47 



The Protection of Our Rivers from Pollution. 



By Jay Craven. 



It has only been in the last few years that the two closely connected 

 problems — pure water supplies and sewage disposal — have been gaining 

 rapidly, increasing attention from sanitarians and others interested in thp 

 welfare of the public. Formerly but little attention was paid to the sani- 

 tary condition of our rivers. They were taken to be the natural and 

 intended channels for the disposition of sewage and manufacturing wastes. 

 Before our population was so concentrated, sewage disposal by dilution 

 was satisfactory from a i^hysical stand'xiint. but now the condition of 

 nuiiiy of our streams has become such that for a part of the year at least 

 the odors from them are (luite obnoxious and a nuisance to the cities and 

 to the iiopulation living along the banks, as well as a menace to their 

 health. Even though the large rivers may not be offensive, yet whei'e 

 these rivers have to be used for water supplies, diseases that may be car- 

 ried by water cimstitute an always present menace to the health of our 

 lieojih'. 



Like many other prolilems, the public is not amused until their atten- 

 tion has been attracted by severe measures. Epidemics, more terril)!e 

 because they were due to a preventable disease, have occurred in the last 

 few years, carrying with them a needless sacrifice of money, and more 

 important, of human life. Just to cite one case, let me give a few figures 

 from the typhoid epidemic at Erie, I'a., the population of which was 

 GS,O0O. From December 1. 1910, to May 10, 1911, 1.012 cases and 12.5 deaths 

 were reported to the health department. For com])arative purposes a 

 value of .$5,000 has frequently been placed on a man's value to the com- 

 munity. The loss til Erie at this figure was $625,000, not including the 

 expenses, such as loss of time, doctor bills, medicine, etc., of the remainder 

 of the 1,012 who recovered. 



Different States have taken up the problem and cnnsideral)le work has 

 been done in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and 

 Ohio. In our State a bill was passed in 1909 providing for the protection 

 of the streams from iiollution. Since that time, extensive surA^eys have 



