The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-01-07
Reply to Judge Purdy
Officials of County Fair Sub
NIT Statement Concerning
Proposed Lease Of Pump
ing Station Land

Well meant ob3ecsio1 OF hon. R.
O. Purdy TO the leasing OF the land
adjoining the city water works
pumping station on the grounds
that there Is danger of. contami-
nation Of: the water supply. and
8 his, s,arement that the land was
purchased by original owners Of
tile waeer works plant gears ago
rs protect the Sater supply from
rohSanaination by surface pollution,
with all due respect TO Judge PslrdE
and his opinion. beg leave TO most
sesnectfeally sstbnait fo., public con
siaeratien the following:
- The county fair officials admit
that tbs statement is correct. but
contend that conditions then sur
rounding the water works pump
ing station necessitated The pur-
chase af thai tiEae. OF man.
acres oS land TO wara Of the erec-
1fon Of residences with many sur
face toilets near the pumps and
wells on isaad Immediately ad5oin-
ing the wells, and To make 3!n2os-
SsbIe the digging of many cess
pools Sasso called "dry wells" near
sIie wells and pumps into which
residential sewerage was poured
JroHa water closets. kitchen sinks,
and bath tubs in the absence 81
that time ef modern water ear
ssage system of sewers. ard sub
Seauent 10 rhe establishment of the
Mater station until Sumter acQuir-
ed its medern sewerage system and
It's modern system ef sanitary sur
Sace closets with the can reeep-
fscte ssaa system OF resaevai by the
beard sof. health sanitary carts OF
nlanye hsneredss OF tons CT deleteri-
sus organic matter which was
barred IN the soil before the city
Of SGtl,er enacted sanitary laws
requiring the use OF cans and the
regularsre1novai of al disease
beariHss matter from the city.
aE5sfen the sewerage system was
established and the laws enforcing
corrections Herewith together with
fae fixing IN Of every cess-sool or
cry welsss and the laws enacted ia
sssalHng modern methods otherwise
10 prevent sesnage and water con
fazsaInarfon. then the necessity for
thirty acres Of land to protect the
water supply practically disappear
ed. Sumter. at the time OF the es-
yabIisflmeat of the water works,
and for years prior TO the building
OF oae sewer. system asd instaila-
ton of modern surface, sanitary
.oiset system In those sections of
the city not accommodated by the
sewerage system. was working at
that time with and under the ''Old
Home Town sanitary regulations
ssaen asxin many theories of the
Hl school OF sanitation have been
found TO be wrong and laboratory
Investigations and bacterial dis
xcyeries and other methods of hu-
nssn Ingenuity. have freed us of
many old sinle ineonveniences, Gus
toms and restrictions found to be
erroneous and unnecessary for
preservation OF human health and
fife We now leave largely to ex-
pert trained. scientific minds and
officials many problems that indi-
ysdHals felt in the good old days
they knew all about and what to
30 without any advice or legal reg
xsasions TO a large extent.
For years it was unlawful ee-
s<,.,-x.<s,, Tn, "a, ef opfl Gc4of,cr 90, n,
make any excavations or expose up
tGrned earth as. we believed then
ahats typhoid. malaria. and yellow
Eerer germs We're thrown up, in
ke2ed and that an epidemic Of
either Or all three of these iifec-
fieus diseases would follow. Where
IS shat.iaw today? Now we know
eAaa the only known method Of dis
ssminatipg uaaIarial or yellow fe-
1ar is through the intermediate
host. the female of the variety Of
anopheles or stesomia mosquito,
ard that we have TO eat or drink
4fae typhoid germs to contract ty-
paoid fever, and we know that man
is the only animal that has or
transmits typhoid. fever. and t}la.
hogs, cattle, chickens, carnival
people and county fair officials are
as safe as the ordinary animal or
citizens in so far as being car
riers or disease Of infectious and
courageous character and design.
YosS do not have to contract any
disease from carnival people or
from County fair officials if you let
them @alone. The theory of soil
pollusfon has undergone many
changes. and had its chief grounds
for existence entirei;' in accord
anoeEt ith actual cep1itions-phy-
sieal conditions surrounding the
Maser works wells prior TO estab-
:::ishment of modern methods OF
disposal OF sewage.
Mayor L. D. Jennings, with the
approval of Councilman d. r. Nc
caiiuH, was the first to make the
suggestion that the water works
lanG.s be leased to the county fair
association, uader certain reserS3-
tons and of course under We'll
defined sanitary rules and resu!a-
tons and ander the supervision of
the Sanater BoarG of Health AID
our. Health officer.
Therefore the SurRter \County
Fair Association officials beg fur
tifer use OF your columns TO ex-
paain to- the public their position