The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-08-07

About 10 of the population of
North Carolina obtain their drinking
water from public supplies, the
source of nearly all of which is sur
face water exposed to both direct
and indirect contamination. But
these supplies are better than private
wells in city soil. They are easier
to protect, and are capable of such
intelligent management as will place
them within the bounds of safety.
But this viii hardly be accomplished
before an educated public sentiment
demands it. When the consumer of
public water fully realize that pure
water and a good health record go
hand in hand to attract desirable
homeseekers and capital when they
thoroughly appreciate the fact that
their own prosperity, happiness,
health and lives may depend upon
the purity of their drinking water
when they feel that the suffering
and death from typhoid fever in the
community are due to some ones
carelessness and might be prevented
then they may be depended upon to
see every ~precaution known to
sanitary science is thrown about the
public water supply.
The remaining $50 OF our pOpula-
ton represent the inhabitants of the
smaller towns and the country, who
are less fortunate than their city
cousins, in that each home has its
own supply, and must bear the ex
pense and exercise the necessary
care to keep their drinking water in
safe condition or suffer the cOnse-
quences. The chief burden of these
supplies is sustained in complying
with the last-named condition. These
supplies consist principally of dug or
open wells and driven wells. The
latter are safer, since they are ex-
posed only to direct contamination.
Open wells from which the water is
brought to the surface in buckets
are filthy and dangerous. Anyone
who has seen one of these wells
cleaned out knows what a quantity
of filth finds its way into the water
from the open top. Everyone hat
draws a bucket Of water handles the
wet bucket and chain and sends it
down to be washed off by the water
in the well, which amounts to about
the same thing as washing the hands
in the drinking water, not to speak
of contamination by mosquitoes and
other insects. Such wells undOubt-
eddy cause many cases of CASTRO
intestinal troubles, not usually fatal
except among small children. And,
if typhoid fever is carried to a house
using an open we'll, it takes inteIli-
gent management to prevent the
drinking water from becoming con
taminated, and servants do not al
ways possess the necessary inteIli-
gence, as was shown in a case that
came under my observation at a
farmhouse two miles east of Gibson.
This we'll had been in use more
than five years. 1t was the boast of
the owner that he had the best
water in his section, and that there
had never been a case of typhoid
fever on his plantation. During the
winter of 1895 a son was carried to
this home with a well-deveIOped case
OF typhoid fever. A nurse was am
plOyed at once, the patient isolated
and the physicians in attendance
thought every precaution had been
taken to protect the other members
of the household; but in about three
weeks two other members of the
family were sick with the fever.
The physicians were puzzled until it
was learned that the launderer had
remarked that the doctors might
know something about medicine.
but that they didn't know anything
about washing, and instead of car
rying the linen, bundled by the nurse,
from the sickroom to the kitchen