The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-07-27
Impure Water and Foul Cellars.

Within the little circle of our own &C.
quaintances several persons have died the
present season, while others have had Sc
we're attacks of typhoid fever, all originat-
ing from drinking impure water and from
filthy and undrained cellars, and from in.
haling too much of the noxious aftluvia
land had been topdressed with nightsoil
and sewage In one instance, only a
short distance from the residence of the
writer, farmer sickened and, after year
or two, died of typhoid fever. 1t was
said that his damp, muddy cellar was the
cause of his sickness. Another man rent
ed the place. Fearing the obnoxious Gel
lar would cause sickness, he had Il drain
made for the purpose of rendering the Of
fensive apartment wholesome. But he
commenced too late. The seeds of the
fatal typhoid entered his system before
the cellar could he cleansed, and he also
died in a few weeks after taking posses
sion of his new abode.
Dr. Franklin, in recent address to the
Fellows of the Chemical Society on 1.-The
Organic Impurities of Drinking Water"
adduced, as striking instance of the per-
sistcncy Of the typhoid poison when diff
fused in water, the outbreak of violent
epidemic of typhoid fever in Swiss vii
lage through the use of spring water,
Which, after contamination with the
poison, had filtered through nearly a mile
of porous earth, but had nevertheless lost
none of its virulent properties. In the
village of Lausen, certain well-water was
only used by the inhabitants of six
houses, while the other inhabitants used
the water from public spring. This
water is received into reservoir, and then
led, by wooden pipes, into four stone
tanks. On the 18th of August, ten inhab-
itants were attacked, and, in nine days
more, fifty seven persons were sick with
typhoid fever. These cases spread over
the whole village using the spring water,
but the inhabitants of all the houses which
had wells of their own were entirely
spared. To the end of October, 100 per-
sons were attacked, besides several chill
dren; and, toward the end Of the epidem-
ic, two persons were attacked who lived
in the house which did not have the water
from the common spring. The proof that
the spring water had distributed the g in
fictitious natter was based on the follow
ing: Stockholden is hill 800 feet high,
its westerly spur extends into little side
valley. Through this little valley runs the
Furler streamlet, which beyond the vii
lage of Lausen ends in the Ergolz." In
the Fuler valley were some scattered farm
houses. In one of these farm houses, in
June and July, two persons were attacked
with typhoid, and later on two others.
The sewers of these houses were all in di-
rect connection with the brook, but this
opens into Ergolz below Lausen. After
accurate inquiry it was found, however,
that the Furler brook communicated di-
rectly with the spring descending from the
Stockholden. 1t was known to the inhab-
itants of Lausen that when the meadows
in the Furler valley were watered,s the
spring increased in amount. Besides, about
ten years ago, 100 PAGES below the infected
houses in Furler Valley, the upper earth
strata had fallen in and formed large
opening, into which some of the water of
the Furler Brock flowed without again
reappearing. After the hay harvest in
July the meadows were water MANFRED,
and the spring in Lausen shortly after
ward obtained turbid and bad tasting
water. The ground was geologically ex-