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,