The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1922-07-01
CAMP SANITATION


The camping season is here anC
without doubt great many Chicago
people will avail themselves this sum
mer OF the opportunity to spend Z
short season living in the big out.
doors, or as it is frequently called
camping out"
As a matter of fact, Chicago's col
ony of campers is increasing every
year. 1t is now quite the thing for
the boy scout organizations, not for
getting either the girls camping clubs,
to go camping and spend anywhere
from one to four weeks living the
open life.
Now all this is very fine from the
standpoint of both health and recrea-
ton, provided the sanitary conditions
in and about the camping place are
such as to make it safe rather than
dangerous. The trouble is that per-
haps the majority of people who 60
camping have had little or no expert
ence in this sort of life and also are
not acquainted with even the funda-
mentals of camp sanitation. Such
people, however, do have very pleasant
snticipations as to the joys of outdoor
living. This is perhaps due to the
fact that the average person has in
stinctively, especially at this season
of the year, an urgent call to return
to the primitive life; and almost any
shady nook or dell that looks entic-
ing would be good enough for him,
or in fact a splendid place to pitch
tent.
There are, however, some very i'm
portant matters that should be looked
into before deciding upon a camping
place. First, the lay of the land.
Always, if possible, pitch the tent on
slope with the front open to the
South. Don't forget that cloudy
days will come and the rain will fall
IN torrents; and for this reason your
camping place should be so selected
that water cannot collect, but freely
and rapidly will be carried away by
gravity flow. Il
Another very important matter is
the disposal of camp wastes of every
kind. Out in the big woods there
are no sewers or daily or even tri-
weekly collections of garbage and no
toilets or bathrooms. Your bathing
place will probably be the nearby run
ming stream or the nearest body of
water. For toilets the dry earth sys-
tenn is admirable. Full instructions
for the construction of this system
Of night soil disposal can be obtained
most anywhere. but more especially
from the U. S. Department of Agri- I
culture.
Scavenger service as to the disposal
Of camp wastes is easily accomplished
by burying. A trench of consider
lble size may be dug and each days
deposited and covered n
With fresh earth, deep enough to alb il
orb all pdors and prevent attracting h
lies. OF course, the place selected b
or this disposal of the garbage should II
'e remote from the camp. For your c
'wn health and comfort You win find II
/ worth all the trouble this may e
ause. Where. the camps are per- d
lanently maintained, of course, san f
AIRY accommodations of a more per- f
lament character can be provided and Of
be expense met BY each set of oecu- S
ants paying their pro rata share of re
ost and maintenance. II
The drinking water supply is Of Of
rime importance This should be VI
elected only from an approved souree pa
ID, if the camp is located near hi
lough to municipal supply to be ";
ped IN for camp use. there should br
at least one tap for every three