CONVICT LABOR FOR ROAD WORK. 75 
persons are absolutely thoughtless in regard to the water which they 
drink, and an inferior water, if a little more convenient, will be used 
readily. Though no instances of this kind were reported at this partic- 
ular camp, examples were not lacking in other places. At one camp 
a " trusty" convict working on the road drank water from a railroad 
culvert in order to save himself the trouble of going to the regular 
supply. It is significant that he was the only man at the camp who 
contracted typhoid fever. At another camp where the men were 
working under the honor system and were not under constant obser- 
vation, several drank water from a river close at hand, although the 
camp supply was not far distant. Four contracted typhoid fever. 
The prisoners then were cautioned not to drink any water except 
that furnished for their use, and no more illness occurred. From 
the foregoing examples it is clear that danger may exist wherever a 
surface supply is at hand. To sanction the use of such a supply for 
any purpose whatever serves to increase the danger. 
Whenever the use of such a supply is absolutely necessary, water 
used for all purposes should be purified, and the danger of using 
the unpurified water should be thoroughly drilled into the minds of 
the convicts. Harmful organisms are killed by boiling, but it is 
not certain that all the water used in the preparation of food will 
reach the boiling point, and much of the water used in washing dishes 
and clothing never boils. A method by which the danger may be 
overcome more certainly consists of the addition to the water of 
bleaching powder, otherwise known as " chloride of lime," " chlorin- 
ated lime," and " hypochlorite." In the quantities in which it is 
generally used for the purification of water for drinking purposes it 
is harmless in its effect upon the human body, and its taste is almost 
imperceptible. In cases where it is desirable to discourage the use of 
the water for drinking, the bleaching powder may be used in sufficient 
quantities to produce a disagreeable taste 
The United States Public Health Service issues the following direc- 
tions for the use of bleaching powder in the purification of water for 
drinking purposes : x 
Prepare a solution of bleaching powder (chloride of lime) by dissolving one tea- 
spoonful of the fresh substance in one quart of water. This should be placed in a 
tightly stoppered bottle (preferably of dark glass) and kept from the light. To disin- 
fect water, add one teaspoonful of this solution for each two gallons of water. Stir 
the water thoroughly and allow it to stand for fifteen minutes. At the end of that 
time the disinfectant will have killed the disease germs and the water may be drunk 
with a fair degree of safety. 
As bleaching powder loses its strength very rapidly when exposed 
to the air, great care must be taken to keep it covered tightly in air- 
tight containers. 
i Public Health Bulletin No. 70, U. S. Public Health Service. 
