The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-02-20
sim on the water Question.

Still on the Water Question.
At the meeting of the township commit
tee, Tuesday evening. it was resolved thai
| the water company be requested to send
representatives to meeting of the board OF
health, and that they bring with them all
of the blue prints or drawings showing
the construction of the pipes through
which water is pumped. This meeting
was to have been held this evening, but it
has been thought best to postpone 1t until
| the state board of health has completed
its Investigations. Agents of the board
have been busy here for some time past,
and have secured much data on which a
repor. will soon be issued. The following
letter was sent to DR.. Parsons:
Trenton, Feb 10, 1912.
r. II. Parsons. M. D.,
Health Officer, Mount Holly, N. J.,
Dear Doctor:
In compliance with your request we are
Investigating the cases of typhoid fever
occurring In Mount Holly during the
present outbreak, and thus far twenty
cases, including two children who reside
public school in Mount Holly, have been
inquired into.
The inquiry thus far gives no indication
of infection through milk or other food,
and there Is no evidence that contact will
explain the occurrence of the cases.
The collected data as to individual cases
show that the public water supply was
used in common by each one of the per-
sons afflicted with the disease.
With the facts established we deem it
advisable as a precautionary measure,
preceding further inquiry into the source
of the infection, for your board to advise
consumers of the public water supply to
boil all water used for drinking purposes
until the epidemic has terminated or the
source of the infection has been definitely
determined.
Very truly yours,
A. CLARK Hunt, Chief, etc.
In addition to the above report there is
an analysis of water secured Saturday,
February 7. One sample was taken from
the creek and one from a tap after it had
passed through the filter. That taken
from the creek showed traces of sewage,
and the FILTERED" sample taken from the
tap showed exactly the same percentage
of sewage as that found in the raw water
This proves conclusiyely one of two
things-either raw water has been pumped
directly into the reservoir, or the filter has
not been doing its work.
Four new cases of typhoid have de-
veloped since our last issue, and there are
one or two whose symptoms are being
closely watched. 1t will be noticed In the
above letter that the state board of health
advises that drinking water be boiled
until the epidemic has terminated
Exception may be taken to this sugges-
ton about the termination of the cpl
demic The analysis of the water shows
that 1t is not safe to drink at any time
without boiling, for if the filter fails to
work at one time 1t may do so at another.
There is only one safe rule to follow, and
that Is the one laid down In this paper
more than once. viz: boil all your drink
ing water from the fret day of January
until the 31st day of December.
A further communication was received
Saturday by the local board from the state
board of health in which the situation was
revie wed at length, the substance of the
letter being that there are changes at the
filter plant In contemplation, which, when
concluded, will be very beneficial Until
these changes are effected. the state board
says the the water supplied by the Mount
holly Water Company is not safe to use
In its raw state
The representatives Of the state board
are still at work on the problem, and are
giving the matter the closest attention.
When they are through a report will be
rendered which will be published in full.
At the risk of repeating, THE News
again calls attention TO the importance of
boiling all water for drinking purposes
and not to use any other. This course has
been recommended by this paper for a
long time and was suggested before the
present outbreak Even now instances
are reported of people drinking boiled
water at one place but using the raw
water In other instances. This is all |
wrong. No matter If many people do |
drink the raw water and escape the fever, |
remember that those who have been
stricken with this disease did drink water
that was not boiled, and those who do |
likewise run great risk. THE NEWS has |
contended for long time prior to this |
outbreak that the water furnished by the |
local corporation was not fit to use with |
out boiling. For taking this stand we |
have been accused of publishing false |
reports. Letters and affidavits have been |
printed to show that it was impossible to |
pump raw water direct to the reservoir, |
but THE NEWS now has the backing oil |
the state board of health. which body |
sh ows by an analysis of the water made |
on February z, that the amount of sew
age in the water was the same in the |
filtered as In the raw water. So that it |
matters not whether 1t was pumped direct |
or through the filter. 1t was just the same |
stuff. That's the right word, ''stuff y
That is what we are paying high price
for and on which price the stockho lders |
are receiving a dividend.
One of our citizens who will long have
reason to remember the present condition
of affairs is reported to be about to bring
suit against the water company. Whether
he can successfully maintain such a suit
Is question, but there ought to be some
remedy for those who have been imposed
upon in this matter. Why would it not
be good idea for the citizens generally
to Withhold the payment in advance IF the
rent demanded for wateri Why not wait
until pure, wholesome water" is supplied2