • From the 1880s to the 1950s, large-scale infrastructure programs defined Canadian urban growth.

  • Major cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver developed extensive sewage systems, sometimes exceeding actual needs due to anticipations of population growth.

  • Example: Montreal planners expected the population to reach 7 million, whereas the actual population is about 3.4 million today.

Water Systems

• Water Infrastructure

  • The necessity for sewer systems coincided with extensive expansions of water systems.

  • Major advancements in public water filtration and pumping systems brought clean water to urban areas.

  • Water works were monumental developments, often designed to impress visually.

Electric Infrastructure

• Lighting Changes

  • In the 19th century, cities were primarily illuminated using gas lighting (not natural gas but manufactured gas).

  • Method involved cracking coal to produce flammable gas, resulting in byproducts, including harmful gases and coal tar, remnants of which remain a pollution issue in Ontario and Quebec.

• Transition to Electricity

  • The shift towards electricity began with coal-fired steam generating stations, which provided limited power suitable primarily for local use.

  • Notable quote: “One needed a candle to find the electric light.”

  • The topography of British Columbia allowed for development of hydroelectric power.

  • In 1897, the BC Electric Railway Company (British-owned) began generating electrical power for Vancouver, facilitating both commuter rail and industrial/domestic needs.

  • This sector experienced rapid growth, expanding by 30% annually from 1897 into the early 20th century.

  • Key infrastructure: Ruskin Dam, Stave Lake, Buntzen Generating stations.

Health Improvements

• Enhancements to Living Conditions

  • Development of sewage, waterworks, and electricity contributed to more sanitary urban growth.

  • Filtration systems in Montreal and Toronto improved the quality of river water for human consumption.

  • In Vancouver, reservoir protection measures were enacted to prevent contamination of mountain lakes used as water sources.

  • These improvements allowed for the growth of cities and greater city cleanliness, alongside enhanced civic services such as garbage collection and street cleaning, resulting in more pleasant urban environments.

• Public Health Initiatives

  • Mass vaccination campaigns and public health services further fortified urban health.

Public Health and Infectious Disease

• Historical Health Challenges

  • Up until well into the 20th century, Canadians experienced considerable public health challenges, including regular outbreaks of infectious diseases.

  • Illustrative event: last major smallpox epidemic occurred in Montreal in 1885.

  • Other prevalent diseases: tuberculosis, whooping cough, rubella, measles, mumps, and chickenpox.

  • The latter two considered pediatric diseases, with practices of intentionally infecting children to build immunity.

  • Average lifespan in Canada: 50 years in 1900; 80 years today.

Tuberculosis

• Prevalence and Impact

  • Tuberculosis (TB) was widespread in the Canadian population, typically manifesting as a slow-acting illness but could also present rapidly.

  • By the 20th century, a network of sanatoriums across Canada emerged, which employed heliotherapy, surgical interventions, and isolation as treatment options for TB.

  • Post-World War II, the advent of antibiotic drug therapy transformed treatment outcomes.

  • The last TB sanatorium in Canada closed in 1972; however, TB remains endemic in the Canadian north.

Understanding Disease and Its Management

• Transition from Miasma to Germ Theory

  • Improved comprehension of disease through the acceptance of germ theory facilitated the purification of water supplies.

  • A caveat: "Germ-free" is not automatically synonymous with "clean."

  • The emergence of new water treatment systems in the 20th century prioritized sterile water, highlighting a critical distinction.

  • Filtration systems began to be supplemented with chlorination methods to eliminate germs, though this raised public health concerns, exemplified by the Walkerton tragedy.

Transportation in 19th Century

• Pre-Car Urban Mobility

  • Urban Canadians largely did not use cars until well after World War II, with some cities (e.g., Montreal) maintaining an environment where cars were still an anomaly.

  • Prior to the 19th century, urban transport included horse-drawn carriages and buses, while goods transportation utilized horses, oxen, or mules pulling wagons, and even dog-drawn carts for local deliveries.

• Challenges of Horse-Drawn Transportation

  • Increasing urbanization brought about inconveniences and inefficiencies associated with horse-based transport.

Public Transport Innovations

• Urban Transport Solutions

  • Efforts to clean up cities necessitated reducing reliance on horse-drawn transport; as urban areas expanded, traffic congestion became a notable problem.

  • The first streetcar lines, functioning as urban railway lines, were introduced in the late 19th century and still operate in Toronto, though they have been replaced in cities like Montreal and Vancouver.

Subway Development

• Shift to Underground Systems

  • Major cities subsequently transitioned their urban railway lines underground, leading to the development of subways.

  • Subways were intricately designed to facilitate efficient and unobtrusive transportation of many workers within urban areas on a daily basis.