The Yale expositor., 1913-11-20
LETTER FROM THE
STATE CAPITOL
PURITY OF ONLY ARTICLE OF
DIET FURNISHED PUPILS
IMPERATIVE.
WATER SHOULD NOT BE JUDGED
BY APPEARANCE.
c. L Glasgow In Discussing Grade
Crossings Says It Is Matter OF
Vital Importance in This
Fast Age.
IBy Gurd M. Hayes.l

Lansing, Mich.-"One OF the most
important points to be looked after in
the sanitation in schools is the pure
water supply" says Edward d. Rich,
sanitary engineer of the state board
of health. This is the only article
of diet furnished to the pupils by the
educational authorities and upon its
purity will depend the danger to its
users of infection by intestinal dis
eases, chief among which may be
mentioned typhoid fever
Responsibility for pure water
supply rests heaviest upon those in
charge of rural schools and upon the
boards of education in small towns
having no public water supply deliv-
cred in pipes. In the case Of large
cities some municipal officer is charg-
ed with the duty OF maintaining the
purity of the city water and the school
board may generally rely upon him
! for proper results. But in instances
where the school has its own supply
its safety too often depends upon the
mere opinion of some citizen or mem
Der of the board and not upon posi-
tive evidence obtained by actual test
of the particular water, made with
systematic regularity.
at is difficult to eradicate from the
mind of a layman the idea that if
drinking water looks good, tastes
good and smells good it must of nee
essity be good. How fortunate would
humanity be if the germs of diseases
which infect drinking water were
large enough to be readily seen and
thrown out of it before taking them
into our systems. Unhappily such is
not the case, and turbidity and color
are no indications whatever Of the
germ content. In fact it has often
| happened in the laboratory that of
two samples, one dirty and perhaps
i'll smelling, and the other clear and
sparkling, the first has proved by far
the safer of the two. Let us all try
to rid ourselves and our neighbors
of the fallacy that appearance is
guarantee of purity,
"In Michigan the water supply for
the rural school, and generally for
that of a small village, is taken on or
near the school grounds. Only rare
ly will it be possible to utilize springs
for this purpose. Wells may be d.
vided into classes depending on the
geological formation in the locality;
shallow wells from 10 to so feet or
more in depth and deep wells, those
more than 100 feet deep. Deep wells
are almost always put down by driv-
ing a pipe or drilling a hole into
which a tight casting is inserted la
ter. If the formation is such that one
or more strata of clay or other i'm
pervious layers are passed through
and the casting tightly fills the hole
through these strata the chances of
contamination are very materially re-
duced. If ledge rock is encountered
near the surface through which it is
necessary to drill it is more difficult
to protect the deep seated water from
being polluted by surface drainage
finding it's way through assures in
the rock to the well.
at is almost impossible to predict
with any certainty the distance from
which a we'll may draw its supply.
This is especially true of wells in
rock or in soils susceptible TO crack
ing or uneven density. Contamination
! has been known TO travel long dis
tances from sources Of infection
through underground passages more
OF less open.
Proper care of an outdoor closet
at school is one of the most diff
cult problems educational authorities
| have to deal with. If such toilet ia
! cilities must be used the only course
! to pursue is a liberal use of earth
| and strong disinfectants with weekly
! cleanings. much better arrange
ment is now possible for cases where
no sewerage is possible There has
lately been put on the market a
chemical closet which can be installed
in the school building without OBJ
| jectionable features, and all advant-
ages of the indoor water carriage sys-
tenn realized. By the use of this out
fit greater convenience and neatness
is obtained. But most important of
all, the possibility of contamination
of water supply is removed"
Seco Grasseno, of Negaunee, an en-
ploye of the Cleveland Cliffs Mining
company, is the oldest man to ever
apply to the industrial accident board
for compensation under the working
mems compensation act Grassenos
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