The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-06-01
CLEMSON EXTENSION WORK.
ARTICLE TX.
The Care of the Drinking Water Sup
ply.

Health is of first importance in all
occupations, since it governs the abil-
ity Of the individual to do work. The
progressiveness of a community is
governed by it's healthfulness, and
this healthfulness is measured largely,
directly or indirectly. by the purity of
its drinking water. Almost our en-
tire rural population and the inhabi-
tants Of a majority of our small towns
get their supply Of drinking water
from springs or from shallow wells.
1t Is to call attention to the often i'm
proper surroundings of these sources
Of drinking water that this article is
written.
The principal diseases supposed to
be communicable through the drink
ing water are typhoid fever, cholera,
dysentery and other diarrhoeal affec-
tions. cholera infantum, animal para
site diseases, enteric fevers and scar
let fever. OF the diseases mentioned
typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery,
cholera infantum and scarlet fever
may also be carried by milk; enteric
fever and typhoid by flies; and ty-
phoid by raw oysters and raw fruit
In order that the water supply or any
of the other agencies mentioned may
carry these diseases it is first neces-
sary for them to become infected with
the specific infection which commu-
nicates the disease. The infection of
all of the sources mentioned except
mosquitoes, is derived from the ejecta
Of patient suffering from the dis
ease.
1t is fact proven by statistics that
the water borne diseases begin to in
crease in July and are at their maxi
mum during August and September,
decreasing in October
The Spring. The ideal conditions
for the spring are that it's watershed
is uninhabited, that the watershed
does not contain stables, barnyards,
teries; and it should not be traversed
| by railroads nor highways for all of
these make infection possible. The
! freedom from all Of these objections
is not always obtainable. The spring
should be ditched around in such a
way as 70 carry off all of the surface
water, both during downpour of
rain and from ponded areas, and new
er allow it to be overnowcd and filled
with filth or trash of any kind. The
! surroundings must be scrupulously
clean. The spring itself should be
walled with rock and covered to pre-
vent trash from falling into it.
The Well. Too many of our wells
are located i'm the barnyard, i'm order
that water may be convenient for the
stock, regardless Of sanitary .condi-
tions. The source Of the drinking wa
ter for the family should bc removed
from amy such possible danger Of in
Election. The well should bc located
on a wcll-draincd area, remote from
barns, pig pens, priNics, ccsspools
cemeteries or drains, aud should hC
comcutcd from the cdg, outward (,
the distance of several tyot Ahoy,
the surface of this cement a tight lo,
shocld bc built and tight Gttin.
.o,'r provided if buok,t9 are used
The pump is much To- ho preferred t.
the bucket because il lessons ~.
danger of trash falling into the well
All waste water should hc drained of
and no water allowed to spill back i'm
to the well. No puddlcs should be al
lowed TO form nearby i'm which hog
might wallow. The hog Is a grea