Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-01-27
Uphold fever death rates !:
Death 20

81. Ioais 80
Nashville A4-.1C
jersey City 725-1U
Pittsburg 81 2-IO
he city of Vienna, in this tab.e, h4i 6.
merry the highest typhoid fever rate. viii q
5eing supplied by the river Dauubc:it Loss
| ranks among the lowest, because Il 1ct- *.
present supply from mountain stream IT,
the Alps;
The investigation by your committee q gs
that We have much higher TYPHOID . 70,
death rate than suy city in the emit. j s--,es
from which statistics are obtainab.y. az ,s
is not surprising when the present cond -ois
OF our water supply are considered. Tie
origin OF our supply is about eighteen u IS
| s0ove our city. During all this Gi.t..ce .te
water runs through country much L.-e
highly cultivated and densely settled that +,
was at the time our water works were l
as water always seeks the loves .cyc n-
lis course 1t must receive the crsin=-c ..t..
all the adjoining farms, thus Re tuiz.r- Ssh e
manure, ;ewage from pFivies-in ot1er woalf
al sorts OF human and animal deieca md
Occasionally the offensive matter from dead
animals lying in The sdjoinng fields axe WASH
I'd into the Water supp y, and the use OF -..a
water must be severely condemned, an .e
only way 1t can be rem died is b. p- r
filtration before IT enters the reservoirs Tie
city OF Plymouth, Pa. town of $500 u.
habitants, in 1885 was visited by = iy.8.i
iaver epidemic, ] 100 cases being reco- .,l a
three weeks and it wss proven beycut 81
reasonable doubt that this. epideni ns
caused By the fact that the deiec,a Of le
single patient living upon the dra -e
ground of the reservoir had poiiG.e lc
water and caused the death of III pele
Another danger to our water supp : lie D. .l.
fact that this supply in late yesrs nd -..a.g
diminished, and consequently the d-lse 70.
pollution must increase at the sane TRIO S.
the supply diminishe'. While i; Is tlu .a.t
the examination by Dr. Schwein,z show 60
p llnlon by sewage, although six pre -..l=
examinations did, the danger Of sun y .--
tons still exist and is liable 20 show Dr. t
any moment. Our general dea;h r.e Is
much greater than it should be The l-l-
ersl death rate is much greater .haa II
should be. The report OF the City tor
shows thai there were 800 deaths in ..9z
andria during the year OF 1897. The l-
lstion being ahou. 5000. gives dean rae
OF "a per 1000 inbab. tants. In the gag %
1897 Washington, D. C., rad death -4.cot
10 $40.
IOuI CoLlLElblSc - CeClLtQlN OF n
ion that our water should be properly -,ed
before it enters the reservoirs ant from .G-
formation repeived from j. W. Ellls aoIk
on "Purifcalion of Water Supplies ~oar
committee is of the opinion tnst slow sand
filtration is the most preferable system u
use. Such filters are used 81 over the -0-.t
ana statistics show that as high IS 9- pr
cent. OF bacteria hath thus been e,.Inls.-t.
It is true that such filters cost E gree, t-.-0t
money, but where our health and I've are
st stake money shoull not be taken 40
conside alton, and any one who oppose .1ta
filtration must be considered an eue 90
public heath. 4 filtration would al-o --
eliminate the eels now contained .r
water pipes, which often get into The -a,I
service pipes, die there snd form 8 ssl u
dangerous ollution.
Another grea. dsug'r to the health %
city, which helps 10 swell the death r,e as
II the use OF the Tatsr from on rlLe
pumps. Your committee secured tom RE
City Auditor the death certificates by y u
fever during 1897 made hous. q use
canvass TO ascertain what water was
the deceased, and found that in Gig -c
out OF ee!ven hydrant wat-r hsd en- 1s''
and pump water in the remain NJ tlr. --s'
In city like ours, lere the prTy We
TEN is used, allowing human deiec. e.'
meate the subsoil there Is Away dia- oi
direct pollution of pump wells WI ch IS. Jug
in the ground, and in the opinion O
committee only tube wells of grea- le.2'
with pipes driven all the wsy down -e4a
be used, or in case this is not fea.io.s -ic
hydrantS should be substituted Is soon --i
water supply has bee2 purified.
Your committee theref re TccouA -e'
that the water of al our public plli5' O.
which there are about thirty ID .s'
should be Immediately examine, al %
pumps where pc luton exis to cosi
once, thus removing another danger
lie he 18th.
The president of the AleIaniii "t.-'
Company informed one mem5crof yl-
mittee that he had called meeting @. '-s
board of directors of MS compin s.,
m aeting it was decided to sue t1e &
libel in consequence Of he res .l-
by the City Council in reference 20 .-s
ter. Your committee. there ore, a.-j
some information on the iegs SIDE
case, and found that there are seFe-
on record where cities and prI7aie
have been held responslbls .or tle --
ton Of pol uted water IesGlun-
life. one of the most notable ca-es
of Mrs. Julia l. Green, who $ u.e-
ment of $4,000 agaiDs; the wa ~.
of Ashland, Wis for killing her a-
furnishing him sewsge polluted
LOUIS aat-t-'
r .-