The Penn's Grove record., 1915-10-22
WATER PROTEST MEETING
The Fighting Blood Of '76 Aroused
Over the Condemnation Of Wells

r. Smalley to consider the condemna-
tion of wells, at the Council room last
Monday night was adjourned to the
lodge room of Odd Fellows Hall, be-
cause the Mayor and Council held an
adjourned meeting at that time. Be-
tween forty and fifty of the residents
were present, some of them being citi-
zens who had no wells to condemn, but
were present in the interest of fair
play as well as public welfore.
Edward S. Harris was made chair
man and Prof. j. Harry Smith, secre-
tary. MI. Harris had the blood of his
forefathers aroused over the condem-
nation of his well and a fine of $50
hanging over his head. He had drunk
the water for thirty years and had no
sickness in his family for twenty-five
years, besides neighbors had come o
his home to get a drink of his good
water. He considered the action of
the Boards of Health an outrage and
an injustice.
The state Inspector took only a small
bottle of water to a~nalyze, while the
analytic chemist who examined water for
citizens said not less than half q gallon is
needed. The charging of $l4 to run the
water from the main to the curb which
had been free previous to July 2, was an
other outrage. He WAS 73 years old has
lived in Penns Grove all his life, and
never knew a typhoid epidemic. ssThe iso-
lated cases will not average one a year
All fishermen and boatmen drink river
water aier the dregs settle in barrels.
That water is surely polluted more than
the well waters, yet there are very few
bnt what have good health in Penns
Grove.
Prof. Smith declared the act to be
tyranny. We are living in America and
not Russia. To nave threats of $50 fine
hanging over persons heads and it be
ing impossible to get men to introduce
corporation water at once, was ter
rifying, especially to women to had
Deer rudely told that their pumps must
be taken out. Further, when so much
greater demand was put on the Water
Company it was becoming a question
whether the company could furnish the
greater increase in demand. Being de-
prived of wells and the prospect of a
shortage from the company put the
people in a precarious situation.
Rev. Edward Mount said that while
he had no well he considered it an in
justice to have such action taken when
wells had proven wholesome. He knew
women to be much worried who had
good wells of water and could not get
the water in.
George H. Elkinten, Esq, denounced
the heavy filming of citizens in a distant
court with no discretion on the part
OF the justice according to the reading
of the SANITARY Code" 1t was un-
Just, unnecessary and uncalled for.
Why drag citizens thirteen miles for
a prosecution? He believed the code
and fines should be changed to be ac-
cording theAcommon procedure of the
courts of jnsticel IKLnfIGf&
S. N. Justice, a member of the Penns
Grove Board of Health, stated that
while he considered the sanitary clean
un and needed that he entire
ly hisapproyed the action On the water
in wells which was carried too far. If
carried further it would be against his
approval. He said all that had been
done so far had cost the borough moth
ing.
DIR. E. C. Knight, the sanitary inspee-
tor employed by the DUPONT Company,
and acting for Penns Grove Board of
Health, stated that he considered the
SANITARY COllolI1Oh vi IhC OOI d5h a
and that he vas here to enforce the
law as he found it. All water in wells
of less than twenty feet deep is con-
sidered surface water. He thought
that good water could be procured at
a depth of from Is to 100 feet.
N. S. Wood said that he was on the
Board of Health during the smallpox
epidemic during January ard Febru-
"a. 4na1 - -rLA- H. HO&.s41v v
Code" was enacted. The members did
not know anything about what should
be lone nor how but his experience
had taught him that some things
should have been done differently and
more economically. Consequently they
depended upon d. C. Bowen, the State
Inspector, who had recently told him
the Sanitary condition of the borough
was worse than during the smallpox
epidemic. He would like to know
where and why, when there was no
serious sickness nor contagious dis
ease in that borough. He had drunk
water from the shallow wells for forty
years and enjoyed good health. He
had driven wells in all parts of the
borough and the deeper he went the
poorer the water was.
THE BIBLE EXPLAINS.
George Jordan, whose water was
condemned, the analysis of which with
chemists comment was published in
last weeks Record, said that he had
drunk the water for thirty years, was
now So years old, well and hearty and
had no sickness in his family. He did
not believe the salt in water came from
sewage, but was put there by the Lord.
He is a close Bible student and has
found why we are physically saved in
second Kings, second chapter, nine
teenth to twenty-second verses. "Men
in a certain city had a pleasant sit
uation but the water was bad. They
sent for Elisha who put salt in the
water which healed it." That is the,
oan tho mator ic mh0InSnma and