Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-03-01
THE SANITARIANS.
Continued from Fourth PAGE. I

contaminated atmosphere. He would
rather look fos its cause in the food and
drinking water supply. In fact, he must
be very fully Satisfied upon the point
He felt good deal OF needless alarm was
caused by thoughtless persons, after q
food, raising the cry of dagger, and eaid
the history of such calsmities did not bear
out the assertions so often made.
DR.. Garrison added few suggestions
in this line. calling attention to the fact
that in the months succeeding the Johns
town food, the death rate of Wheeling was
lower than it had been before. 10 other
words, the precautions the flood induced
people to take, outweighed tbs contamina-
ton OF the water by the freshet.
Superintendent W. II. Anderson thought
contaminated water supply was the most
probable cause of the Martins Ferry cpl
dsmic, ard illustrated this by citing the
surroundings of some typhoid fever csses
in Bethany. Superintendent Anderson
continued his remarks by hoping the mat
ters touched upon would leave an impres.
sion upon the people, and be productive OF
some good and lasting benefit, which could
have tangible result in the future i'm
provement of the local water supply.
DR.. Garrison narrated the location OF the
Wheeling water works, with reference 10
sewers, etc., in the upp.r portion of the
city, end said the situation was very
favorable for the condemnation of the
water used by our citizens for potable
purposes. He gave history of the efforts
made to have the water works removed
north Of the city, and uIg'd the conyeu-
ton, knowing something Of the import
abce of the subject, to do something to
arouse interest.
Dr. Ulrich supplemented DR.. Gsrrison's
remarks, reiteraring what had been said,
and reRrettipg the indispoeition Of the pub
lie to force the authorities to act.
DR.. Jepson said the matter was one
which had interested him for years.
When he was Health Officer
he had given the matter great deal of at
tentiOp, and an examination had showed
him that the mortality here from typhoid
fever, compared with the total number of
deaths, was exceeded by 10 city in the
country, save Richmond. Sirce he had
made that examination, the typhoid fever
mortality had at times been higher. He
Yves compelled to say, however, that at
times the typhoid fever mortality had run
as low ss 25 per cent, while going rs
high es IL per cent, and here be was
scmeN hat skepticsl az TO the part the
water supply played in the presence Ct
typhoid fever. If contaminated water
was the source of the fever, we would
look for constant rate Of mortality. 1t
occurred 70 DR.. Jepson that perhaps there
was another factor entering into the mat
ter. What that factor was, be was not
prepared TO cay, and he thought II
promising sub ect for investigation.
DIR. Garrison admitted what DIR. Jepson
said, and cited case, whare two families
used water from the same hydrsnt, where
there we're four cases in one Of the families
and none in the other.
Prof Anderson offered resolution APP
pointing o committee of three consisting OF
DIS. Lee, Free and Ulricb, to draft a reso-
luton upon the sni ect of the local water
supply, as indicated by the location Of the
water works.
The resolution was adopted, ard then
DR.. Free said he was sure the Oslo river
was rot the source of the typhoid fever 10
Wheeling, but il was due TO other causes,
which might be found if looked for. II
the Ohio river water was so bad es 10 cause
typhoid fever in one family, 1t would In
all The water supply was not what 1t
ought to be; that he wound grant
bat" he asked. what ia the
use Of moving the water works few miles
farther up the river. There you still get
the diluted sewage of cities further mp the
river, end as these cities increase the con-
taminstion must increase. II the question
Of better water supply ia really Interest
ing the people OF Wheeling, why NOS look
for q source free from contamination? Thst
is the only thing to de-" He suggested the
submission to engineers Of the feasibility
of boiling all the water used ia domestic
purposes. Ii that was impossible the only
other measure was artesian wells. Filter
ing water did not always purify it. Pos
teur claimed his filter removed germs, but
he was not prepared TO believe il. Filters
would strain out foreign substas ces, but
such substances were not the most ohjec-
tionsble elements 10 be removed.
Dr.. Gsrris N said ii was impossible to
procure good water by srtesian wells, in
this vicinity, bat a sufficient supply of
pure spring water could be occurred from
the head waters of Wheeling creek. That
problem had been discussed ia desultory
way through thepapers end By individuals,
but nothing had been done in the way OF
a careful examination by competent engi-
neers.
The discussion was then adjourned,
Dr.. Jspson in :he chair, while the COM
mittee prepared ,ha recitation contempla-
tel by Prof. Auderson's resolution.
A paper with the title of "ExperieEcs in
Sanitary Work" by DR.. Wagner, OF Johns
town, was then read by the secretary,
the author being absent. Eleven persons
OF DR.. Warmers family we're lost in the
food, end he was certainly competent to
speak of that disaster. The paper gave sue
clint and detailed resume of the method en-
D Dyed at JohnstowD, and was attertively
listened to. H. severely criticised the red
t,pe in vogue at J0hustown, and thought
one Of the greatest lessons to be learned
from that dissste vas basel on that idea.
He condemned in the strongest language
the stripping Of the bodies Of the dead, ss
soon as brought to the Johnst0wn morRua,
and sid if the clothing had been allowed
to remain, hundreds would have been rec
cpuised, who were buried SO unknown.
His conclusion was that anything and
everything calculated TO be Of service in
identifying body should be allowed 10
remain, even if detracting from what was
thought should be the conventional sp-
pearauce Of corpse.
DR.. Pipes concurred in wbs. DR.. Veg
ner had said, and said the bodies had been
stripped spd washed as though they were
the csrcassss of hogs, and Identification
was hopeless.
The Committee on Local Water Supply
returned and reported the following reso-
luiious:
"ResOlped, That the present Location of
the intake furnishes water containing
many Impurities liable to ipjure the
health Of the people.
"ResOlred. That by removing the point
Of intake to location above the mouth OF
Glenn's Run, purer supply can be OBJ
tanned, by avoiding the filth now intro
duced by this city and Martins Ferry.
"Resolred, That in view of the fact that
this supply will not be perfectly pure and
is liable TO become worse by the Increase OF
population in towns above, we suggest that
the authorities Of Wheeling investigate the
feasibility of boiling and filtsring the We
tar before delivering il to the public.
NJ n