Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1879)
226 THE WEST SHORE. August, 1879 WATER AND DISKASK. BY W. L WAfir, . n. -MttM. It - not He. 1 .-.11 in our considera tion of this subject, to go Into a minute treaties on the ultimate composition of water, hut enough to Kay that it is 11 simple compound of Oxygen iintl Hy drogen, mid the most perfect solvent in existence. We can gain some idea of the Importance ol water, by remember Ing that it forms n large portion of .ill num. id, Vegetable and mineral bodies not less than 85 pt'r cent, of the human I'od is water, and further, that no vital change whatever can occur without its presence. Deprived Of it, all forms of OrgtfnlC M would disappear. The growth of one plant, or animal, is a type of the growth of all. It takes place by the circulation through appro priate vessels of a iluiil containing nu- tricious matters. In the course of its circuit, it deposits its solid substances, the water is then thrown oil' ax waste. This lakes place in all organised be ings, day afler day. The amount of watei used by dill'trcnt plants, and ani mals of course varies widely, changing w ith sie, season and activity. The average daily amount required Ibi human beings is five pounds. This amount, t,, nearly a ton annually. This wntci circulating in the blood comes in contact with every tissue in the body. It enters, and may become a part of the be.ut, brain or lungs. If the water Contain impuiities, will they remain in the system -; The teaching of all med ual cxK-iience affirms that nothing is more Certain than that disease follow s the ON Of water contaminated by de caying 01 ganic mallei. NuiuUrless Instance! an record where the occu pant of entile wards in hospitals, or -mum of some city, deriving their wa tei tiom the same source, have been BBjddenij prostrated with some form of texei 01 dysentery, The occurrence secniin mm mysterkxa until loms in telligent physician traced the matter to the fountain head, and pointed out the souurol 'contamination, n ficpiently a waui 1 meet, 'i vcssho in , log, proshnkj 1,, ihe rat supply, .,,,,1 whuh the most ordinary dictates of 1 le.mlines oui'ht to haw 1. . ....... I sources of decomposing organic matter. The puritv of the water depends largely on the character of the soil throuarh which it passes. Qravel is doubtless, the worst medium front which lo obtain water. The readiness with which it permit! the passage of fluids, is such that practically it offers no hindrance to the poisonous matters which are carried downward in various was. It is astonishing with what rapidity offensive matters will pass through gravel, and reach the water in a well. A Chinaman emptied some suds about ten feet from a weli, in this place, three days afterward the water became so ollensive that it could not be used for any purpose. How could wa ter remain pure in such a soil ? There is another fact in this connec tion, which is very important. It is this, clay soils have the power of disinfect ing iind deodorising decaying organic matter, il present in only moderate pianlity. 1 his power is not possessed by gravel, I have made qualitative analysis of water from several wells here, and believe much of it is unlit for drinking. All the water examined con tained Chloride of Sodium, which is re garded as a test of the presence of sew erage. This is further confirmed by the test with Permanganate of Potash. Water is tinted with a solution of the salt and left to stand for one or two days, if it loses color, it contains organic matter. OVERLAND TO CALIFORNIA IN 1851. BY s. A. CLASKB, lu the spring of 1851. the news came io Portland (hat rich mines had been slunk in the vicinity of Mount Shasta, in northern California. The accounts were " gilt-edged," and so attractive that many of the old Oregonians, who had got over the gold fbrer of 'an, packed their provision and tools and started for the new gold fields. M vself and others, of Portland, rigged out ox teams and put them in motion. 1 had come around by way of the Isthmus, ana lacked the wild experience and ad W'lltlllc o I 11 ol those who ,1. ......I .1... "" mm plains, and this trip overland through thaan : K drink Ironv a cup ued by other-, will, wii.Y--.iS f'inptinction.diink from w.lk mote to round out an edaouata b n, Ho,,, ,,c love of lucre, which idea si; te:;:;;; me to the extent both prudent and ad- visable. The wagons were loaded with all sorts of plunder, and on the tenth day of Ma y we crossed the river and camped at Milwaukic; thence we went slowly marching on towards Oregon City, our beasts bloating on the wiy from too copious a feed of chopped wheat that came near ending the jour ney right there. Day after day we pushed on through the valley, crossing the Waldo hills in ignorance of the vi cinity of Salem; and after we had reached the prairies of Linn county, our way was through grassy prairies and over swelling plains in Lane county, with very faint traces of civilization here or there. Where they had largest herds they had no milk, and were in blissful ignorance of butter. The aver age Missouri an of that day possessed the country, at intervals, and Hour, ba con and codec, whiskey and tobacco were the chief staples of existence. For three days in succession, we in quired the way and the distance to the Calapooia mountains with doubtful suc cess. 1 hey either did not know or else could not tell the truth, those pio neers that were at that early day camped along the ragged edge of civilization, and it was amusing to learn that it wm fifteen miles to the mountains when we shook the whip-lash over Tom and Jerry in the morning and to be informed that it was twenty when we laid down it night ; but that was about the wy it worked. Finally, we crossed the Calipooias and were in the yet wilder regions of the UmiMiua, regions where the ro mance of hill and dale, and stream and fountain were displayed in greater con trast than in the lands of the Will amette, where since then have been de- eloped the most favorable sheep walks four state. Cant Scott and the AppleL-ates were the pioneers of the Utnpqua and hail it all to themselves. The unusual travel had roused up the wilderness with to kens of unaccustomed life, but the ' ley of the Yoncalla then lay untram- led by fences, and ignorant of clloW ields of grain. At the other end "f tl alley, at the mouth of the dreaded can- yon, we found Joe Knott waiting " wayfarers ; and that was the outer- most ,,s of Oregon civilisation,