Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1884-07-31

passed below the level of the wa
ter in the stream YOU got water in
your well. Whether you dug one
foot or two or ten YOU got the same
result in water which you knew 10
be a part of that Of the stream.
If the sand or gravel was course
the filling was rapid; If fine and
compact 1t was correspondingly
slow. (We are to-day big children
digging big wells but the same
principles and results are identi-
cali This was 4 case Of diffusion.
Liquids sink perpendicularly more
rapidly than they diffuse, until
they reach a surface of impermea-
bic stone or dense clay when the
case is reversed. The inclination
OF the stone determines their fu-
ture course The surface of the
earth may slope in a given direc-
ton and that Of the underlying
solid stone in the opposite. When
water has once entered the earth
its direction Is not to be
judged by any surface inclina-
ton. Filthy accumulatioEs are
usually adjudged safe because they
are upon an inclination of surface
below the well and they are sup
posed to travel from the well.
This is true as long as the liquids
do not enter the earth, but when a
vault is made, or they are conduct
ed by any means into the earth II
may be turned back into the well
by some solid substratum whose
inclination is in the opposite di-
rection. From the foregoing il
follows that if we dig a deep hole
in the earth we drain from the
shallow ones until their level is
reached. In soil like this in Vini-
IA when a well is sunk it makes a
drain from every direction as a
cupping glass would do. 1t turns
the course of all the water to that
common center, detracting a por-
ton from every filthy source with
in reasonable distance. If a well
be sunk within forty feet of an un-
clean vault a large portion of the
latter Is dralrn Of TOr drinking pUr-
poses. If the distance be n hun
dred feet we get less, and what VIC
do get is better filtered and by
reason of time and distance Is
chemically improved, The amount
and quality being always an IN
verse ratio to the distance and den
slty of soil. There is a notion in
the world that gravel soil is a bet
ter purifier Of water than compact
soil. If so, why not strain milk
through Z wicker basket Char
coal has an intrinsic virtue of alb
sorbing impurities, but gravels
have none. They may take up
something possibly by accrition,
but the common idea is essentially
fallacy. TRANSMISSION through
clean dense soils Is very slow as
compared with porous gravel soil
hence the greater time for chemic-
al changes, and participate matter
is more perfectly strained out. F"
Organic impurities are discovera-
BILE at long distances IN gravel un-
derlain with compact clay, and
they may enter crevices in rocks
and be transported in exceptional
cases in abundance long distances,
even beneath hills from one side
to the other.
Water may be cool and sparkling
and vet abound in impurities. An
epidemic of cholera sporadic with
a mortality Of 40 per day occurred
in the city Of Nashville, Tenn, in
the year 1865, resulting from the
pollution OF the public reservoir,
and vet nobody perceived any al
teration in the taste Of the water.
The health authorities analyzed
and condemned the water. The
consequence was complete subsid-
ence Of the disease within a few
days. Filtering of liquids through
the earth relieves them Of their
odOr and may change favorably
their taste, but does not correspond
ingly relieve them OF their disease
germs. Again 1t might be disgust
ingly filthy and produce no dis
ease. Not every unclean thing Is
capable of engendering disease, yet
we apprehend that few people care
to eat trash because II neither pois-
ons nor kills. There is nothing
better established in the causatiOn
of disease than that 6 very COM
mon means of communicating tv-
phOid fever is through the dairy
supply. Our medical journals teen
with instances of communication
of this and other affections in that
way, and yet no perceptible change
in the taste Of the milk. Upon the
other hand not everything that
tastes and smells bad Is poisonous
by any means. These senses are
entirely unreliable. Limberger
cheese Is not poisonous but the
most delicious dish of mushrooms
are often intensely so. However
II may be stated IN general that
filthy alleys, streets and privies
most seriously endanger the health
of a town by poluting the wells and
the air which we breathe.