The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-08-16
PRAISE NOW
FOR YAKIMA
Admirable Fight Made Against
Typhoid Is Bringing Its Own
Reward to Community
FEDERAL HEALTH EXPERT
PRAISES VALLEY PEOPLE
Telh Readers of Leading Paper of
the National Capital of This
Wonderful Section Of Nation
and How Il Handles Problems

Good words for North Yakima and
the Yakima valley are already FOL
lowing upon the efforts Of the people
of this community to better the sani-
tary conditions of the town and coun-
try. The first boost comes from Wash
ineton, d. c., the national capital and
are from the Star of that city which
in its issue of Tuesday, August 8,
published a column interview with
Dr. Lumsden, the federal expert who
was here in connection with the cam
pairn against typhoid fever. Joseph
Gawler of this city, who wis regu-
lar reader of the Washington Star
was delighted with the fact that the
rood news has begun to travels and
expects, as do others, that the word
will be spread much more widely. DIR.
Lumsden as quoted in the Star is as
follows:
What typhoid fever can DO to
town and what a town can do to
typhoid both have been illustrated in
a trip just completed by d. l.. Lums-
den of the public health and marine
hospital service. DR.. Lumsden re-
Gently investigated the typhoid con-
dition in the Yakima valley, Washing
ton. The typhoid situation there has
been one of the worst in the United
States, and last spring sudden out
break alarmed the authorities Of the
town of North Yakima.
"The local and state health author
tiles combined in requesting the pres
ence of one of the marine hospital
surgeons, and Gen. Wyman, chief of
the service, detailed DR.. Lumsden. He
now has returned after locating the
source of the trouble and says he has
left behind a community engaged in
such a campaign of cleaning up and
sanitation as he has never seen be-
fore. The results of the campaign
cannot be seen before the cold wealth
er and will be better appreciated next
year, but the chances are that the
measures now being taken will be
effective.
Or. Lumsden says the Yakima val
lev is one Of the most wonderful sec
TONS Of the United States. 1t is tha
great apple and truck region of the
northwest and the soil, climate and
general conditions all combine to fav-
or extensive farming. When the pub
lie health service was making tenta-
thought it might need to buy, it found
that the farm land ran from $4,000 to
$4,000 an acre. A two-acre farm
there is a small fortune. The people
are making money fast and easily
and the town Of North Yakima has
grown in a few years from a hamlet
to a city of 5000.
Death Rate High
But there has interviewed the ty-
phoid. The typhoid death rate for
Yakima county, which includes prac-
tically all the valley, is about 100 per
100000 population. The typhoid av-
erage for the United States is about
as per 100, 900, and that is higher
than il ought to be. Yakima Is one
of the few places where the typhoid
death rate is as high as that from
tuberculosis.
1.-THE trouble comes from two
things-the pollutions of the irriga-
ton water and the consequent con-
veyance of the disease by vegetables,
such as lettuce, radishes and celery,
and the immense number of flies. The
valley is one of the worst places for
the typhoid house fly in the country.
The business men have known for
some time that the lack of nitation
in and around the town was prepar-
ing them for a worse outbreak of
typhoid than usual They were pre-
pairing for a sanitation campaign this
summer when the explosive outbreak
of typhoid came in the early spring.
'Dr. Lumsden was rushed TO the
spot. He says he found a curious con-
dition. There was a bad outbreak
Of typhoid covering about 10 per cent
OF the town and confined to one sec
ton. The water supply was not above
reproach, but that source of infec-
ton seemed to be eliminated by the
fact that people in only one section
had the disease, and it was only too
soon for the regular seasonal out
break. There were few flies at that
time, and the infected vegetables evil
IDENTIFY were not responsible. The nat
ural suspicion pointed to the milk
supply, but out of the fifty families
where the disease was there were
twenty different diaries running milk
routes and these served other sections
as well.
Traced to Pond
Finally the trouble was traced to a
big lumber company This company
had a yard in one corner of the town.
Az 1t always had about 81 600. goo
worth OF lumber in the yard. it nat
uraliy vas afraid Of fire, and. aside
from the city water system. IL could
pump water from a big pond into
the city mains and increase the fire.
nghsing supply. This pond was heav-
Continued On page eight.)