The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-18
MEMPHISAPPEAL
POLLUTED RIVERS

In the calamity In rcnn.yivania there IL trouble
enough ior cyvpba-~ without borrowing any
yri the alarm that 4 raised uvur the possible Gun
tanlGs..lu OF he whtrf supply ui tcyymi cities IL
m tiiU aaturc oi an indulgence OF that Kind
II l. tno that the onnrmous mas oi wai,r sweep
inr like an avalanche down the little valley. must
have cnfrcd with Il the grentcr part ui the hith
that lay upon the surface. ana "a IA probable that
much OF this ultimately nachOd the Allegheny
River Il il also possible that some bodlcs unfc
c,vcrcd may purity In The strcam nut Il dos
not follow inom all this that thcrc viii ~ opt
dcmics Of typhoid lever who're the water supply j.
drawn irum this river
Tvw things. Indeed. sewn ~ bc mon diificult
than the chc,tivc contain nation ui tiNcE " pol
lutcd rpams produced typhoid fever wherever
they occur We should never D. without rruai cpi.
dcmict In our own ncighbofhood W have unc of
the mot striking Illustrations oi the comparative
haraisssne-. Of river T-iiuiioiL iaicnon, city
81 eiup iuhahlianis ssuds al ~ scWagr Into The
Iassuic River, and from The same stuam not tcu
milo away is dfavu the water supply iof Aswafk
ana Jersey city. Ihusc ciiias 90 ACT SWIM io suicf
fnim H. fura FfVat Nhilv cass nkc this vefc
mysteries II science. hut che naaon nov fvsts upon
the la.is Of po,iiiyc knowlodgc.
We now know that In such on1cs thcic nfc pfuc
tlcaily tvotiycrs moving niong the ,amc tCd A.
the bottom r. a sluggish. slowly mb,ing stream
mentnfy riycr-and on top 1T this motinr more
swiftly. salways s'fcain oi clear and pun water
II s ifom this UPPER stratum that the water supply
4 drawn and this l. inc SCENT ui the iaciy ui Ctcs
supplied from streams known a. hc CONSTANTLY aud
Erosiy polluted. This fact viii no doubt ave
i1ushutE. ns u has hiiheuo m,vd 20 many
Other ciucs.-Aof is'i hoaiL
Our esteemed contemporary will lnd on
further inquiry that !, Is not always the
ease that there are two streams running
Independently Of each other over the same
bed. The prevalence Of typhoid lever In
Fncinnau las, year Il proof In point The
water IN. take ior that city il below and In
the ncighbOfhood oi an important sewer,
nnd the disease which prevailed almost
epidcmIcally was traced 10 the water sup.
ply OF the city. Tho experience Of Eng
land aud the Continent, as well as oi this
country. Ia that rivers canno, be-
polluted with impuniiy, the casc
Of the Prssaic TO the contrary no,wiih-
standing. Then, too, the condition Of the
afNl' ata VI Wv ANAAlAlia lNNNN AllNl
savage docs not low o., the bottom yery
long. II rises 10 the ruriace and a. In
these cascs asserts itself In very unayory
odors Besides, much depends as d
polluted water and polluted food upon ID,
condition Of tho human stomach, thai
can take them In without protest lisi
true saying that what is ono mans mca
Is anoiher's poison" Some white men ar
ns impcryious 10 swamp influence .
nre tho blnckcst negroes In the rive
bottoms that stanley recently passc
through In Africa Indeed, Stanley him
scli seems TO 10 one Of them. But In On
case Il Is safe to steer clear Of pollution
which Is poison. and 10 that end systcI
Of cromaiiories should be devised Va a