Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-06-24
DR.. Fl. Schafer says: "The agency

late years much attention. lnvestl-
cation has confirmed the belief that
water has in a large number of cases
been responsible for the epidemlcs OF
typhoid fever, scarlet fever, diphthe-
ria, etc.
The water may appear as clear as
the purest spring water, and still be
contaminated with organic matter of
animal or vegetable origin. Aside
from wells there are many other ways
of obtaining impure water, as we can
see by the frequency Of the dread
disease, diphtheria, lat Newport. And
let me here preface the remarks | am
about to make on this subject, by
saving that there is a large amount of
evidence to show that decomposing
sawdust and bark will cOntamlnate
water so as to produce all those dis
eases of which we have spoken.
Two or three years ago, all the
guests az a summer hotel in the
mountains of New Hampshire were
taken sick with various acute diseas-
es, and within so short q time that 1T
was certain that it was caused by
some bad sanitary condition. The
guests all departed as soon as they
could, and the poor landlord had
plenty of time to investigate, which
he did with the assistance of experts.
The drainage was found all right, the
cellar was in good condition, the wa
ter came from good spring, away
from any possible sewerage. The
ice supply was questioned, and it was
found to have been taken from a
pond that was below a mill, so that
the bottom of the pond was from two
to four feet deep with sawdust- This,
then, was the cause. The ice was
melted, and the water examined un-
der the microscope, and found to be
filled with bocteria disease germs).
Bristol, r. L., suffered greatly last
year from typhoid fever, and after a
thorough examination by state au-
thorities, it was found that the cause
of the disease was the ice which was
taken from a filthy pond.
Speaking of the effect of sawdust
and other vegetable debris in water,w we
will say that the pleasant and thriv-
ing village of Newport is unfortunate
" situated in this regard. The river
system of the county, except the
Missisquoi, has its outlet in the Mem
phremagog at Newport. the Clyde
running a long distance into Island
Pond. Seymour Lake, ETC., have
many mills which are pouring their
waste material into the waters long
swampy areas all taking ND for q
| time sawdust and floating material to
ferment, rot and decay to be washed
awav afterwards. The Barton, Will
loughby and Black rivers are also fill
ed with the same decaying material
To add to this is the fact that i'm
mense mills at Newport have been
for many years piling sawdust anc
other wood material into the water
to poison and contaminate it. We have
not mentioned the sewerage filth thai
finds its way into the lake and the
waters that are pouring into it.
The Newport people have been en-
terprising in putting in water sys
tenn to protect the town from fir
losses, and to supply such as wish t.
use the water for other purposes. W.
think that they have not yet, pos
sibly can not, put their pipe so ia
out into the lake as to give them
pure water for culinary purposes
The fact that the water drawn iron
faucets in the village is roily at sue
q time as last week, when the river
are swollen with waters, shows tha
the end of the pipe is 10 the curren
or that the waters are muddy fror
the amount of mud brought down th
streams. We have thought that tn
Newport people might help the wate
! considerably by carrying their PIP
: further off-say to Indian Poin
: where there would be less impuritie
in the water.
But as many will probably drin
impure waters from wells, river
lakes, ETC., [ will give recipe th'
is backed up by good authority
being absolutely safe, and that il
ssBoil the water for ten minutes,
least, then set it away, say in stol
jar kept for the purpose, unless yt
have something better; of cour'
good ice could be put with it, al
water so treated will be as pure
water can be. 1t will contain no di
ease germs, or bocteria, as they a
called" If this precaution was ia
: en-, in the opinion OF your humt
! servant, typhoid fever, diphthef
!, and dysentery, at least, would be i
70 frequent, if not entirely wiped out.
Since writing the above, | ha
been called to treat a child for dip
:. liberia that has been away to neig
! boring town and came home wi
diphtheria we'll developed. AS mig
- be expected, I inquired about the W
- ter supply where the child had bee
:. and the mother said it was very be
: In fact, the water tasted so baC
that she could hardly drink it. S
;. further stated that six months a
:: they had diphtheria and lost ch
at this same place.
This is simply another link in
" chair, of ox-idonca that shows that r