The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-27
c. F. DeBardeleben Indig-
nant That Commission
Should Ignore Requests
OTHERS FEEL THAT
RELIEF MUST COME
Illness of Miss Wilkinson With
Typhoid Fever Causing Unusual
Outburst of Criticism From
Mr.. DeBardeleben

Considerable alarm is felt, it is said,
lamong citizens of Highland Park over
the serious Illness of Miss Wilkinson,
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. e. Wilkin-
son, with typhoid fever
| The fact that the residents of that
Idlewild spring caused insistent de-
mands on President A. NJ Lynn of the
Birmingham Water company yesterday
to place a line from his mains into that
territory so the citizens could get COM
pany water rather than the product
furnished by the city of Birmingham
| Perhaps never before has the COM
mission caused such indignation to be
depressed as came from Charles r. De-
Bardeleben, a resident of that COM
munity, yesterday on the delay of the
city in correcting the alleged contami-
nation of the Idlewild spring Mr.. De-
Bardeleben with other residents of the
park requested the water company to
place a gang of men at work con-
structing a main to the park, but Pres
ident Lynn insisted that it was up to
the commission and not his company to
correct the situation.
| That the commission will be appealed
| to again Tuesday to correct the meas
ure was the conclusion of a meeting
yesterday of the residents of that park.
1t was explained by Mr.. Wilkinson
that his daughter was very i'll with
typhoid fever but he did not wish to
say whether it was the water furnished
| from Idlewild spring.
Mr.. Wilkinson Talks
"My daughter was in school, said
Mr.. Wilkinson. She was brought home
sick after two weeks absence II she
happened Immediately after her leaving.
If she caught it drinking water at home
the, illness was somewhat late in de-
veloping. do not wish to say whether
the water is contaminated or not I am
having the matter investigated now as
do not want to go on record as talk
ling the ex-parte statements of the Bir-
mingham Water company in this case
II have always believed that spring to
be the best in this county and will be
slow to change my opinion as to its
purity"
Charles DeBardeleben, however, was
positive that the waser at Idlewild is
impure and made no effort to put the
soft pedal" on that topic
DeBardeleben Indignant
The action of the commission in this
connection is outrageous" said Mr.. De-
Bardeleben, Il have never In my life
so closely approached begging as 1
have in this appeal to the commission.
Almost on bended knees we asked three
months ago that pure water be fur
nished us instead of the obnoxiously i'm
pure product of the city. The commits
sion referred the matter to Mr.. Wealth
erly and yet nothing has been done
have asked Mr.. Lynn to give us the
water served over Birmingham, but
whether he will do 1t without the city's
sanction / cannot say. l am tired of
talking to inefficient, inactive and en-
tirely incompetent commissioners. Bir-
mingham was never utterly deserted
In official wisdom as at this time.
This case of life and death has no
more moved them than a petition for an
arc light. When we told them this ty-
phoid would develop they almost laughed.
They We're shown the impure condition
of that spring, yet they have done moth
ing. For months this condition has been
known and at this good day nothing has
been done to correct the situation. 1t is
outrageous. / am hun;iated to think
that we have such a government"
Mr.. DeBardeleben, 1t is recalled. ap-
peared before the commission some weeks
ago and asked for protection from the
reported contaminated water. The mat
ter was referred to Mr. Weatherly. About
that time t. H. Motion, q resident OF
that park, said few collars and crew
of convicts could fix the spring. That
method is said to have been used with
out appeasing the protesting citizens.
Mr.. Notions Views
Mr.. Motion has evidently changed for
yesterday he remarked "The illness of
Miss Wilkinson is a matter of great
alarm to our section. I do not know
whether the water gave her the fever or
not. However. the spring has been in bad
shape for some time and should be fixed
The city engineer and other officials
promised to correct the proposition. We
boil all the water used at my house,
Following the call Of the citizens upon
him, Mr.. Lynn. president of the water
company. asked Judge Lane If the COM
pany would be permitted to render relief
to the Highland Park citizens. The Judge
declined to ask the company to build into
that section.
President Lynn Talks
President Lynn subsequently said: ''The
city owns the water supply at Highland
park. We have reported twice al to It's
impurity which reports II passed upon
by the city health department will show
the situation up clearly. However, we
are slow to build into that section unless
sanctioned by the city, for we feel that
we would thereby ruin the city's plant
However, if the city instructs us to install
O. fire plug, which is needed and is being
begged for. then the citizens who wish
to may elect our product or the city's. If
we had been given the sanction yesterday,
in view of the state of mind of the citi-
gems there. we would have placed 100 men
or more II necessary at work last night
building into that community. However,
we will not act at this time, however
much the citizens petition. until the city
acts"
Weatherly Not Alarmed
Commissioner Weatherly does not take
a very alarming view of the situation.
He does not place great seriousness upon
the fact that only one case has developed.
In explanation OF the situation Mr..
Wea atherly remarked yesterday:
1--WE find nothing to be excited over in
one case of fever at Highland park AL
though we regret the distress of Mr..
wilkinson and his family yet we find
that all over Birmingham. in "a homes
the same apprehension exists by reason
Of typhoid fever. This is against 142 this
time last year and 10 In tie homes sup
piled with water sold by the Birmingham
Waterworks company
The city, however. does not care to
run any risks In connection with any
community and II the proof Is eventually
shown that the spring at Idlewild is un-