White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-29
ATTRIBUTES TYPHOID EPIDEMIC
TO INFECTED MILK AND WATER
DR.. G. F. Ruediger of State Hygenic Laboratory,
in Report Discloses Local Dairy in Unsantary
Condition, Undoubtedly Causing Fever
SAYS GERMS ARE IN EVIDENCE IN CITY AQUEDUCT SUPPLY

Part of the results of the work oi
the committee on local sanitation i
shown by the following report o
the state bacterologist. who came tt
the district from Reno to examin,
into local conditions at the instiga
tion of this committee
Reno, New, Sept. "a. 1918.
Mr. A. b. Witcher. Mayor,
Ely, Nevada
Dear Sir-The investigation oi
the typhoid epidemic at Ely, made
on the Goth, led to the following re-
suits:
Il Fourteen cases of typhoid
fever appeared in Ely between Aug
23rd and Sept. 18th.
20. All of these patients were
drinking water from the city supply
of Ely, but four of them have been
the month preceding their illness
Two admit having been to McGill
once or twice, but stayed only a few
hours. One has been working at
Ruth but resides in Ely and the 4th
came from Ward about two weeks
prior to being taken sick. The re-
manning ten drank no water other
than that from the public supply in
Ely
IS. Twelve of the fourteen pa
tients were getting milk fromMol-
ler's Dairy, but two of these twelve
deny having drank any milk except
in their coffee and sometimes on
breakfast cereals. The patients deny
having received any milk from
Noller's Dairy at their homes. The
remaining ten state that they drank
milk from Moller's Dairy quite reg
ularly and several of them say they
have been drinking large quantities
OF it.
"a. There appears no other ar
ticle OF food or drink that many of
them have been getting in common'
Butter, ice cream, vegetables, Dreau
and other groceries have been pur-
chased almbst everywhere in the
city but there is no article among
: these which has been used in COM
mon by a large number of patients
IS. An investigation of eondi'
tions at Mollers Dairy showed
that this is most unsanitary place
and not at all suited for producing
safe milk. The milk house is built
adjoining the barn and is swarmine
with flies. and is otherwise filthy
The washing and sterilizing of bot
ties and other utensils appear to be
but imperfectly done. The water
for this purpose is taken from q
shallow we'll, about is to 20 1ee'
deep and located under the west END
of the milk house, but not more
tha five feet from manure pile. Inc
we'll is in no way protected against
seepage from the manure pile ana
barnyard, nor is the top protected
against the introduction OF fiitn
from the employees boots. The wat
er in this we'll is nothing but seep-
age from the manure pile, mixeu
with more or less cows urine. q
bacteriological analysis OF this So
called water showed it to contain .
total of nearly 10000 germs per
cubic centimeter (about $4,000 per
teaspoonful) and over 900 disease
germs of various kinds per cuoic
centimeter. These include 'strep'-
ococci, colon bacilli, and other Dac-
terra intestinal origin. This water
is so badly polluted that 1t is cer.'an =
to produce intestinal diseases II :.
were used for drinking purposes ano
is certainly responsible or some OF
the typhoid that has recently deve'-
'oped In Ely. The water from TINS
well must not under any circum-
stances be permitted tD be USED
again in washing and rinsing the
milk utfnseIs a was Indicated IN