Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-04-12

1890. The typhoid death rate for the
ycer 1890 WAS l52. That was the high
est rate since 1865, when it was 151
The records show that typhoid was
more common mere in the autumn w."
fore tI.c Water system WAS put il. That
il the genera! rule. Since river water
Was used here the disease has been
more common i'll The winter. This is
generally true where there IS Il pol
lutcd water supply. From 1877 to 1SS,
there were no cases of typhoid 1evcr at
ToGus rs shown by the official records.
Water from Greeley pond was used
there then. Since 1887 river water has
been uscd and there were - cases be
tween 1hSS and 1891. Between 1892 and
1Hc;i there were l. cases. At the insane
hospital thtlc We're no deaths from
typhoid fever until after the river
water was used, and since then there
have been SIX.
At this point DR.. W. +. Elwcll OF
T0cuS W;;s c.lilcd to the stand. He
testified as follows: Have been STIR
Z, on 1T tie Home since lSs2. Tie
figures testified to by Mr.. Whipplc are
correct. Water for drinking purposes
IS used from the so-callcu Hdlluwell
spring. Notices We're posted in 1891 iur
bidding use Of river water for drinking
purposes. Ties orders are still III
fierce. We have made il Il part Of our
duty to advise employees and inmates
a-:tinst use of river water. The aver
age age Of inmates is g. now. and at
such an age typhoid is rare. Many
men persist in using river water III
IN spite OF ORDERS and precautions"
Mr. Whiprle resumed the stand: In
Richmond the town clerks records
showed L deaths from typhoid from
lS9- to 1oG-. The records show that the
so-called 1865 epidemic here began
early i'll the winter ana lasted 10
March. Iii al there were 80 cases
and 81 deaths il Augusta from typhoid
between November l, 1902. and May /.
1902. In Watcrvillc. the previous fll
and early winter. there was a typhoid
epidemic with 31l cases. The typhoid
fever is communicated from person tu
persons. The germs do not multiply fas-
in water. Water is the most common
medium of the transmission of the
disease. a person need not swallow
the infested watcr. brushing tho
teeth might give Il person the discuSr.
Boiling the water kills the germ. There
is no way tn account for the 1898 cpl
Gcmic except through this water sup
ply. There WaS no concentration of
cases on any milk route. Our iiilanysiS
Of wells and springs shows nothing
to which such an epidemic could be at
tributcd. This epidemic naturally fol-
lowed the Watervilc epidemic. The
Incubation reriof-of the disease is from
~ days to two weeks. The fact tha.
there WAS no epidemic in Hallowcll or
Gardiner, which have other sources OF
supply. emphasizes the probability that
the Augusta and Richmond cpidcmcS
Of 1909 resulted from that Of Watprvlll"
through use OF river water. The cpl
Gcmic ut Naterviilc. in my opinion.
came from washing of vaults into tn"
McsSIlOnskee, and this same cause
started the epidemic here. but the main
epidemic here followed that at Water
vile. The water supply of Augusta is
in danger of dangerous contamination
rs long as any sewers run into it, even
1s remote as those at Madison"
on cross-eXlminatiOn by Mr.. Baker:
The epidemic at Watcrville started in
piaccs not supplied with the city water.
Proper diSinf"ction would have pre-
vented = spread Of the disease there"
At ) o'clock the hearing adjourned
until 10 A. NJ. today. when the cross
examination of Mr.. Whiprlc will BE-
continued.