The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-20
CAUSES Of TYPHOID
Pequannock Pollution Re-
sponsible for the Pat
erson Outbreak.
WILL SEEK LEGISLATION
State Board of Health Plans
to Protect Water
Supplies.

which he declared without quaihealon
that the unusual prevalence of lyphoiu
fever in Newark last August ana Sepeelu-
her was due to the pollution OF the re-
ouannock supply furnished by the i>asl
Jersey Water Company with Passaic
River water. numerous typhoid cases nave
been found in Paterson, says the NeWarh
SUNDAY Call" Like the Newark cases
those in Paterson are attributed TO the
,se ar the Passaic River water. 1t is also
saiG that there is or has been much
tvphoid in Jersey City and other places
which have been served with Passalc
River water.
IN Paterson there has been reported
from December / up to last Wednesday
night ffty-fve cases of typhoid, Twelve
of which were reported in one day. There
are other cases besides. which have not
been reported to the health authorities.
AT a meeting of the Board of Health last
week the Health officer. DR.. Leal, report
ed that he and Sanitary Inspector Fitz-
patrick had been investigating for some
time in order to discover 4 common cause
for the outbreak. They can, as a result.
attribute it to nothing but the contain
nation Of the Paterson water supply by
Ii1AlttS WIKI IL HatFR
River.
eThis board has repeatedly declared.
said Or. Leal, that the present water
supply is not good. / am, perhaps. not
warranted in saying that it is very bad,
bit 1t is not good. This same thing was
stated a year ago. The bolrd then was
in communication on the subject, and
they got the assurance of MIR. Hobart
- 81 .-f --1.,I1E H. h1&faro1 45-Tnpa
the operations at Little Falls were CONF
pleted. Now we are informed that the
plant at Little Falls will be in operation
by February /, and then the whole OF
Paterson's supply will be k from the
river at Little Falls. I have no hesitation
in going on record as saying that when
we get our water from Little Falls our
typhoid rate will show it decidedly"
Since the Board of Health meeting
Mayor Hinchliffe. of Paterson, has pc
gun an investigation of what has been
suggested as a most likely source of wa
ter supply contamination. 1t is the fact
that there has for a long time been a
large force of italian laborers engaged in
building works for the East Jersey Wa
ter Company at or near Little Fails.
They have a camp or settlement of huts
near the river above Paterson's intake
Refuse and excreta from the settlement
could easily wash into the river. 1t is
regarded as possible that typhoid has ex-
listed in the Italian settlement, and on + II
day Mayor Hinchliffe said that he pro-
posed to thoroughly investigate the mat
ter on that -Mne.x
Where such contamination of the water
could occur is above Paterson. and at q
point where the pumping of Passaic
river water into the Newark ~Pequannock
supply pipes, as was lone last summer.
would cause a wide dissemination of
typhoid germs. Paterson would naturally
suffer most. being nearest the source Of
the cause of disease. It is held, therefore,
that had not the pumping of Passaic wa
ter into the Newark mains been discov-
cred and promptly shocked two OF three
months ago, this city would today oe in
the height of a typhoid epidemic.
AS the matter stands now, however.
Newark is particularly free from typhoid
fever. From December l to last night
only FIVE new cases and one death had
been reported to the Board of Health
This state of affairs is gratifying TO
Health officer Chandler and the Board Of
Health members as it is believed to
show that at present no Passaic water is
being mixed with the Newark supply fur
nisbed by the East Jersey Water Com
pany.
Vigilance will be increased rather han
relaxed. however, to prevent a recurrence
of the Passaic and P~equannock mixture
of last summer. AS told in last Sundays
ttCall., Health officer Chambers recent
fesort to the Board lays the responsibility
for the typhoid cases in August and Sep
TENDER upon whoever caused the turning
of from two to six million gallons of
water a day from the Passaic River into
the Newark pipe line at a point near Lit
tie Falls.
Mayor Seymour received a copy OF the
report from the Board of Health early
last week. Like the members of the
Board. however, he declined to dis PASS
its contents, though he says that II he
deems any action necessary in the prem
Uses he will not hesitate to so inform the
Board, and lend it all the aid in his
power. y
Besides the typhoid cases in Paterson.
and elsewhere in this section. there has
been a severe outbreak in Camden due to
the polluted Delaware River.
The State Board of Health has had pre-
pared for introduction in the Legislature
next month q bill entitled "An act to
secure the purity of the public supplies
of potable waters in this State The
details of the proposed measure are not
yet ready for publication. 1t ma be said,
however, that as it is outlined it is sub
stantially a reproduction of an act now
in force in the State of Massachusetts,
framed some years ago by the State
Board Of Health of that Commonwealth
The bill proposed fer New Jersey woul
give the State Board of Health general
supervision, with reference to their puri-
itv, of all potable waters, With author
itv to examine the same and bring I'M
fractions Of the lazy TO the attention %
the local boards of health, governing
bodies or private corporations or per-
CONS, as the case may be. IL this fails
to bring remedial action the State Board
Of Health is empowered to become a
prosecutor in the Court Of Chaneery. The
bill provides stringent measures TO pre-
vent tie corruption Of public water sup
qufre any municipal authority which may
hereafter contemplate the establishment
or increase the public water supply to
advise with The Stats Board OF Health.
and submit maps. plans. etc. and 10 re-
ceiTe the approval Of the State Board be-
fore proceeding 10 construct Inc same
Similar approval is required for munich
paIities wishing to construct savers or
drains which would empty into any
water above the point from winch any
other municipality s}san or MAY ne draw
ing a supply. Tho State Board Of t1ea4th
is authorized To advertise as to the best
MEANS to remedy 4 existing pollution.