The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-03-17
SEWERS NECESSARY
FOR SANITATION
SECOND OF SERIES OF ARTICLES
GIVING PERTINENT FACTS UP
ON THIS VITAL QUESTION.

Evidence is accumulating that the
combination of flies and privies is re-
sponsible for much of the illness and
death due to certain diseases. Why
this is so, is not hard to explain. Flies
breed in the contents of privies. When
this contains infected human waste,
the flies become actual carriers of dis
ease germs, which they transport from
place to place. Milk is an article of
food most easily infected. This is
why infants and children often con-
tract intestinal diseases. Typhoid is
perhaps the one disease most readily
spread in this manner Just how a
community may contract an epidemic
of typhoid fever through the agency
of flies was described in a previous
issue of this paper, which used as an
illustration the case of Red Bank, N.
J. That flies, when permitted to come
in contact with human filth, will
spread disease, is therefore a fact.
The unsanitary privy, then, not only
has a noisesome odor, but is in itself
a matter of life and death.
Next in danger to the privy comes
the cesspool. In general they are of
two types, the tight cesspool, which
holds the water and requires cleaning,
and the teaching cesspool which per-
mits the fluid contents to soak into
the ground and disappear. Both kinds
are usually constructed either through
ignorance or carelessness, in a man.
ner that will permit flies to gain ac-
cess to the matter contained therein.
Through the agency of flies the dan
ger from cesspools is therefore but
slightly lessathan that from the unpro-
tected clubhouse.
Besides the above, c~esspools are
ideal breeding places for mosquitoes.
Water is required by the female mos
quito for the Matching of her eggs
and the development of the larva. A
mosquito will find it's way to the inte-
rior of a cesspool through the smallest
unguarded opening, and it is most
difficult to exclude them. 1t has been
proven that within a few weeks an old
tin can, half full of water, will breed
enough mosquitoes to infest a neigh
borhood. If such is the case, imagine
the results from improperly covered
or unprotected cesspools. In connec-
ton with this the State Sanitary Code
requires that both privies and cess
pools shall be so constructed as to
absolutely exclude from within, all
flies and mosquitoes.
In addition to the actual danger to
health which exists when the proper
means for disposal of human waste is
not at hand; the overlooking cesspool,
the bad odors from the outhouses and
personal Inconvenience would all seem
to make imperative the demand for
SeWerS.
Another phase of the question which
must be considered is what effect will
a sewerage system have upon proper
ty values in Pleasantville. There is
but n answer, and that is self-evi-
dent. Property values will undoubt-
eddy increase. 1t is a fact which can
not be denied that sale after sale of
property has been lost through the
lack of sewers. Industries which
would have located here have refused
to come when it became known that
common sanitary convenience could
not be had. The average man also
knows the necessity of surrounding
his home with every means that will
safeguard his own health and that of
those near and dear to him. Will he
come to Pleasantville knowing there
are no sewers? If we are to keep
abreast of the times, we must offer to
prospective citizens those convenient
ces and necessities of life possessed
by u neighboring Towns.
Pleasantville has beautiful residen-
tial districts. Our streets are we'll
drained and we'll kept; we have gas,
electricity and water; now let us have
sewers.