The Red Cloud chief., 1913-05-15

have been traced in many cases directly into sick
rooms as we'll as to markets and fruit stalls
where foodstuffs were displayed. without being
screened BY such means as this flies were
traced during an outbreak Of typhoid fever In
Plattsburgh. N. Y. The local authorities thought
that drinking water, or milk, or some like sup.
ply was infected. but an investigator from New
York went to the Saranac river. into which the
sewage Of Plattsburgh was carried. and from
there he traced flies az they went into moving.
picture show attended by large audience. and
he traced the flies as they went from the NOV.
les" back to the river.
Countless instances Of the spread Of various
diseases have been recorded all over the country.
and as a result. instead OF being regarded merely
as a harmless. though annoying little pest. the
house fly Is today considered one Of the dead.
Hest enemies man has to contend with. Far
more dangerous than war, for the fly is every.
where every summer, excepting in enlightened
communities. like Cleveland Ohio, which Is rap.
idly becoming pretty nearly a hyless city
Last year experiments were undertaken In q
number OF places to exterminate flies. Newspa.
pers of Worcester. Mass. offered money prizes
for the largest quantity Of flies caught. and the
results astonishing. One enterprising lad of
twelve years won the first prize Of 800 when he
de, vered ninety.fve quarts Of files. But It was
found out later that in order to succeed he had
actually gone into the business Of breeding flies
in heaps OF fish offal Altogether the city Of
Worcester caught and killed forty bushels Of
interested In fly determination are not offering
prizes in the same way this year for dead flies.
In a good many communities prizes are offered
for fyless blocks of houses or for farms or barns
that have flies on or in them.
Organizations like the Woman's Municipal
League Of Boston are paying for steropticon lee.
lures delivered before all sorts Of audiences.
and are getting Boy Scouts, District Nursing as.
sociations, school children. and others Mt work
in the effort One Of the scientists most actively
a.. ~ II4I~4 htN10n
at Clark university. who has accomplished. re-
markable results by screening houses to keep
flies on the outside, by killing winter flies when
they awake in early spring and crawl out Of
cracks. picture holdings, and other dark places
where they spend the cold weather and by catch
ing in traps OF his own design millions OF young
flies before they can get to kitchen. dning.room
or restaurant
One of the most effective steps taken in the
campaign of education Is due to Mr.. Hatch. who
sent q man to London. at his own expense and
there had made microscopic photographs Of flies
and their dangerous activities from which NOV.
ing picture film was constructed The Aim, shown
all over the country, Is believed to have done
more than any other one thing to bring millions
OF people to realize how great is the danger from
flies, and how necessary to remove 1t.
One OF the most ingenious methods for teach
ing children facts regarding flies Is seen in a
small pamphlet prepared by Jean Dawson Of the
Cleveland Normal school, who has adopted the
question anO answer pIan or instruction. AItef
explaining In this way. why flies are dangerous.
how they spread disease. where they spend the
winter and what they do in spring, the little book
tells about their breeding. their food. and how
they carry dirt as we'll as disease
The closing questions and answers are as fol.
lows:
20. Can family escape the dangers from flies
by screening them out Of the house?
No, not II they use food over which flies have
swarmed fallen into.
21. Do flies carry sickness and death to many
people In the United States?
There are nearly five hundred thousand cases
of typhoid fever yearly In the United States, and
nearly $4,000 deaths. Much Of this distributed
by flies. Forty-nine thousand infants die an.
nually of enterits summer complaint, the
germs of which are probably all carried to the
milk by flies. Flies known to be the
most deadly enemy OF man. They kill more peo.