Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-11-30
OUR RUINED STREAMS
THEIR UNNECESSARY POLLUTION BY
SEWAGE.
Modern Sanitary Science Falls Far
short of the Idenl-Prcscnt system
of Town Drainage Disgrace to
the Country.


short of the Id-nl-Prercnt system
of Town Drainage n Disgrace to
the Country.
The wanton and needless pollution of
water courses is made the subject OF
an editorial in a recent issue of the
New York Journal. That the state
mcntS made by The Journal are based
on solid ground are plain to the most
unthinking. 1t IL time that the nui-
Sancc should be abatcd and an intclli-
gent effort made to make the streams
and lakes as pure and undctilCd as they
were fifty years ago. What is more
beautiful and satisfying to the eye and
senses than pellucid stream or crystal
lake. its sparkling waters giving as
Surancc of that car" for public health
and comfort which should be the aim
Of every community! However, the
editorial speaks for itself. Here is it:
When the first white men came to
America, they found pcllucid streams
scanning the entire land. Wherever
they went they heard in the forests the
Alilhlt VI IuuSHlIIS NiltI. lHtS tptlu
fish and bathc in the rivers, or they
could even drink from them. Even
within the recollection of middle aged
men "thc old swimmin' hole" was
place of delight for the boys of every
village. There was always n clear
creek within reach in whose depths
they could get aquatic joys with an in
pi1nntpl plnn plinnSs fhpt anr11 hprllV
have been forced upon them in any 9th
er way.
All that Is gone or rapidly going.
Modern sanitary science In America
has advanced just to the point at which
every stream IS being converted into
an open sewer. The old fashioned town
knew nothing about drainage. Amcri-
can towns Of today are convinced that
they must be drained. but they think
their duty In this respect performed
when they have turned their sewage
into the nearest creek or river. 1t nev-
er occurs to them that they are com
mitting an atrOCiOuS outrage upon the
people below them. Those people do
the same thing for the dwcllcrs still
farther down, and so on until the sew
rrS that have no running water left to
pollutc take 1t out on the bathing
beaches at the seashore.
With the growth Of population and
the increase in the number of towns
ana cities pure water Is becoming an
unattainAblc luxury outside of the
mountains. Some cities, like New
York, secure a tOlerablc drinking sup
ply by fencing In catchmcnt areas.
Others, like st. Louis. frankly drink
sewage. In others the people buy
spring water or distilled water by the
bottle. Boys continue to swim in the
streams because they would swim in
anything wet. But the old times. when
the creek rIpplcd tranSparently over
polished pebbles and the most fastidi-
Gus swimmer could dive in it and fear
leSSly swallow the liquid he took into
his mouth, are gone, let us hope not
forever
If the ruin of our streams were a
necessary accompaniment of advanc-
ing civilization. we might reconcile our.
selves to 1t, but 1t Is not. 1t is merely
the mark of n civilization that has
stopped half way. We have learned to
drain our towns, but we have not
learned to drain them properly. In
Europe things have been carried fur
ther. There the largest cities dispose of
sewage by chemical methods which do
not pollute streams and which, instead
of proving costly, actually return a
profit We can do the same thing here.
All we need is a public sentiment
which shall recognize the Importance
of the end to be gained.
Fortunately the evil Is not past rem
edy. A polluted stream will purify
itself If we stop adding new pollution.
We have learned that our towns must
be drained. Let us advance the rest of
the way by learning to drain them
scientifically, and our land will again
be threaded by limpid streams instead
of by noisOme sewers.