Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-11-07
The Water Famine.

| fIOm lue NOW lOIh lNfCOIutf'
Seaman, o., is only one Of scores Of
villages and hundreds Of homes suf-
fering from lack of water--a section
covering all Southern Ohio and ex.
tending into Kentucky.
No rain has fallen for many weeks,
and all the streams and wells have
gone dry. 1t is agreat wheat country
and the green heads of the cereal
should be above the ground, but the
earth has not even been plowed, 1t
is too hard, There is plenty OF food,
but water is scarce. Ten days ago the
water in all the wells IN Seaman gpye
out, and there was not warm supper
in town that night, There was no
stream within fifteen miles, and the
people were IN distress,
There had been complaints from
many other points, and when the rril-
road officials had their attention call.
ed to the dilemma at Seaman thew
took action. They had five cars on
which ten tanks had been built, each
tank holding about 800 barrels of
water, The country for many miles
on each side Of the road ia grass GOV,
cred, and fires result from engine
sparkle, and the road, to prevent their
spread TO the forests, built these
tanks.
President Hunt put on a special en-
CINE, gathered all OF the tanks and
sent them to the shops, where they
we're thoroughly scrubbed and scald-
ed, Then a quick run was made to
Spring Hill, just beyond Newport,
twenty miles from Seaman, where
the railroad has an artesian we'll at
the foot OF great hill. The we'll is
for watering engines, and the water
has not shown any sign of giving out
The tanks were filled and the train
departed for Seaman.
A mile below the town the englne's
Whistle was blown and IN five nninntes
every man and woman aud boy and
girl YVES at the station carrying
buckets.
How the crowd cheered when the
train came in! While the Seaman
people were receiving relief, the
mayor of PEBBLES telegraphed for
water. After residents Of Seaman
had carried home a tank Of water, the
other four tanks we're taken one each
to Winchester, PEBBLES, Newport and
Sardinia. The fifth was given to
farmers along tho way.
The railroad company has made no
charge, but many persons who are
able have sent large sums Of money
to the officials whose relief saved Sea-
man from being deserted and has al
leviated the suferngs of thousands.
The distribution Of water has been
systematized, and two wagons with
four barrels each, rugged with q
pump, travel over regular routes and
sell water at one cent wooden
bucketful.
AT Fincastle an OK team pulls a re-
tail water dealers stock, and at
PEBBLES a donkey team and small
wagon, drawn by two goats, are used
for peddDipg water. The railroad
company has built extra tanks that
are attached to regular freight trains,
and sold at a uniform price to certain
firms in villages or to anyone who
wants whole tank. In all this Sec
ton diphtheria and typhoid fever
rage. At Portsmouth, o., there are
said to be more than 700 cases of ty-
phoid and the throat disease in a pop
ulation of $4,000 West Union, Man
chester, Buena Vista and scores of
other towns sre similarly afflicted.
Further on, down in Kentucky. the
water famine is worse, Many persons
are compelled to haul water ten and
fifteen miles. No rain has fallen for
months.
The people do not know what to do,
and special meetings have been held
to pray for rain. Whole counties
seem burned to crisp, and the utter
lack Of moisture and the unusually