True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-02-03
Public Poisoning.

several persons nave recently 0ieu ~
Norwich, Conn.,, it was feared, from lead
poison, taken into the system with the
water supplied from "Kenney's Aque.
duct" The Norwich Courier says the
worst fears are confirmed. A quantity Of
this water was lately sent to DR.. James
r. Chiffon, chemist, New-Y ok, for ana
lysis. He states lha, it contains lead in
solution, in the proportion, as near as he
can estimate, OF four grains Of lead TO one
gallon of water. The water thus tested
was drawn from the supply pipe which
has supplied for years the family Of Dea-
con Charles Lee, and there is no reason
to suppose it was any more strongly im-
pregnated than that used by every other
family supplied from the same equeduct.
The Courier says. "The aqueduct which
has thus been doing its work Of death.
has been in operation for many years;
probably no. less than 25-and how many
young and old, have gone. within that
period, 10 premature graves, no one can
tell. But busy memory, in The minds Of
those most familiar with the history Of
families residing on Church and Wash
ington streets, recalls cases after cases Of
death, the symptoms Of which point to the
poisoned water Of this aqueduct as the
cause. Among the living, too, the in
stances are, alas but too numerous and
sorrowful, Of weary, wasting desease.
dePriving of present enjoymen, and cloud
ing future prospects,"
Every ''now and then" we have sim
liar statements going the rounds Of the
papers, and they are too well.founded;
but none Of our larger communities seem
to heed the warning lead pipes ave laid
down wherever water is introduced into
houses. The fact that in London. or
somewhere else, some remain uncorroded,
is assumed as proof positive that all is right
though it is weltknown tha. whatever
occasional exceptions may occur from
peculiar conditions Of water. lead, as
general rule, does yield its poison to wa
ter. Boston asked her physicians, when
she introduced water into her habitations,
il lead would be safe; referring to foreign
cases, they said yes. II was hardly in
troduced when the State Assayer, an au-
thorilative practical chemist. declared in
the public prints, that. on repeated trials
Of water, taken from different houses, and
thoroughly tried, he found the deadly
poison in all but the Bostonians con.
iinue to drink away at their poisoned
jets. Pipes were pulled up at Lowell,
full Of corroded perforations. A, Wor-
cester. DR.. Woodward, Of the Insane
Hospital, was smi.len under the poison,
and the State Legislature provided for The
expulsion Of lead pipes from The building.
and the substitution Of iron. In this city
the wholesale process OF poisoning is 60.
ing on without apparent public concern,
The lead pipes. years ago, were turned
out Of some OF our city hospitals, because
the doctors found them eomplicating fa-
Tally the disease Of their patients. Hosts
Of our physicians, including Mr.. Mott,
and such men, have given written tesii-
mony against them, and kicked them out
Of their own houses. Sill. scarcely q
new house goes up without them--and
no public effort is made 70 enligien or re-
lieve the people respeciiag their destluc-
tive effects.
The effects Of lead poison are deplora-
BILE: but in most, instances, insidious and
slow. though sure. Almost every body
is more or less sick--almost every body
has some chronic ailment YET how Few
stop 10 enquire for The cause There Il
reason to believe that our great oiliss kla
paying terribly dear for the petty econ
, omy Of lead instead Of iron Of tin pipes.
! Chr. Atluoeate and Journal