The Hidden Plague of Tacoma
As cases of typhoid fever surge, the local press questions the safety of the city's aging water infrastructure.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Rumors have been prevalent in Tacoma that typhoid fever is spreading over the city. For lack of definite information, some people have been inclined to give credence to exaggerated statements of the number of new cases of typhoid, while on the other hand a feeling of unrest is noticed. The Tacoma Times does not believe in unduly alarming people, neither does it believe that it is right to suppress the truth about a matter of public concern. It would be poor policy for the people of this city to ignore any threatened increase of typhoid for fear of temporarily hurting the reputation of the town. Honesty pays municipalities as well as individuals. Typhoid fever is prevalent in Tacoma. The cause has not yet been definitely ascertained by the doctors; surface indications certainly point to a pollution of the city's water supply. During the month of January, about seventy cases of typhoid were treated in Tacoma, none of which originated here, but were brought in from logging camps and other places. The fact that Tacoma a few years ago paid three prices for an old, second-hand water system has always since been a sore point with the taxpayers. These same taxpayers will feel none the better to know that this second-hand water plant is now suspected of carrying poison from contaminated points bordering on its source of supply.
“It would be poor policy for the people of this city to ignore any threatened increase of typhoid, or other disease, for fear of temporarily hurting the reputation of the town.”
Public health transparency versus municipal boosterism remains a central tension in Tacoma. Just as the 1904 Times investigated the safety of the city's water system, modern residents continue to scrutinize the infrastructure and environmental health policies that protect our shared resources.
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