The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-03-19
BY II
PHO|D FEVER
MISSOURI RIVER, ONCE PURE,
SAID TO BE sFULL OF TY-
PHOID,-OMAHA HAS ASKED
FOR BACTERIOLOGIsT.

1
has happened to the Missouri river
to change the stream, which has long
been declared to be the purest ma
tural rdinking water in the world
into typhoid fever river?" This
is question now troubling various
cities and towns from Montana to
| Missouri, which secure their water
from the big Muddy"
Many cities and towns from Hell
ena, Mont, down to and below Kan
sas City, Mo-, are suffering from
germ diseases, and physicians at all
the points menaced lay the blame on
the Missouri river.
Omaha, the source of whose water
supply is the Missouri river, has de-
veloped 4S6 cases of typhoid this
season, and the government has been
asked to seed out a bacteriosogist to
see what the matter is.
Cities Report Many Cases.
Kansas City reports many cases OF
the disease in that city. Council
Bluffs, Iowa, has, within the year,
had more than $50 cases of typhoid,
it is said, and the city health depart
ment lays the whole blame on the
Missouri, from whence the city's wa
ter supply comes.
For manths the war department
has not permitted the soldiers at
Fort Omaha to drink drop of water
that has not been distilled, or, at
least, boiled. In addition, all soldiers
at that post are being vaccinated with
typhoid antitoxin.
Sioux City reports more typhoid
this winter than ever before. st.
Joseph, Mo-, is not being overlooked
by the fever germs, and more ty-
phoid patients are in the hospitals
in that city than have ever been
known.
In Omaha the school board has
threatened to close all public schools
because of the typhoid impregnated
drinking water, and school children
daily bring boiled water from their
homes that they may have water to
drink during the day.
Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, Yank-
ton, Chamberlain and the lesser cities
along the stream all report large
numbers of typhoid cases.
Doctors Blame the Missouri.
In fact, with every city along the
great river fighting typhoid, and all
securing their water service from the
Missouri, it is the opinion Of medi-
cal men in general that the Missouri
is impregnated and saturated with
typhoid germs to such an extent that
something will have to be done to
purify it before the water can with
safety be continued in use by the
cities along it's course.
| Six weeks ago the Douglas county
medical association of Omaha passed
upon the condition of the water sup
ply at Omaha, saying 1t was undoubt-
edly impregnated with typhoid germs
and called upon the city to boil all
water used.
In Kansas City DR.. ]. w. Perkins,
giving testimony before the grand
jury, said the typhoid sickness in the
famous Swope cases was due to the
impure water and not to incubation,
as charged against DR.. Hyde.
Medical men are divided as to the
source of the water contamination.
While generally agreeing that the
germs come from the Missouri, many
of them point out that there are not
enough cities along that river to so
thoroughly impregnate the water with
typhoid infected sewage as the water
seems to possess.
River Loses Reputation.
For many years the water of the
Missouri has been held up as the
best and purest in the country. The
river is called the Muddy Missouri
and larger amount of silt is car
ried in its water than In the water
of any other stream in the country.
yet there is so slight an amount OF
organic matter therein that the Mis-
souri, is practically free from this.
It's main tributaries come down from
the mountains and empty pure snow
water into the big stream every few
miles, keeping the Missouri fresh and
clean. Additionally, the big river
flows for hundreds and hundreds OF
miles across sandy bars, where the
water is still further purified These
are the conditions which won for the
Missouri its name of having the pur-
lest of all river water. Blu. something
has happened, somewher, and the
once fresh, pure water has become
somewhat contaminated with the ty-
lphoid germs.