SEPTIC TANKS AND TYPHOID FEVER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7733, 8 February 1905, Page 2

SEPTIC TANKS AND TYPHOID FEVER.

i (To the Editor.) J I Sill. —Some five or six weeks ago i I contracted typhoid, and although , it is impossible to sa.y whore one uctually does catch the demon mi- i 'crobe, 1 have not a shadow of a doubt myself, and I shall endeavour to show that my ignorance of the I mysteries of a sept ic tank was responsible ifor my misfortune. The !, house in which I live is drained into | a septic tank. Of the working of (tuch tilings I had no previous experience, and I found o?i enquiry that I very few people knew anything about them. I learned, however, that after feeing in action for some months . | the eflluent from the tank was jno£ an odourless, colourless liquid, and I was qui to satisfied. I must I not forget, however,;, tp sjiy, as this lis the main point, that at this time ithe effluent was carried away; by a email gutter in the earth down a somewhat steep decline some thirty jfeet into a swamp, the gutter being exposed to sun am! air. As, liowjever, the spring and summer advanc|ed 'the grass grew rapidly and owing to the constant trickle fron line tank, jihe whoUe tilling soon became densely covered with rank grass*. X had purposely let the grass grow long at the back of the section so that I could the more easily knock it down with the scythe. In tlue course of my mowing I came to the outlet to the tank and slashing the scythe into the rahk grass covering .it I was greeted with an odour the like of wh'ich I nover want to smell again. I was very much astoniehed and forthwith cleared the grass away ft'oin the outlet letting in sun and pir, but I caught typhoid, and I re(*nt it m/>re Idealise I have never IWfl i(l beforp and I had to be Caught ij} a trgp jo cpntract 'this jillness. Jly object, sir, in writing I, this letter is not to adveytisp mj |case, but if you think it is of sufficient public interest, by publishing it, i't may be a warning to those pos- j sessing septic tanks to look to the ] outlets being kept clean and perhaps , save some other ignoramus like me j from " failling in.Yours etc., , A WASTXEY. j