Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1895-09-26
HEALTH REPORT.


pacity as Health Officer for Fredericy county
to examine into the quality of watcriurnishcd
by two wells at Thurmont and to investigate
as to the probable sources of its Contamina-
tlon, should it be found to be impure, would
state that | have duly performed that duty
and beg to make the following report
Specimens Of water were taken from well
on the premises of Miss NJ. Elizabeth Flror
and from one on the property of Christian
Hartman. For convenience shall designate
these wells as No. and No. 2 in the order
IN which have named them. This water
was taken and sent, with every required
precaution, TO Prof. Perniman, Analyst
State Board of Health and the report Of its
quantitative analysis was accompanied by the
statement that the water from both sources
was bad and unfit for use unless previously
boiled and that 1t would be better not to use
it even then. The water from No. was
decidedly more foul than that taken from
No. 2.
The soil in which both wells are sunk is a
clay loam the subsoil being porous clay
that readily permits the percoations OF fluids.
The water bearing stratum is gravel and
single and is reached in well No. l at
dep,h from the surface of % feet and in well
No. 2 at q depth of 80 feet, there being an
evident declination or dip of the stratum
toward the west Both wells are lined with
course rubblc walls no cement having been
employed in their construction, condition
readily allowing the seping or sweating into
them of impurities Of the surrounding
porous earth.
Whilst the general pollution of the soil OF
your town, from the constant soaking INTO
into it, for a long series of years, OF filth from
numerous hog pens, from improperly con
structed priyies unrestricted accumulations
of manure and other nuisances cXlstlngWlthn
its limits, greatly contributed to the coz
tamination of the wells examined and with
out doubt has rendered every other well i'll
Thurmont impure, there exist special causes
for the foul condition of the wells under con-
sideration
Both OF these wells are not more than so
feet from blind ditch located i'll the alley
that runs between the two premises when
they are sunken according to information
received by me this ditch is about 5OO feet
long with fall OF but one to the hundred
feet is feet deep, one foot wide and istilled
in with broken slrone and cobble. Begin
nlng by receiving the offensive water ofsey.
eral stagnant pools near the Railroad, in its
passage through the alley conveys the drain
age from stables from II surface priyies
able resident section of Thurmont less than
100 feet distant from the site selected for the
proposed High School without any provision
or precaution haying been made for the dis
posal of the filthy sewage carried by it after
a few years when the accumulated filth con-
veycd by it shall have supersaturatcd the
earth for many feet around It's point OF dis
charge, tainted and dangerous eXhalatlons
with rise therefrom, for a testimony"
against the sanitaryunwisdom of its construc-
ton and to poison the air heated by those
residing in that locality and by the scholars
attending their school Sepage from this
ditch in its passage through the alley in my
opinion contributes to the pollution Of both
wells. The particular cause however that
has rendered the water OF No. more impure
than that delivered by No. 2 consists, l
think, in the exlstenc Of an open ditch II
feet long feet deep and 2 feet wide not
more than IL feet from tina well. THIS ditch
is the receptacle for the dirty water of the
weekly wash and for the waste and garbage
from the kitchen and when examined by me
Was partly filled with offensive matter
and emitted nauseous smell. There also
exists on the adjoining property, 40 feet
distant from this well, a pit feet in diane
ter and of the same depth, filed with broken
stones.
Into this pit is discharged refuse from the
kitchen and water from the bathroom and 1t
doubtless contributes its quota OF impurlty
to contaminate the well as | have already
stated | believe that an analysis would show
that there does not exist within the limits OF
Thurmont q single well that furnishes per-
fectly pure water, the water in all OF them
having been contaminated through the agen
cy Of a soil polluted by the hog pen cesspools
manure heaps, etc of the town.
The remedy for the abatement OF these
evils which l would most earnestly advise
would be the formation of Local Health
Board. Whilst such an organization might
not be able wholly to abolish the numerous
nuisances that exist IN all small towns, it
could at least bring them under lawful regu-
lation and control and thus reduce their
capacity for harm. Your pretty Gate to
the Mountain" possesses singular and unus.
ual advantages and attractions that should
render it favored and popular resort and if
to these advantages could be added the
knowledge on the part of the health seeking
public that its hygiene was controlled by an
efficient Health Board the benefit in com
mercal sense would soon be manifest to its
citizens and better still in Elimination
of the amount of sickness and lowered death
rate.
W. N. Baltzell, Nj. D.,
Health Officer,