Medford mail tribune., March 31, 1963, Image 11

Features
Sports
MedfordITribune
SECTION B
MEDFOHD, OHEGON. SUNDAY. MARCH 31, 1903 PAGES 1 to 8
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' G. E. Runyan, sanitarian with the Jackson county health department, prepares to
.take a sample of well water at a Rogue Valley home. First he used a small torch to
sterilize the mouth of the faucet and eliminate any possibility of contamination of
otherwise pure water at that point. Then he fills the small bottle (on ground) with
water. The sample is then sent to Portland for analysis.
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) Dr. A. Erin Merkel, Jackson county health officer, looks over apparatus used by the
health department to determine the presence of detergents in water. Keeping de
tergents from polluting otherwise pure water is becoming quite a problem nationwide. .
In the valley this apparatus is often used to determine if sewage leaks are polluting
water supplies, Dr. Merkel explained, because if a trace of detergents is found in
water, there is an excellent chance that sewage has gotten into the water.
By CLEVE TWITCHELL
Mail Tiibuna Staff Writer
In this modern age of hot and cold running water In
every home, one might find it an unusual sight to see
someone filling jugs from a city drinking fountain to
take home.
But in spite of and to a degree, because of the
modern civilization, a small but growing number of
southern Oregonians are finding it necessary to carry
in their drinking water, not because they have no water
pipes, but because their wells are polluted.
No one has figures on how many wells In Jackson
county are polluted. For that matter, no one knows how
many wells there are in the county. But the sanitarians
at the Jackson county health department, who go out
and take water samples, do know that quite a number
of wells in the county have a higher bacteria count than
is considered acceptable in safe drinking water.
Not Confined to Area
The increase of water pollution is not a problem
confined to Jackson county or southern Oregon, how
ever. It is a national problem, and one that is a good
deal more serious in some other parts of the country
than it is here. But the problem is a growing one here,
.health department officials feel, one that needs constant'
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Pollution of wells is being caused in Jackson county
by three conditions, explained Dr. A. Erin Merkel, coun- '
ty health officer: -
1. Heavy rains or snow meltoff directly polluting
water supplies by flooding in from the tops of wells.
2. Too many houses with wells and septic tanks
being built to close together.
Increase in Water Usage '
: : 3. The increase in water usage, brought on by the
Increase in population, causing the water level to drop
too fast, with the result of polluted surface water rush
ing in to fill the vacuum, ; . .
' In order to reach relatively pure water, a well has
to penetrate an impervious layer in the ground, ex
plained G. E. Runyan, one of the health department's,
sanitarians. Then the casing should be sealed so that
no surface water can seep in. The depth at which an ,
impervious layer is reached varies from place to place.
One may reach it at 40 feet, or may have to drill down
300 feet. But if a drilled well penetrates that layer and
the casing is properly sealed, the well will most likely
produce good water.
Drilling of wells is now regulated by law in Oregon,
but prior to the 1961 legislature, it was not. All one
had to do before that legislative session was to go out
and dig a hole, Runyan explained. "As a result, we
still have many 60-80 years old dug wells in the county,
few of which have the proper casing to keep surface
water from seeping in," he said.
Keep On Drinking Water
Some of the people who have polluted wells keep
on drinking the water anyway, because they figure if it
didn't make grandfather sick, it won't make them sick
either. Others boil their water, while still others use
the well water only for bathing and washing and bring
i home safe water from nearby municipal systems or from
' ' neighbors who have deeper wells to use for drinking
There are undoubtcly a number of Jackson county
residents who are now drinking polluted water and
v; don't know it. Anyone -who is n, doubt about the con
4 dition of their water raay have It-tested by the health
department, it was' pointed., out There if no charge for
' this service. ' '"
Polluted water- won't necessarily make a person sick
but it could, say health authorities. .
Judged To Be Polluted r .
When water is judged to be polluted, what is meant
is that it shows the presence of bacteria from the in
' tcstinal tracts of warm blooded animals. The tests that
are made on water samples do not distinguish between
Water Pollution:
A Growing Problem
bacteria from the intestinal tracts of animals and human
beings, however.
"We work on the assumption that some of the bac
teria might be of human origin," Runyan explained, "and
if there are some of human origin, then it's possible
some of them may be harmful."
Harmless bacteria occur in far greater numbers than
harmful bacteria, he said, but they make the assump
tion that where there is smoke there may also be some
fire. In other words, one may not suffer any immediate
effects from drinking so-called polluted water, but on
the other hand there may be some longe range effects.
Far Reaching Effect '
: People who live in one place for a lengthy period of
time tend to build up immunity to their surroundings.
But if just one person carrying harmful bacteria moves
into the area,, it can have a far reaching effect, he added.
Another problem with wells, Runyan explained, lies
in the fact that (he process of seepage through layers of
earth, which does remove bacteria, appears to be in- .
effective in removing detergents and certain viruses
. from water. Health authorities suspect thaj the national
increase in cases of hepatitus may be due to transmis
sion through water supplies. '-
Replacing wells with community water systems
where possible is the only long-range answer to well
water pollution, Runyan feels.- But until that day comes,
there are various temporary solutions to water pollution
problems. i.
The first thing to do is try to determine the source
of pollution. If it's polluted because the well is shallow
and Is drawing only surface water, then drilling a deeper
one can be the answer. ' : -. ... , -,:
Casing May Be Cracked ', ' ' '
If the well is already deep (in most cases that would
be 50 feet or more) then the casing may have cracked.
In such a case, Runyan said, the casing should be re
paired and the well chlorinated thoroughly.
If a new well is drilled and initial tests show it to
be polluted, .the problem may merely be that the ma
terials used were exposed to rats or other small animals
while in storage. Thorough chlorinatlon of the well
should solve this problem. Persons can chlorinate their
own wells with oridinary household bleach. A sheet of
instructions can be obtained irom the health department.
Automatic chlorinators can be attached to well sys
tems if a single chlorination treatment fails to clear up
pollution. ' , ,
If a person is stuck with a shallow polluted well
that is drawing surface water, one way to make drink
ing water safe is to add two drops of bleach to a gallon
of water (or four drops of ordinary iodine), shake it
up and lpt it sit for 20 minutes, Runyan added.
Water can be purified by boiling it for 20 minutes
or more, and water that has been sitting in a hot water
tank tor several hours is relatively safe. The tempera
ture which, most hot water heaters maintain is similar
to the temperature at which milk Is pasturized.
It is not uncommon to see a scene like the above around the Rogue valley as resi
dents with polluted wells go about finding alternate sources of drinking water. Hera
the resident of property with a shallow polluted well fills a jug with water from a
neighbor's tap, where the well is deeper Mid the water still "safe." ,
'Mew' Highway to Coast Provides Travel Through Historical Area
Bv GENEVIEVE BRIGGS
Mail Tribune Correspondent
! With the opening of the
Randolph Collier tunnel
through Oregon mountain
i an event scheduled for
late spring or early summer
a new way of life and
destiny for the economy of
southern Oregon will be
born.
i For those engaged in
agriculture, lumber and
mining, the dreamed of
day of cheap transportation
to the sea will have ar
rived, although the impact
of opening markets is still
to be felt.
) The "new" highway,
snaking Its way from Salt
Lake City across deserts,
through high passes, down
through valley by babbling
brooks and roaring rivers,
"and down to the valley of
the Rogue, the inland em
pire, will open its doors to
progress.
One wonders if the people
of Oregon remember the
history and romance that
has built this highway?
; There is an old saying
that there is nothing new
under the sun. The Winnc
mucca to the Sea highway
tends to prove it. The
Indians used the pass from
Lakeview long before the
white man came. In fact,
the people who first used
this route have long since
been forgotten by the
Indians.
i Then came the Hudson
Bay trapper and John C.
Freemont's military raids,
then covered wagons, some
turning north to the Wil
lamette valley, some turn
ing south through Cedar
villc and over Fandango
pass.
Then with the advent of
the railroad, the road from
east to west quietly closed
its doors, stifling the prog
ress and economy of the in
land empire.
The road from Medford to
Crescent City, through the
Applegate area, provides
an Interesting trip. Follow
ing Highway 238, the mo
torist goes through Jack-
1 sonvillc, rich in history and
romance, and once one of
the wealthy cities of Ore
gon; to Ruch and the turn
off to the Little Applegate
area, and to Provolt with
'its fields and cattle, and
Murphy.
. Along what is called Fish
Hatchery rd. there was
once a ferry across the
Applegate. An old fireplace
built by the Chinese is
visible in the area.
Wildcrville has a fasci- .
nating history, and was
once a flourishing town
when Hana Jones com
menced to reign. Wilder
ville had a postoffice, stage
barn, blacksmith shop and
a hotel. It was for the town
smithy that the town takes
it name, Jo Wilder.
In early days, Wilder
ville was the hub of the
crossroads from Jackson
ville to Galice and from
Crescent City to Jackson
ville. The Impact of the lack of
transportation can be re
alized by the fact that at
one time all food, furniture,
clothing, and farm equip
ment was brought to north
ern California to Yreka,
then over the Siskiyous to
Jacksonville. When gold
was discovered in Sailors
Diggings, a pack trail was
built sometime in the
1850 s known as the Cold
Springs Mountain trail.
Sailors Diggings since has
become Waldo.
Follows Stage Road
Much of the present Red
wood highway follows the
old stage road and the old
pack trail. At the foot of
Hayes hill, the Redwood
highway divides into four
roads. One winds up Hayes
hill and in the spring it is
covered with white dog
wood growing in profusion.
Between the old Red
wood highway and the pres
ent highway is the old
stage road with its ruts
worn deep, and close be
side the stage road ia the
old pack trail, where a
monument stands dedicated
to Alvist Wright, who was
killed by Indians there, ac
cording to Shube Robin
son's notes.
The monument was built
at the request of Mrs. Mat
tcy Jess Mills, daughter of
Alexander Jass, with stones
taken from the old Con
Fenner place, now the
Whitewater ranch. The
monument is close to the
old stage road, where ruts '
can still be seen. ,
Anderson's Station
A short distance up Hayes
hill an old sign reads
"Anderson's Stage Station.".
in is is old fort Hayes,
built -many years before
the Anderson family lived
there, where many Indian
battles took place
The burning of Fort
Hayes in 1951 marked the
end of a landmark. ,
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As the Redwood highway approaches Hayes Hill and
splits into four roads, one of them goes to this monument,
which was erected In memory of Alvist Wright, who was
scalped and murdered by Indians at this point, according to
stories about the incident.
Kerby;, or Kcrbyville as -it
was known, was once the
Josephine county seat. The .
! museum was the home of
the Thrasher family and
has been restored, down to ,
the pins in the pin cushions
by the county historical so-'
ciety. Here, too, was one of
the old stage stations.
In Kerby, Cave Junction
and Holland and Waldo, .
which are off the Redwood
highway at Cave Junction;
are many interesting sights
and historical locations.
The old mines are Waldo,
or Sailors Diggings, were .
once counted among . the .
richest in the state .
Mineral. In Country .
This is country in which "
Is found chromitc," rtlckel,
mercury, uranium, sliver,
asbestos, copper, the Knob
cone pine, Alpine wildflow
ers, and a species of tree
found no where else in the
United States. 3 '
In this area also Is the
Illinois river with its swim
ming and other recreational
opportunities. ,
The Randolph Collier
tunnel through Oregon
Mountain is just over the
state line in California, and
the motorist continues
through - Patrick's Creek,
Gasquet, location of an old
stage station, and on to
Crescent City.
Crescent City was laid
out in 1853 and became
one of the ports on the west
coast after gold was found
in Sailors Diggings. The
first trail Inland over Cold
Springs Mountain was tra
veled In 1853, and by 1854
it was called crowded.
Through the Infant port
of Crescent City came the
merchandise to go inland to
Sailors Diggings and Jack
sonville. In 1950 large
amounts of money was
spent by the federal gov
ernment to expand the
breakwater, resulting in
Increased amounts of
shipping.
Southern Oregoni
ans hope that Crescent City
will again become one of
the coast's . outstanding
harbors.
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There have been four different routes over Hayes Hill, between Wildervllle and Set
ma, ranging from the old pack trail (upper left) to the present highway (lower right).
After the pack-trail came the old stage road (upper right). The third road to be built,'
now called the old Redwood Highway, may be seen at lower left,
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