New-York tribune., 1908-02-22
EPIDEMIC A PUZZLE.
TO CLEANSE RESERPOIH.
PeekshaM Typhoid Cases Thought 10
Be Due to I'M pure Water-

peekskilTs tvp,oid epidemic is said TO have
reached it's limit But only beginning has
been made in the search for the cause Ihere
have been III cases in the town OF this NUM-
Der fourteen have been fatal and more deaths
are expected The epidemic began January ID
The last case reported on February y
The town authorities blame the Iaborers' camp
of New York City contractors in the towns
watershed As a result Charles A Shaw ana
Charles " Chadwick. of the Board OF Water
Supply. visited the camp at PeeSsiNill Tuesday
They took with them Dr.. ]. \ Shears. OF the
Health Department The physician gave the
camp a clean bill Of health Yesterday III
Balduan of the Health Department was sent
uD bv Health Commissioner Darlington Dr.
Fsaldt.an also found the camp in good coldl'ion-
None of the health authorities, whether iocal
or metropolitan has found the source OF the
disease DR. stanton Curry, the Health Of1cer
of PeekstiII calls the epidemic an explosion
That is the way il looks. and the fatalities are
likely to climb from fourteen up 10 heavy per-
centage.
While there is official doubt about the source
the evidence points TO the water Tne citY
canp where the CatsE1ir aqUeduct is building.
Is on the PeekskiH Creek. which supplies water
for the reservoir But there has been 10 ty-
,boia N the camp only about thirty Italian
1aborers are in the camp They measure up
fully 10 the Italian laborer standard OF unciean-
Ifness There is an exercise of eternal vigilance
TO compel observance Of sanitary rules however
DR. Lent has charge Of the health OF the iaoor-
ers and has given them clean bill Dr- Bai1-
win is going 20 tap them 10 find OUT Whe'iieI
there is anv mild but infectious case among
them
l. r-as learned Yesterday thar the reservoir
sunnIvfng the town has not been cleaned within
the memory Of some Of the oldest inhabitants
he
voir could not have caused the epidemic me
disease followed a heavy storm after tnaW-
The cases. the doctor said were throushOdo
the town The disease could not be due 20 any
other cause than the water The 1aEnlleS "L
patients did not use milk from the same MIX
man They ate oysters, some OF them. out not
all Al used the town water Why 'he Io"h
water should have proven deadly at thIs tiiiie
could not be explained But as proof that ths
water should be held responsible It was pOih-e1
out that St Joseph's Home. with 1900 orpnanS'
and the House OF the Good Shepherd with 4oo
| inmates. where artesian we'll water was sxciu-
si,-eIv used were free from the disease
/ There is movement 10 cleanse the reser-
yoir and 10 wipe out sources OF contag1on III the
| town There are a lot of them on the streams
| that are feeders OF the reservoir. The town IS
| full of persons who are said to be as indlnerent
/ TO hygiene as the most unwashed Italian on the
/ watershed
! Mr.. Shaw. Of the Water Board said yester-
dav that the whole CatskiH district ana the
ero,,-d where the aoueduct IS 10 be built IN the
| cast Hudson territory would be thoroughly po-
| liced The Catsk1u watershed. he said. would De
| cleaned I'D so that there could be no Infection
| The hoard will engage one man 70 have charge
| OF the force and two deputies Mr. ShaW ep-
/ peared before the Civil service Commission this
! week 20 ask that these three men be exempted
! from the rules of the commission This was
/ granted The commission was informed that
! the board intended TO engage retired army
officer 10 have charge of the policing force The
/ deputies would no doubt, be selected by the
| man in charge. The force Of men who VIII
| patrol the watershed Will number TWO hundred
/ Al the examination there were twenty-five hum
| dred men. The two hundred viii Be employed
/ in the CatskiI watershed and on the line OF the
/ aoueduct They VIII have rigid instructions
| regarding the enforcement Cf hygienic rules
! The Water Board does not intend TO be sub
| iected 10 criticism IL intends that the w1o-e
| new watershed shall be as free from pollution
| as care and attention can make il They have
| the Croton experience fresh in mind They
| have big taslz however. There are more than
| thirty cemeteries To be removed The COM
nissioners are now engaged IN negotiations with
| the relatives Of the dead to have the bodies
| removed as soon as possible L vas said yes
terdav that this part OF the work was progress
ing satisfactorily and that the cemeteries would
be cleared in time for the use Of the lands for
reservoir purposes