Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-08-01
TWO DEATHS
RESULTING PROM TYPHOID FEVER JUST
ABOVE TOWN.
Supsrabuniancs Of Night Soil in the Vicinity
Said 10 b the Cause.-The Facts
in the Case.

The dumping of night soil from this
city upon one of the market garden farms
lying along the county road north of
town has brought about q very serious
condition of affairs in the immediate vi
cinity, and the health authorities of both
the city and county were moving yester-
day to get things upon better footing
and prevent any further mischief.
Two deaths hsvesIesulted, it is alleged,
from causes directly traceable to the pres
ence of night coil from the city upon the
farm in question, and last night third
patient was lying at the point Of death,
with hardly chance that he would es-
cape the fate that befsll the others. The
sickness and deaths have occurred in the
family of Mr.. O1ell, tenant on the farm
where by far the largest quantity Of the
night soil complained Of has been dumped,
and the malAdy is typhoid fever of an ap-
parently very bad type. About six or
seven weeks ago little baby died in Mr..
Odell's house, and at that time there
seems to have been a suspicion, which will
be referred to presently, that the death
was the result of the night coil &C.
cumulations. A short time ago Arthur
Odell, young man, took sick, and he
died yesterday morning at o'clock.
While he was i'll his uncle, Henry Oiell,
was also taken down with this same dis
ease, and last evening his condition was
very serious.
The two deaths and the present case of
sickness have create good deal OF alarm
among the people in the vicinity, and
complaints as to the condition Of things
came into the city yesterday from several
quarters. County Commissioner Koch, of
Washington district, went up to the local
ity and gave the matter very thorough
examination, and in the afternoon, at the
special session of the Board of Commission
eIs, be brought the subject up, and offered
a resolution prohibiting the further dump
ing of night soil upon the farms, and also
referring the matter to the County Board
of Health for investigation. This resolu-
ton was adopted by the Board, and there
will be no more depOsiting of night-soil IN
that vicinity.
Complaints were also brought to Health
Officer George l. Garrison, and that Off
cial went up to the farms yesterday after
noon. He was accompanied By a reporter
for the REGISTER who was anxious to see
the exact situation and chronicle the facts
The Objectionable night soil was found
to be located upon the farm of George
Dorsch, about two miles above the Top
mill. Upon entering the farm from the
county road and preceding along the pri-
vate road toward the river, two yats or
tanks Of night soil were found on the
south side of and Immediately adjoining
the road. The contents was unadulterated
night soil, and the stuff had seeped out
between tie boards and the fluid had run
along the road for a considerable distance.
A little further Oh, about six or eight bar
reIs of the same stuff had been poured out
upon the surfAce OF the SOL. This stuff
mad been poured out yelterday morning
and lying there in the heated and moist
atmosphere, was emitting very objection
able odor.
THE reporter proceeded on toward the
river, and upon the edge of the bank over
looking the "Pewiky" railroad track, and
only removed about thirty or forty feet
therefrom, was a great fostering mass of
night ecil. The stuff occupied q space of
about sixty feet in diameter, and was at
least four feet deep, and perhaps more.
It was kept in place by bank of mingled
earth and manure, aud was a very IN
pleasant spectacle. The water and stuff
from this mass had seeped through the
frail retaining wall, and had saturated the
earth for distance of ten or twenty feet
around, converting it into mud, and run
ming along through the grass and the lux
uriant growth of weeds toward the house
of Nr. Odell. The earth upon which the
mass was stacked up. was Of light por-
Gus nature, resting upon a bed of gravel,
and as it was about twenty feet above the
railroad track, it is reasonable suppOsi-
ton that the matter has permeated the
soil to considerable depth. Beyond the
railroad track, and at a very considerably
lower level ia the well from which the
Odell family procure their supply Of water,
and it is in this way, presumably, that the
poison has been taken into the systems of
those who have sickened and died.
The Odell house ie south of and about
fifty yards distant from the big accumula-
tion OF right-soil, and with north or east
wind would get the full benefit of the
odor.
This is about the situation regarding
the night-sOil. How it came to be there
may now be briefly told.
Along in the spring months, when the
crematory was not running in very good
shape, and the pressure to remove night
soil from vaults. ETC., was great, the city
health authorities cast about for some
place, in the surrounding country, where
the stuff could be deposited upon farms,
for use as manure. Two or three farmers
along the river road, above the city, signi-
fed their willingness to take reasonable
qusnty of the stuff, and after conference
between CITY Health Officer Garrison
aud County Health Officer Myers permits
sion was given the city authorities to 90
ahead and dump the stuff in the locality
named. 1t was understood among all par
ties concerned that the city was about to
erect new crematOry, the project engag-
ing the attention of the Health Committee
OF Council from time to time, and that by
the time the farmers along the river road
had received a sufficient supply of night
soil, the city would be in position to take
care OF the stuff itself
The Health Committee concluded the
new crematory was necessity, recon-
mended it to Council, and Council approx
ed the idea, and the Finance Committee
was asked to set apart the sum of 81, 900
for the plant. This was not done. The
Committee busted itself with looking ont
for a site, secured one, at the mouth Of
Coal run, concluded the negotiations with
the owners, made report to Council, and
this was approved, and the Committee
directed to close up the matter. This has
not been done, as yet
While all this was going on, the dump
ing of night-soil on the river farm of Mr..
Dorsch continued, until the large accumu
lation at present on hand, resulted. No
supervision seems to been exercised, by
either city or county officials, as TO the
amount Of night-soil dumped there, and