Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-14
ONE FILTER BED READY
Will Be Put Into Service I'm
mediately.
OTHERS TO FOLLOW
CAPACITY OF BED 5000, 900 GAL
Ions PER DAY.
Dangerous Drinking Fluid Diminished
in That Ratio as the Plant
Progresses.
OTHERS TO FOLLOW

One filter bed at the new filtration plant
will probably be opened tomorrow ms
was the news issued by Commissioner Mac
farland today after visit to Acting Sec
rotary of War Chaffee. The request of the
Commissioner to the acting secretary OF
war preferred about week ago, was that
the filter beds of the filtration plant might
be put into service one by one, as rapidly
as they were completed, instead Of walt
ing for the completion of the whole num-
Der necessary to handle the entire water
supply so as to reduce as quickly as pos
sible the danger from typhoid fever and
other disease germs. General Chanee
stated this afternoon that he had just been
Informed by the chief of engineers that 1t
would be practicable to grant the request,
and that one filter bed might be put in
service tomorrow. the others to follow
as rapidly as possible.
Cen. Chaffee stated that the formal reply
to Commissioner Macfarland's letter would
he sent to him as soon as the formal report
of the chief engineer was received commas
sioner mcfarland thanked Gen. Chance on
behalf of the District government ana the
people of the District for this gratifying re-
Spouse to the appeal made in the interest
Of the health Of the District. The minimum
amount of water filtered by one filter bed Is
three million gallons a day, so that the
amount of dangerous water Will be dlmln-
fshed that much every time hitter ped Is
put in operation. 1t is hoped that the num-
Der necessary to handle the entire water
supply will be completed within month.
Commissioner mcfarland is highly gratified
by the outcome OF his efforts.
The Fever Situation.
The typhoid fever outbreak today equailed
and passed In severity the outbreak in 1903.
% q the health office,
1T was predicted, would bring in still more
cases-probably sufficient number to make
a new record for the year. In 1903 the
greatest number of persons under treat
ment for typhoid fever at any one time was
OF September B. when there were ~ pa
tients Up to noon today, and since Inc
stars report closed on Saturday night,
there were twenty-seven new cases report
ed-seven on Sunday and twenty today.
TO balance against this there were SIX
recoveres and two deaths, leaving total
of 22J patients under treatment.
Since the present outbreak began with
sufficient severity TO cause alarm-that is
since July There have been ~ persons
stricken with typhoid. thus swelling the
total of typhoid victims from 162 to 453
While the officials of the health office DO
not wish to increase the feeling of alarm
which, report has It, is spreading through
out the city, yet they declared this morn
ing that the number of cases now preNall-
ing was excessive, and that the most un-
comfortable feature of the present out
break is the rapidity with which the disease
is finding new victims. 1t Is also regard
cd as unusually early in the year Tor ty-
phoid to gain such marked hold on the
populace. AS already stated, the maximum
of 1903 has been passed. The maximum OF
the outbreak In 1904 was not reached until
September %
Regarding It's Progress.
Whether the present outbreak will con-
tinue to spread in the same proportion as
has obtained during the past two weeks
cannot be told and until long after 1t has
passed the authorities will not be able to
offer assurance that the outbreak has really
passed its maximum. In 1904, after reach
ing It's maximum on September 20, the fever
held very close to that line for several
weeks before decreasing to any marked ex-
tent.
Last year between January and August
A. there were 3GS cases of typhoid fever,
1856 of them after July l. One hundred and
fifty-two Were under treatment on August !,
compared with 20 at noon today.
In answer to the recently asserted belief
of Star subscriber that weeds on vacant
lots were largely responsible for the spread
of typhoid. DIR. Woodward. the health Off
Ger, today issued the following statement:
A weed is merely plant that is out of
Its proper place. The term is not descrip-
tive of any particular class, order or genus,
and the designation of plant weed
erty inherent in the plant. but upon the
comparative uselessness of the plant in the
place where ii happens at the time to be
growing.
Not Supported by Facts.
To say that weeds cause typhoid fever
Is equivalent 10 saying that the fact that
plant is located out of its proper place will
impart to it the power of giving off certain
noxious inhalatioas capable of causing
specific disease, typhoid fever which dis
ease when thus caused may be transmitted
from patient 10 patient indefinitely and 1t
must be presumed that this noxious quality
arises, Notwithstanding the fact that the
locality in which the plant is growing is
Itself free from any similar hurtful proper
ties. and notwithstanding the fact that the
same plant, when growing elsewhere, has
no power whatsoever for harm.
There are no facts known to the health
department to support the hypothesis that
weeds cause typhoid fever.