The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1904-08-24
REAL DANGER Turks IN
POLLUTION Of CEDAR LAKE

auth critics are allowing campers
along the shore OF the lake. aH stat
ed la Tho star laHt Monday. Waa IA
complete surprise 20 the members
Of the local medical fraternity. and
since that time the subject has been
freely discussed ~ them
Few persons outside OF The medl#
cal profession are aware Of the
great danger that turks ln "a con
tamluhted water supply titY In.
fiueef Thomson aud Mayor hallln#
ger state that their chief objection
10 the presence Of campers ON the
reserve De- the danger of disastrous
forest fires from such Il source
Physicians hook rather az the poe
aihie danger % the health uf the
city that De- threatened by the pres
enI ienlrury nf the board of works
IN dealing with the matter
From their statements it D. ar=
parent that The cts authorities nu=
aerUstlmate the harm that might -.
suit from their present policy city
Engineer Thomson states that he
thinks BE- would b. unjust 90 shut
aamuerr OF entirely from the laEe
lie o. thinking 81 a plan whereby
they may be- allowed % pitch their
tents a. certain prescribed places
where suitable drainage facilities
could b. established
PHYSICIANS SAY NO
Physicians Do net agree with him.
They believe hat al persons should
be kept OF the watershed insofar
a. ID De- possible 10 keep them off
Hacked hy a long list az recorded
instances Of similar nature where
typhoid fewer has attacked cities
where the water supply has been
contaminated they point With q
warning finger g. the urgent need
Of absolutely protecting the virgin
purity Of this eIff present supply
They DO not zee anything really
alarming 10 the present situation.
but their counsel is based on the
old adnFc that an ounce o. pre-
xeution iu worth a pound Of cure.
They DO not fear the results q
ordinary sewage contamination. hHt
where that sewage happens - be
Infected with the typhoid or other
diasaae Ferm. Ties see q great and
uasifivs danger - The health Hnd
lives % the people ~ this city
The typhoid germ can thrive IN
running water n can even pas
through the fitnFinE process uf
running through q aubierranean
channel aud retain iiH yiEor but
Ter and Plymouth Pa and other
Eastern and European cities have
had disastrous experiences Ia this
line. aud II has often been months
before the source ~ contamination
la been discovered 40 remote has
IL been In Maidstone Eng In
1877. poo people were taken sick
with typhoid fever within three
months the population of the city
being only $1,000.
In one Of the pennHy towns
attacked BY a typhoid epidemic. ..
phoid germs from a river worked
their way half mile through the
ground % the creek from which the
town rot IT, water.
WHERE DANGER LIES.
II appears 90 be pretty well dem
nnntratcd that the typhoid germ
an not only thrive. but propagate
outside a. well aa inside the human
body or other animal organism. In
1886. 200 people in Plymouth, IA
became iI With typhoid and 10
az them died. The source OF the
endemic vas traced 20 a single case
ubere the delectn Of the patient
vaa thrown IN freezing weather At
a point where Il could drain into a
mountain creek supplying the water
suppiy % the town. The total pop
utation of the latter was sHea
Or Crichton. chairman OF the
council committee on health and
sanitation. e. deeply interested IN
the matter. declaring himself yes
terday ~ being tn favor 81 the
rity'n taking some steps % imme-
diately guard against the repetition
az any similar catastrophe IN Sc
attic
= am IN favor Of looking into the
matter AZ once he said That
does not mean that ! would have
the city take any hasty action In
the matter. but II should make pro
vision 20 carefully enforce any such
regulation a. may be decided upon
that will most completely guard the
city from danger from this source
"Thc more sewage that Is allowed
10 enter the lake the better viii be
the chance for disease microbe life
20 flourish IN Il A. long as the
city allows people 90 lndlFcrimius
ately camp on the reserve lt Is run
ming the chance Of having the ty=
phoid germ communicated 10 Cedar
lake or the surrounding watershed
These germs will thrive or retain
their vitality better In the soil than
I'm the water think IL would be
a shame to allow the watershed or
the lake 10 become polluted for &c
dar river water Is now. believe.
a. pure ms nature can make it
DIR. HEG TALKS.
Or Elmer L. HcE secretary Of
the state board Of health said
At the present time I do not
think there le any cause Tor alarm,
but there "a withal q danger that
should be guarded against As far
as the sewage contamination itself
Is concerned. II amounts 90 nothing
The sewage and refuse from n hun
drod campers on Cedar lake would