New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-27
THE PLYMOUTH EPIDEMIC.
CONCLUSIONS OF NETWORK PHYSICIANS.
HOW THE WATER SUPPLY OF THE TOWN WAS POL
IurEn-A REMARKARLE OUTBREAK.

HOW THE WATER SUPPLY OF THE TOWN WAS POL
LUTED-A REMARKABLE OUTBREAK.
Drs. James B. Taylor, Cyrus Edison and K.
W. Martin Sanitary Bureau. yesterday submitted
to the Board OF Health long report of the inspections
which they made May ID and following days in the
fever stricken of Plymouth Penn The report was
accompanied by photOgrar hs, maps and analyses OF
water The inspectors state that they examined a
Der OF of the fever and recognized the symptoms OF
typhoid or enteric fever The sanitary position of Ply
mouth regarded excellent the town being hill
side, the foot OF which flows the susquehanEa River
There is no sewer system and few vaults are properly
On the breaking up OF winter great deal
OF offensive refuse deposited the rund by the
melting and fee. The Plymouth Ter Company
established 1876. Before that time there were
many wells in in the town; these wells are shallow
account OF the underlying coal strata. Since 1876
the OF the most OF the wells has been abandoned the
well still ia being the hillside above the pipes Of
the water company's works. The wafer company has
four storage reservoirs ayine extending TO the top
OF the Shawnee Mountain overlooking the town These
reservoirs have capacity of about lO,OOOOOO gallons
They fed by springs and artesian WELL
1850 feet I'm depth In the extreme cold weather OF
last the people the water day and night to
keep pipes freezing All the stored in the
exhausted March 90 the sprinRS
IN the mountain having dried up. For week water
pumped from the river but tie people dislked TO use IT,
believing tnat The river WAS contaminated by sewage
mountain eseryOs was used again on March q. 1t
now believed that N the river atcr had been used few
weeks longer the great epidemic would not nave &C
cured.
There had been number OF Of typhoid fever in
the town since 1881 and nfty died IN 1854 irou
disease but special attention attracted TO the
fever until Al ri H. when the euidemc begun Between
April IL agd May Is about 1000 persons were attacked
with the dlsease From the first pollutei water was
suspected the of tue outbreak and physicians
OF Wkesbarre made an investigation which resulted IN
tie iii covery of the starting-pOnt OF the epidemic IT
believed at first that the use Of river water had
caused all the irOab!e, hut BRIEF Investigation showed
that there was no ground Tor that belief rory iaules
Who had water directly from the river all the time
the river, who asp used the river water eseaPed con
agion. II also a-ccrtaned That persons VINO usel
water from wells In Plymouth were not affected as
rule Much to the surprise oil i, II was discovered tnat
the of the epidemic was the Goa tamhtiOh OF the
water IN the mountain resery0lrs W9cl nau Docn c2n
sdrred pure. Between the iri ana i0uIth reservoirs
the Davis faru house. within sixty feet OF the deep
and narrow gully through which the water passed on Is
way 10 tt sup ~ pipes. a h'h III a' nUuso 100 ~
IA with typhoid fever since January 2, aud was slJW WY
recovering after Dangerous relapse Discharges IRON
the Patient had been thrown into vault ana upon e
frozen ground 1t. IN the rear Of tho house thaw
March 20 caused the drainage from the vault and sur
rounding land 20 How INTO Tie raNlne IN Ihhl lhsluc
the ~ The FEVER had been carried 10 the
and distributed by the supply pipes th.ouSnonI tne
The EPIDEMIC began thirteen days Uhe perlOu OF
typhoid fever incubat on after the water from the
reservoirs Used Since the beginning OF thu epidemic
many wells IN the town have been contaminated aud the
disease may b. prolonged account OF the use
water iru these wells In the conclusion or the re-
port these statements are male:
This epidemic Will no doubt be considered one .! tne
rcmai kabe in medical literature on the subject OF
fyphoid fever IL IS doubtful il there is any OF
the cNcrca OF a single patient having directly com
unicatcd The disease to rOm six hundred to seven hun
dred people. WAS done In this instance IL certainly
srDying the gcrIIs Of the disease by disiniectlon IL
shows that the pnrcs water SUI ply may be con
tannated by comparatively small amounts OF infectious
matter.
Analyses Of water taken from three points OF the
mountain conduit show that lie supply on May ~ was
Of good qualify while the waller in the river was bad In
comparison.