The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-07-08
Cholera Hints,

Cholera Hints. -,
The recent storms in the Mississippi Valley
seem to have had fine effect upon the
cholera. which appears to have lost Its siru--
lence there. Only two deaths per diem in
Memphis and Nashville constitute a good
showing. ..,m
The weather here two weeks ago was well
calculated to produce diseases Stimulating
cholera. 1t is different now. The weather
is very fine. The excessive heat is, wc
imagine, no disadvantage.
But who can get pure water? Read what
the American Health Public Association
says
First, That thorough, ccanliness. domestic and
civic and an abundant supply Of I ;n ,n e are
h0id when the disease Is near Ea' r
And then what il SAYS:
Secondly That If 1hr objective material, by leak
age soaSayc from drains or cess-pools, Or ether
wise. gets Access. even In the smallest Guanrity.
directly or through porous soil, ~ ,ceNS or other
sources OF driktng 1c0ts.it can infcc in the most
dangerous manner very large volumes OF the water.
If the infective material, ecen IN The small
est quantity, gets access To wells or other
sources Of drinking-watcr il can effect an
The most dangerous manner rery large col
nmeS Of the ,cdtcr. That is encouraging 30
Us in Richmond, who know that this infectiTc
material gets access to our river water at
Lynchburg, not In the "sInallcst quantity
but by the ton, and that these tons are added
to at q hundred points between Lynchburg
and Richmond. What shame and disgrace
4; ~ ,r
things is. Thousands and tens of thousands
Of tons and gallons of the most valuable
fertli2ing materials known to man are not
merely allowed TO so to waste, but this
waste is made to poison not only the fishes
0: The river but delicate and refined men and
women. Even the Chinese, whom we scorn
10. recognize as our equals in the arts of civil.
izatlon, look with amaZcment upon our
wicked wastetuluess and foul cleanliness.
Nothing of the sort is allowed to be lost in
China. All IL utilized. The towns and
cities Of even this agricultural State of Vir-
ginia have wasted enough OF these valuable
fertilizers to have enriched every poor piece
Of land in the Tidawatcr and Piedmont re-
SiOns.
In discussing this question the New York
Herald brings out some startling facts
The analytic examination Of the IIohoken and
Newark water-supply as lately presented IN the
able report of Professor WurtZ, shows All alarming
state Of things. The chemical analysis Of the Pas
sale water. drank by our Jersey sister cities In
winter. dsclnses the presence of large quantities. OF
niiralcs, derir"d from ne "lihltiom IF the d"imm
,rtrtiioHS and other refuse that pass INTO the river
at Newark. Paterson. and elsewhere frnm Scw'1s,
saughter-houa"s; and other sources This water.
ton and supports the growth OF green ,clnicryoid
vegetation in its bosom: hut the Selrngr lrbm that
cny forms an additional contaH nation, Which The
chemist tells us may be inIaly represented Ivy
about four grains Of purifying matter tot4.ch g'on
81 water. This is the bright side of the picture. and
shows what occurs In mdwln.cr. when the mercury
i>oiien near zero; bu; rs the report very properly
ndtc>, Ia The absence OF any anal ysis Oh summer
water # may safely Ia assumed that the mi,'s,m
Ncr beat very greatly nlensiies putrcfacli0n, While
The volume If water brought down by the stream
~ July III attack aud ncutraliZc the focal matter J.
Erry greatly III unfinished.
Suppose DR.. TAYLOR fof the Board of
Healthy were TO analyzc our river water in
August: what would he find
The >prinkIinS of the streets of New York
las called forth Il protest from the sanitary
committee OF the Board Of Health of that
city. We quote:
But the spruhInX of this fifth with water dur
ing The day tends 10 excite DECOMPOSITION AMI rem
otherwise bc HARMLESS If left to he removed by the
siCct-swrrpcrS.
Wherever the :lninkiing-C ,ri missCS in the mid
'ilc ui tsC day, When the temperature Is high, the
air Is Immediately filled with the oiur of uls street
NTH, which pcnctIatcS every dwelling.
The true rcnrdv for this evil Is To have the
streets 10 thoroughly fusIld lay water every might
AZ To carry this surface filth all Into the sewers.
Then there would be- no Necessity for Strcct-sprnk-
ling daring the day.
Moisture and heat being the two agents
which produce the chemical change of de-
composition, it is not wonderful that the
committee has called attention to the injuri-
Gus results Of strect-sprinkling.
Finally: There is no occasion for alarn in
Richmond. We may escape the cholera
altogether this year. The disease so called
has passed up the Mississippiand Ohio rivers
aud has jumped from the Ohio Valley TO
New York city, according to the last tclc-
grams, and yet We have heard nothing of Il
in Virginia. But let no official and no pri
northumberland relax his vigilance. "Etcrnal
vigilance Is the price of" safety.