Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1899-12-07

naturally flows toward the point where
the water is taken out, which of course
is the well. Thus the water surround
ing the well perhaps for hundreds of
feet moves toward the well. In wet
times the danger is not so great as in
dry times, for when the well and
ground are full of water the DRAWINGS
from the sources mentioned are car
ried beyond the well. But in a droughty
time the water from great distance
is drawn towards the well. This is es-
pecially the case where the well is
used to its full capacity for the water
ing of stock. It has been therefore
found that the month of October is
generally the worst month for the
prevalence of typhoid fever, because in
October the supply of moisture in the
ground is small, and great areas are
drawn upon to supply the well. This
applies to what we term the shallow
wells. No such well should be located
within 100 fet of any privy vault or
barnyard.
The deeper the well, says the Farm
ers' Review, the safer it is as a general
thing, especially if the well is so con-
structed that water can come in only
at the bottom. The organic matter in
passing through the soil is oxidized
and converted into nitrates. The dan
ger in that case is that the soil may be-
come overcharged with filth, and that
oxidation cannot be as complete as is
necessary. So that even with the deep
well the location should be as far as
practicable from all sources of con-
tamination. Most of our wells are
faulty in construction. They are of
loose material to the top and permit
the entrance of water at any point.
In time of freshet the water runs in
near the top carrying with it any filth
that may be on the surface of the
ground or harmful substances near the
surface of the ground. For this rea-
son the wells should be cemented with
hydraulic cement to a point near the
bottom. This will prevent water get
ting in that has not been exposed to the
oxidizing influences and will also keep
out frogs, toads, rats, squirrels and the
like. The decay of animal flesh is very
dangerous and should always be avoid
ed.
Among the diseases that are carried
by impure water are dysentery, diar-
rhoea, dyspepsia, cholera, typhoid
fever, scarlet fever, malarious fever
and ague. The great epidemics of ty-
phoid fever and malarious fever that
swept over the country last year were
directly due to the bad water that the
soldiers had to drink. The sick sol
diers when taken to their homes spread
the disease through the sources that
contaminated the home wells. More
than $4,000 people in the United
States last year died from typhoid fever
alone. We quote from the official re-
port as to why typhoid and malarious
fever became so prevalent at Camp
Thomas at Chickamauga and why that
camp had to be abandoned:
sit appears that the whole camp is
located above a magnetism limestone
The surface water passes directly
through sink holes and assures into
water pockets struck by the so-ealled
artesian wells.' The report concludes
by saying that tsthe terrible increase
of sickness, which has caused the camp
TO be abandoned. has had the water
supply for the main if not the exclu-
sive cause. The July rains washed
the microbe-laden atmosphere and the
polluted soil, and carried the morbid
material into the pockets of water
struck by the pumps