Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-12-22
81iseellaneo,ls 8sading.
WINTHROP'S HEALTH.
Mr.. Mayfield Disagrees With the Com
mission OF Experts.

MIR. Mayfeld Disagrees With the Com
mission Of Experts.
Columbia Register, Saturday.
Superintendent of Education May
field does not agree with the commits
sion of physicians in reference 10 the
condition at Rock Hill.
In speaking of the matter yesterday
he said:
"I think the report of the commits
sion is unfortunate in that it does moi
state all of the facts connected with
the conditions at. Winthrop. have
never seen a spring on the top of g
hill; all the springs I ever saw were
on a slope, and Ighave never seen g
spring on slope that did not have
the storm water fof that slope. A
spring is usually regarded as furnish
ing the purest of water, notwithstand'
ing the storm water of the slope, but
i in this case, the four wells from which
Winthrop gets it water, are 26, %, sc
and 40 feet in depth, and are over.
flowing wells with an overflow three
feet in height. The overflow goes
through an iron pipe, which is based
on rock foundation. This system OF
piping is used for each of the four
wells. The pipe passes through the
gravel strata through which the water
flows. The bottom of the iron piping
is perforated for 9 distance of six feet
in the gravel strata, and through these
perforations the water supply Of the
wells is derived. This water could
not be affected by the storm water.
"Another reason for saying this sup.
ply is not affected by the storm water,
is that the flow is not increased or di,
minished by the rainfall. 1t is the
same in wet as in dry weather. From
these wells and average of $4,000 gal
Ions a day is pumped. The few drop
pings around the well, which are men,
TONED, are the result of an accidental
stray COW, which chanced to get into
the yard to Craze before frost came.
"The droppings are few in number,
have been there so long that they have
dried upon the surface, and it is mat
ter of utter impossibility for $4,000
gallons of water each day to be con-
taminated from this source. The COW
lot, spoken of by the commission, is a
thing of recent occurrence. 1t covers
63 acres of ground and adjoins Win,
throp's line, and is, as the commission
states, rs feet from the we'll; but it is
down the hill on the branch below the
we'll. 1t is utterly impossible for the
water to be contaminated from this
source, because the contamination can
not run up hill but would run down
bill. There are only three small heaps
of droppings i'm the pasture, which
appeared to be fresh, and it is impos'
sible for the pasture TO have occasion
ed any contamination. For anything
to work through from the pasture to
the wells, it would have to climb per,
haps rise of two feet in a distance oil
IS feet. :.
"It is unfortunate that the commits
sion did not give the history of the
cases of sickness that have occurred
at the college during the year. Had
they done so, the public would have
been better able to have judged for
themselves. I will send for the report
of the matron to indicate what sick
ness there has been at the institution
and the history of each CASE
Members of the commission, on the
other hand, say Mr.. Mayfeld is mis-
taken.