Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-05
ARrEsIAN WELLS ADVOCATED.
Foul Air the Cause of Much Sickness.

ARTEsIAN WELLS ADVOCATED.
Foul Air the Cause of Much Sickness.
Editor Of the Morning NeleS:: AS the
very important question OF danger from
vaults and cesspOOls in our city has been
discussed to a limited extent, beg that
YOU will accord me short space in your
valuable columns for the purpose of say
ing a few words upon the subject, not that
| can add anything to what has already
been said by competent authority, but in
all matters of sanitation every idea calcu-
lated to benefit the public health should
be advanced. The first, the most power
full. the most absorbing law of the entire
universe, is that law of SeLt-preSerUdtiCn,
and could it be applied in all its force to
sanitation, as a primary principle, not
only preservation would be the result, but
health, wealth and prosperity would
stalk the universal world.
The question as to which is attended
with the most danger-the cemented or
open vault-admits in my mind, under
the existing circumstances, of but one
solution. No closed vault, unless her,
meticdlty sealed, can be otherwise than
detrimental to both health and life in a
soil such as that upon which the city of
Savannah is located. 1t has been clearly
and satisfactorily demonstrated by the
most experienced and scientific sani-
tariaus of all ages that a sandy soil inter-
poses absolutely no barrier between wells
and the bacterial infection from cesspOOls,
vaults. cemeteries, etc., lying even at
considerable distances. This being adj
mitted, it is reasonable to suppose that
there is not a single we'll or pump in the
city that is not more or less contaminated
bv the constant admixture of subsoil
water: but ii is also reasonable to assert
hot ~ anH wall iG
deadly poison as many would have us
believe. In proof of so bold an assertion
we find many old citizens who are bale
and hearty to-day who have never drank
any other but the pump water of the city.
On the other hand, instances may be cited
where persons have actually died from
using pump water, eren Though it Bldy
neger hare been SWALLOWED without the adj
mixture Of some alcoholic ingredient for
the purpose Of purifying it or neutrdLizing
the bacterial or organic poison.
Now, to fill up all the vaults and cess
pools in the city of Savannah and replace
them with the improved wa
Ter closet and its paraphernalia, together
with the necessary sewerage, would be an
interminable undertaking at an immense
cost; nevertheless, if we were in pecunia-
nv condition to make this change, there is
no question of it's being the proper remedy.
If this cannot be done, then the next best
remedy should be carried into effect if
possible. What is it? To fill up every
we'll and pump within the city limits
less than forty feet deep, and replace
them with driven pumps suffi-
GENTLY deep to command pure
and uncOntaminated article OF
water. In all the seacoast counties of
Georgia, and. l believe, all the seacoast
and Gulf States, there is strata of sand
stone or sand-rock lying at varying
- To xxybfo h
is imperUi0uS to subsoil water or drainage.
If our city can be supplied with water
from a reasonable depth below this strata
of sand-Tock, there would be, in my hum
BILE Judgment, but little danger of cess
pool, vault, or sewer contamination. This |
could be done at very much smaller cost |
than the water-clOset system. After all, |
the nrteSian lceU is the source from which |
all cities should be supplied with drink |
ing water.
The pollution of our wells, however, is |
not the greatest source of danger arising |
from the infiitration of the soil from |
teaching cesspoOls and vaults. The |
gases arising from this polluted soil |
enter the cellars of our houses; in fact |
nothing is more positively certain than,
that through the cellars, our houses be- |
come the ventillating chimneys for the |
surrounding ground, sucking in from all |
directions. the poisoned, polluted and
contaminated air that lies stagnant in the |
pores of the soil; from the cellar it /
passes to every room in the house and is
breathed by every inmate. The stronger |
and most robust constitutions may often
times be aele to throw this poison off, but |
the weaker, and especially children. sus-
tain serious diseases, such as dtdrrhRd, |
duSenterV, diphtbertd, etc, from 1t, and in
many instances death is the final result. |
| have never examined the mortality |
49, bo affxv hrYf I do n think / |
would be very far wrong were | to say |
almost, if not quite, 0ne-haLf of all the |
deaths occurring in the city of Savannah |
from - JAN 1 to Dec. 81, are |
among children under 5 years of age, who |
rarely drink much water better If they |
were gwen vastly more water to drink }, |
either from the pumps or other sources, |
but they do breathe, in their nurseries, |
a Initiated and poisoned atmosphere from
their very birth. This is no idle thought /
or theory, but a fact, well demonstrated |
and proven by the highest hygienic au-
thnrities OF the present day.
To remedy an evil of this kind / can |
suggest nothing better than that the |
ground surrounding our houses should be |
Thoroughly drained and ventilated by the |
introduction of sub-soIl pipes.
A matter of the greatest Importance to /
us as a remedy in this soil pollution is,
that every cesspoOl, dry well or vault, |
should have a ventilating pipe of at |
least three or four inches diameter lead /
ing from it to point above the roofs of |
our houses. This done, all the poisonous |
gases emanating from the vaults, |
instead of passing into the soil around |
our dwellings, and polluting and poison |
ing everything it came in contact with, |
would be carried off through these pipes, |
orgdized and rendered perfectly harmless. |
| might 90 further and say that no water |
closet should be constructed or is safe with |
out one of these pipes attached below the |
hath-tub connection, and passing out |
above the roof of the house for the pur- |
nose of conducting sewer gas, which |
otherwise must inevitably find its way |
into our bed chambers and nurseries.
Savannah. however, compares favorably |
in her mortality statistics with any city |
in the United States. Go into any of /
them. and you will see fermenting, Tester /
ing vaults. and cesspools pouring recti- |
fed death through all the subsoil; and |
with this condition of things, let an epI- |
demic of dysentery or typhoid fever, or |
diphtheria. sweep over the community, |
and men will bow themselves before ''the /
mysterious Providence and roll up their |
ewes as though they were objects of the /
deepest pity. 1t is an insult to Deity to say |.
that these Affections come from His hand. |
The voice of God thunders as of old, /
sFWash you, and be clean," if you expect |
his fayor-clean in person and in homes, /
the food you eat. the water you drink, /
and the air you breathe; clean in thought
and life. Respectfully, ETC.,
r. B. HARRIS, NJ. ID.
BURNErT's COCAINE.