Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1922-11-22
Consumers, However, Will Insist
that Necessary Changes be Made
to Prevent Recurrence of Trouble

pollution and as long as this supply
maintains it's present condition, you
may consider the boiling order lifted
| and the water to be safe for all pur-
| poses.
| | have had considerable complaint
| from your consumers because the con-
| dition of the water was not made
| known to them through the medium
of the newspapers or by personal
notice, You will kindly give this let
ter publicity in your local papers.
Yours very truly,
w. j. Brennan, Director,
Division of Sanitary Engineering.
The last analysis of the Ellsworth
public water supply, as printed
above, from a sample taken Novem-
Der 2, shows the water at that time
to have been safe for drinking with
out boiling This is the outstanding
feature of the situation in regard to
the condition of the water supply in
Ellsworth This is in accordance
with the telephoned information
from Augusta as announced in The
American last week.
There have been other develop
ments, though, in the water agita-
ton. The people of Ellsworth are
pretty thoroughly aroused, not
so much because of the condition of
the water itself, but because of the
negligence of the water company in
not reporting it, and because facts
learned show that recurrence of the
contamination of the water is not
only possible, but probable. They
will not be satisfied now until those
conditions are permanently removed.
The matter is being approached
from several different angles, ana
powerful influences are at work TO
bring the desired result. The State
board of health has taken cognizance
of the matter at the solicitation OF
Judge Harry l.. Crabtree, and DR.. c.
F. Kendall, commissioner and head
of the board, was in Ellsworth Mon
day, making a personal investigation
of conditions. Mayor Foster is also
active. working directly upon the
water company officials, and he
promises immediate results. Mr..
Leach, local superintendent of the
water company, says the company
an engineer here looking over the
plant with view to correction of the
difficulty, but no official statement
to that effect has been received from
the company. Dr. Woodruff, local
health officer is still i'll. and unable
to do anything in the matter.
In connection with DR.. Kendalls
visit. it developed that there is
question of authority as between the
State health officials and the public
utilities commission in the handling
of the matter In this connection,
Judge Peters has appealed to Gov
ernor Baxter Thus it may be seen
that pressure is being brought to
bear all the way from top to bottom
and definite action should be as
sured. Judge Peters letter to the
governor follows:
JUDGE PETERS LETTER.
Ellsworth Me-, Nov. 81, 1922.
Hon. Percival p. Baxter,
Augusta, Maine.
Daar c.overnor:-I am moved to
write you about serious silua''o"
affecting the public health ana even
the lives of the citizens OF THIS Guy
which it seems to me, Snouiu po Wv
subject of more definite action by one
or more of your departments, and
think possibly you may be the only
one who can straighten 1T out at TINS
iuncture.
For some months now, and l fear
longer than that, on account OF de-
feet in the apparatus OF the water
company. apparently well known to
it's local agents, the impure water OF
the river has been allowed to enter
the source of supply of the water sys-
TEN and contaminate it with mix
ture containing colon bacilli OF course
that means typhoid fever. and there
has been all this summer an unusual
amount of sickness here.
On complaint being made to the
state board of health, DIR: Kendall ar
rived very promptly and investigated
the matter, and found the condition
] refer to. The agent of the water
company admitted to him, l am told.
that the condition ! speak of was
known to the agent all this time.
am not, however, for the moment,
concerned with the attitude of the