Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-03-05
FOR MODERN SYSTEM
Council Orders inquiry as to Cost
of New Fire Alarm
Apparatus.
AN EARLY REPORT Is ASKED FOR
Health Commissioner Again Rec
ommends Examination
of Intake Pipe.

The city council at it's monthly
meeting last night took steps looking
to the providing of modern fire
alarm system, the following resolu-
ton, offered by Aid. +. f. Andrews,
being adopted: Resolved. that the
fire and light committee be instructed
to ascertain the cost of the installa-
ton of new, modern fire and police
alarm system, and that they report
their recommendation at our next
regular meeting, both as to costs and
as to comparative merits of the diff
ferent svstemsn
Aid. Kennedy said he had given
some attention to the matter of late.
but he had ascertained it would cost
several thousand dollars to procure a
Gamewell system. and the city being
unable financially to make such an
outlay at present, he had hoped it
would be possible to secure cheaper
apparatus. Aid. Willis said that
above all he wanted the fire alarm
system to be independently operated.
He favored the plan suggested by
The ARGUS of each year Installing a
few boxes until the system was COM
plete. Aid. Anderson said it would
be an injustice to give protection to
one locality that was not extended
over the whole city, and that if an
apparatus was to be purchased 1t
should be done with a view to taking
care of the entire community.
Reports on Typhoid.
Health Commissioner q e.. Craig,
in report on the prevalence of ty-
phoid fever, renewed his recommen-
dation for an examination of the in
take pipe, in which he believes there
is leak. From Nov. to March l
there were $40 typhoid cases report
ed, Al in Move M Der, 50 in Deem Der,
164 in January and 113 in February.
BY wards the cases have been dis
tributed as folio VS.: First 63, Second
AZ, Third So, Fourth 55, Fifth So,
Sixth 81, Seventh Al. This indi-
Gates that the disease is general
throughout the city," says the health
commissioner, land must be due to
general cause. Infection of water is
almost invariably the means by which
the disease is conveyed and the germ
usually gains entrance into the
human system by way of the mouth.
Occasionally it has been traced to
food, as milk, salads, lettuce and oys-
tiers, but even then water is the pri-
mary cause. AS this epidemic is gen
eral, and there is no evidence point
ing to any other cause, am strongly
inclined to the belief that our present
typhoid fever is due to infected city
water. If that be true the question
arises as to how it becomes infected.
1t has been suggested that the sand
in the filter was taken from a place
where refuse and filth were dumped,
that sewerage from the arsenal gets
into the conduit pipe, that the germs
develop in the filter beds, etc., but to
my mind the most plausible explana-
ton is that there is break in the in
let pipe. admitting water from the
slough"
To Continue Investigation.
Attached are the tests of the water
made by A. U. Palmer, professor of.
chemistry OF the Illinois university.
The report was ordered received and
placed on file. Aid. Kennedy stated
that Mayor Vessel, of Moline, had
written a personal letter to Health
Commissioner Craig, saying he had
been misinformed as to the cause of
the spread of typhoid fever in Rock
Island, and wished to retract the state
ments he made derogatory to the res
ervoir plant. Aid. Gall said that e.
C. Albee. teacher in chemistry at the
high school, had gone to Beloit with
samples of Rock Island water for ex-
animation. The samples were taken
from the reservoir and river and
various points about the city. and if
there were any impure or injurious
elements in it it was believed they
would be discovered, as instructions