The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-05-25

| 4he AApt hVutSI NSfSf4Ha6 W 'AS " ssS'
Company, stands not more thaa six feet
| from the edge OF the reservoir. A iew
feet beck Of It, on slopfrg ground and not
more thal. s!&ty feet from the reservoir
stands rrivy, which has not been emp,
tied for six yeaH, and the contents ol
which ara considerably above the isael oj
tho ground surrounding 1t. Just In lla
rear Of this, suriscs drain leads directly
| TO the reservoir. On the opposite side oi
| the reservoir, 9 isv yards from its edge, Q
barn stands over sasil faYine, which
drains considerable surface aRd EerYes %
carry nil matter that may seeunplate
there to tho reservoir.
Recent Investigations have shown that
in the second hcpse, during the months
Of January, February Rpd March, ppe OF
the occupants was stck with q EegeEe Loyha
of typhoid fever. During this time the
excreta at night were thrown out baak OF
the house, on the snow, and very near the
stream. The weather was cold during these
moiths snd this material vas frozen
fast where it was thrown and rendered in-
noxious for the time, The later part Of
! March iron the 2Nll TO the SgtE) the
weather was warm, aud at this time thaee
deposits, which had been accnmulatisg
through 30 long period, were washed
into the reservoir, containing then but q
small iquantity OF water. AT this time
1.-THE. evening OF Marah 20 the town began
to draw It's water supply froR tho reser-
voir again. So
The first cases Of the fever developed! on
| April 8 and before April 10, nearly three
hundred cases had made their appearance.
RESPONSIBILITY ron TIE RrIpsafc.
The surroundings Of the Davis house
stilfrcnGin IN bad condition, and ap-
pareutly no precautions have been taken
to thoroughly disinfect tLem. The privy
pie. where the ovacuations trosn the
typhoid fever patients we're thrown. has
been partially covered with earth. and the
house removed s iew feet farther from the
stream. More tllan tllIs, nothing has
been done. The oior suroaadiug the
house is very bad, and at the uMe
OF our visit there, tho wife Of Davis
was apparently Just developing the dis:
ease. Hoy significant this fact Is appears
when the entire want OF all previous pre-
caution and disinteetiol is considered, 9nd
the apparent inability:of Gle occupants to
al sll realize how terrible Is the fesRoHsi-
bility resting upon them for the appear.
anee OF the epidemic. The owner ofthis
houso absolutely refused 70 remove the
contents OF The priyy pit until GoRpelt Jed
to do SO by the Superintendent Of the wa
ter company.
That the appearance Of the epidemic
vas not due 10 the use Of river water was
clearly proved by the fact that in forty or
aity families which pGe habitually river
water supplied by the Hudson Canal and
Coal Company, not single case has os.
CURED. This Is further proved by the
fact that three persons who were visiting
| In the town after the reservoir was tHrpaa
on, and before April %, contracted the
disease, apd in several families which did
not move into the town until April LIST
one or more eases Of typhoid fever have
occurred. No.. .,,-s sF
That the epidemic iB purely one oi
typhoid icver, Is shown by the cause,
nature and course Of the epidemic. The
clinical symptoms in the individual cases,
and finally, by several eutopsies made by
DR.. Shakespeare, OF Philadelphia, in
which the Characteristic LESSONS Of the
disease were found.