Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-13

| drinkable by filtration. Other wit
| n.SSes testified rs to the condition OF
rii'"s, water tanks, MIGRANTS, etc
Mr.. Whi1ple. who was under cross
examination, Monday. resumed the
stand and Mr.. BAKER continued his
Questioning on the Watcrville typhoid
epidemic. The germs might have been
transmitted if the water had been alb
solutcly pur-. 50 that if these alleged
| impure waters. etc. had been wiped
out the disease might have been COM
| nunicatcd.
A line on questioning regarding
tables and statistics on Diagram Il on
the typhoid situation, witness said
| that this present winter the water be-
ing Il little lower. may have been fully
us favorable for the development OF
disease as last winter. Have not per-
| sonally examined Augusta statistics for
Typhoid deaths of present winter. That
| was done by Mr.. Pearse. Cannot tell
personally how many of the 29S0 cases
reported used spring water only.
either Dcvine or separate springs. The
great cause of the typhoid would be
the drinking of infected water.
| Those who used river water or river
and some other in houses visited We're
lncarly 4G00 out of the SS46 visited. The
balance had other sources of water
leuppiy. About 1900 had no river water
lavlilable. Persons with two available
supplies. abStractly, we couldn't locate
the cause of disease. If water was
Itaken outside river supply would natur-
lally suppose outside supply was for
drinking purposes.
Total typhoid cases and deaths were
substantially equally divided between
takers of river water alone and those
who had two or more sources of sup
ply. Reason of people taking other
wa terS- than river water would be for
drinking. if it was a better drinking
water.
Augusta typhoid statistics are made
up from records at city clerks office.
classification began in 1865 because
records previous to that date were very
imperfect as to the diseases. Later
records more carefully kept. particu-
larIy in last 70 years or so. Reports to
Board Of Health vary somewhat from
city clerks. due to various causes.
Sometimes doctors have not reported
all to clerk. when he made his report
|
30. in 1897. 323; in 1903, 297. Increase
in death-rate was larger in some years
lhan others. l judge that during re-
cent period from the middle sos to
present time there has been general
increase OF typhoid in this city. perhaps
not an average annual. because such
thinSs go by leaps and bounds. Since
introduction of water and eath-rate.
i i, ~.
| over 600.
\ long list of comparisons Of the sta
tistirs by years were presented to the
witness by counsel III an attempt to
show that the general death-rate had
increased at over 800 per cent. while
the typhoid death during the time the
Eennebec river water has been used
has increased only by a much smaller
percentage
| Average percentage Of typhoid death
rate iii the towns ana cities in Maine
tabulatei together is about 39.S.
When investigating samples We're
taken near the Augusta intake pipe just
about one foot below the surface EN-
aminCI several hundred SAMPLES pro,,-
ably 700 or 500.
Make careful count of general bacter-
In in these samples. Made these exam
nations daily: others not 50 frequently
| Did not attempt to dilferentiate the
bacteria, simply counted the lump and
sum or total. The count alone does
| not show or distinguish harmful from
harmless. Have never tried to find the
typhoid germ in the Kcnncbrc water
| Have found the colon bacillus We
made general count only for general
or all the bacteria present in the sam
pies. | think the typhoid germ So
called has been known to positively
cause typhoid fever. The relation of
the germs ana fever cases are shown
| examinations ana observations and by.
careful laboratory work. Cases are on
record Of laboratory workers accident
ally taking some of the germ culture
into their mouths and after the usual
period OF incubation coming down with
the disease.
In the verified typhoid cases in Al
gusta. Sc for 1921 Jag used river
water exclusively; the others usei
either no river water or together with