Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-05-12
Saily xtuutbtf gonrnal.
Augusta, Tuesday Morning. Nay u.


Cleanliness and Health.
The fear Of the coming of cholera to thi
country Is stimulating the people to unus
nal efforts to seek out and cleanse thu
places where filth accumulates. In ever,
city health committees are busy examining
all quarters wherever signs of filth ap
pear. and compelling the closest attention
TO cleaning ont these breeding places o
disease. In the country districts, though
the evil is less. the necessity for cleanli
ness also exists. There is much that ma,
and sbonld be done even about farm prem
Uses to render them clean and healthy.
The relation between cleanliness anc
health. filth and disease, Is very well nm
derstood. There are examples everywhere
10 show that scrnpulous neatness condu
ces to healthy bodies and that flthines'
tends TO disease. Just at this time there
Is case attracting wide attention in thii
country. showing the effects of want o.
care in regard to this matter. The towr
of Plymouth, near Wilkesbarre. Pa. has
been suffering from an epidemic
because Of the want OF proper drain.
age and the use OF water from
wells impregnated with the germs
of disease filtered into them
from the surface or through passages in
the soil below. The town has about 10, 200
inhabitants. 1t has had rapid growth
within few years, but while the popula-
filth abounded. The people we're sup
piled with river water. but conceiving
that the water was not pure. they COM
menced using old wells and springs which
had been unused for some time. The
state of things is described as follows by
a correspondent of the New York Times ::
The Plymouth people were and are strong
ly prejudiced against using river water on ac-
count OF its impurities, and in such small
place It was soon known all over town that
the water supplied through the pipes was
pumped from the river. This drove people
to using the wells, which had been standing
unused and uncleaned for months and years.
Sometimes dozen families used the same
we'll going considerable distances for their
water. rather than drink that taken from the
river The wells are all over town--on the
billsides. on the fats. and on the bluff. Most
of them had not been used at any rate since
last summer. Old wells were reopened.
pumps were brought into use. and for a week
at least Plymouth used well water Out Of
the wells, as believe, came $50 cases of ma
larial fever, and 10 deaths.
What wells are in any town of 10000 in
babitsnts, without any drainage, it is hardly
necessary TO mention. But in Plymouth they
were worse than in most towns, on account
Of Its filth and the dirty habits of many of its
people There are not more than a dozen
water closets in the town, and these are
drained into the river; all the other closets
are built over shallow holes, which are never
cleaned. Up on the hillside where a great
many of the poorer people live, and where
nearly all the people have large yards, it is
the custom to dig hole not more than four
feet deep and build closet over it. When
this hole bs comes 40 filled up that it is abso-
lutelv unusahle, tand this is not till it Stops
over,) the miner waits till he has an idle day,
and then digs another hole. adjoining the
FIRST and gets one or two of his neighbors to
help him move the closet over the new hole
This leaves the old cesspool uncovered. and
it stands there exposed to sun and rain till
something happens to spread its contents
about the hborhood--generally heavy
RAIN which, coming down the mountains tide
in rapid streams, carries all the refuse of that
part of the town down into the wells and eel
lars Of the houses below. have been told
1.xyS al tIa IA =.
thing for them to find the contents Of cess
pools floating about in their cellars when
heavy rains All their cellars with water, which
frequently happens.
This is an instance of uncleanlness and
disease which we trust has not many du-
plicstes in this country. We mention it
thus particularly because it is a terrible
aud truthful example of the influence of
nastiness upon the community. concerning
which the telegraphic columns of the
newspapers have had something to report
recently.
But while there are but few places so
bad as Plymouth. there is scarcely city,
town or village which is free from filthy
nuisances. or In which watchfulness and
care are not needed to prevent filth accum
ulating. In some of our cites there are
localities from which the stencil arising ia
almost intolerable. The people who live
near BY do not know what health is.
They are diseased 10 body and mind. fit
subjects for the hospital and the peniten-
tiary. made so by their filthy. disgusting,
and unhealthy surroundings.
It is not among the poor alone. how
ever. that the health officer needs to con-
fine his efforts. There are pit holes and
sinks Of disease too often existing upon or
near the premises of men of ample means.
who do not seem to understand that pure
air and water and healthy surroundings
are far greater luxuries than costly build
ings erected without regard to sanitary
conditions. The injunction to all at all
times is. "Be cleanly." but 1t needs to be
more especially at the time
when this dreaded pestilence may make its
appearance in our m idst any day.
Likes New England Best
~ Nu-.h