628 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tigation had shown that the feeding-springs from which the water sup- 

 ply was drawn were contaminated hy soakage from hog-pens and other 

 animal refuse which had been allowed to percolate the soil unchecked. 



The careless drinking of water so poisoned was the cause of an out- 

 break of typhoid fever during the past season at Seabright, a village 

 adjacent to Long Branch, and supplied with water from the same 

 source. Red Bank and Atlantic City were simultaneously afflicted 

 with zymotic and malarial fevers through a similar cause ; while 

 Newport, heretofore considered a healthy sea-side resort, had a case 

 of Asiatic cholera, and diarrhoea was almost epidemic. These condi- 

 tions resulted from imj^erfect sewer-traps, by which almost every well 

 and cellar in Newport was contaminated, unclean streets, filthy with 

 the dirt of numerous horses, and sewers in a state the worst that 

 could possibly be imagined. 



From such causes as these an unusual amount of sickness prevailed 

 during the past season along the whole line of the Atlantic sea-coast. 



In these sporadic cases Nature sounded that key-note of warning 

 with which she always precedes an epidemic. If unheeded, another 

 season may witness the usual calamitous results that have invariably 

 occurred before man has been taught that saddest and most difficult 

 of hygienic lessons how to protect life from filth-diseases. 



This problem has been solved in great measure for the hamlet by 

 almost all large cities. Wherever men have congregated in great 

 numbers, plagues have occurred until they have learned to be careful 

 of the disposition of their sewage. Memphis, which is one of the 

 latest instances, after being terribly scourged by yellow fever in 1878, 

 and again in 1879, took the precaution to immediately institute sani- 

 tary reforms, which have been followed by the best practical results. 

 The leading features in these improvements were : the cleansing of the 

 city of all objectionable accumulations, the abolition of all privy-vaults, 

 cess-pools, and improperly constructed underground and surface drains, 

 and the substitution of a complete system of sewers and subsoil drainage- 

 pipes. The water-supply was improved, and the streets properly paved. 



What has been accomplished by these measures for the proper sani- 

 tation of Memphis and other business centers is what remains to be 

 done for the health and comfort of sea-side towns and villages along 

 the Atlantic coast. 



ICEBERGS AND FOG IN THE NORTE ATLANTIC. 



By Captain J. W. SHACKFOED. 



DURING the season of 1882 the ice and fog in the track of steam- 

 ers running between Europe and North America appear to have 

 attracted much more attention than heretofore, not only in consequence 

 of the unusual quantities of field-ice and bergs reported, but also be- 



