Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-05-22
IMPURE wArEH.
Epidcmics TraeeabIe To
dillon of p.iu..- =. "ilQted q.

Hpiaein'cs nrseeabie to the po,,..
aitien OF Private w Well. Coz.
IL IS a common belief tba, :,
well is dug pure spring wat. "nen
from the ground. is obtainaa'' oozing
true in the case of artcsian ws,, mat Is
although possible, Is rarely ths out
with ordinary surface wells ~. sas case
this name are embraced All NV, under
more than fifty feet deep. tn uas not
obtained from these wells il wafer
the water which has fallen on me merely
face OF the earth in rains. and t ne sur
colated the soil and become co all. per,
in this excavation. 1t is called pronsa
water Even granting that se s.oand
the water may be spring w.tar as OF
of it must be the resslts az A., some
and the amount of this win da
upon the rainfall, and the chas upeha
OF the soil. A moments ret,oct;au ac'er
show that wells must act as dra;a VIII
the surrounding soil. Just as aws. s 70
may be drained by digging one or ;, ,n ns'a
trenches into which the soil NAV a n'.e
and be carried away, so, when . a,ain
trench or well is dug, the wafer II a, ~
surrounding soil will necessarily ta sas
to drain into it. This is not only = m ouu
ter OF reasoning, but matter Of e,as s
fence. The following case is reno u4ps.
"ln consequence of the escape Of n.
contents Of a barrel of petrolenm '.o
benzine, which had been buried ~ -: "
cult of wells. sixty feet below. and t S
hundred and fifty or three bunar "J
yards distant, became so affected ,h Nv
the occupiers of fifteen houses con. 'aa'
ing eighty-two inhabitants, were for fan
days unable to use the water for cool
ing or drinking. When we'll, ~.
first dug In rural districts. tho
water is pure and NAV remain
so for long time. Fortunately. tbs
soil possesses some power Of purisc.
ton, and although the water NAV w.
ceive polluting matter on the surface
Of the ground. some of this matter il
detained. mechanically, by filtration
and other portions may be decomposed
and taken up by growing plants and
trees. Bnt this power of the soil IA
limited. When the sources Of pollution
are constant and numerous. as IN
cities. from privies, cesspools, sion.
water, offal and the manure of domes.
tic animals, and, sometimes. from
leaky and imperfect sewers and drains
the soil becomes filth sodden,' and the
filth is carried deeper and deeper until
finally it appears in our drinking wa
ter: Sanitary literature is full Of
instances of the outbreaks Of
epidemics of diarrhna, typhoid
fever and cholera; which have
been traced to the drinking of we'll
water thus polluted; and. even though
the city may 60 through one or more
years epidemics, it Is not pleasant
thought for the inhabitants to indulge
in, that they are drinking the drainage
of their privies and cess-pools. And
yet they must realize the idea that their
wells are, and must be, drains for the
surrounding grounds. with all its con-
tents that are capable of solution in
water. Science can not tell US that, in
given water is charged the poison Of
definite disease, but it can tell US that
it has received the product of decaying
matter from animal sources, and, again,
that such water is dangerous to health.
DR.. E. F. Mack, in Sanitary Monitor.