Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-10-26
The CitJ Councn Tryips Water rs a Bev-



The committee appointed by the City
Council to analyze the water of all the rivers
in this vicinity, has reported; or if it has not
reported it has published report in one of
the city papers, which amounts to the same
thing with aslight difference in taste and pro-
priety. 1t reminds us of the report which
''Falstaff's' boy brought from the physician,
to whom be had sent specimen for a medi-
cal analysis;
''He said, sir, the water itself was a good
healthy water but for the party that owned
it. he might have more diseases than he
knew for"
The properties of the waters seeu much
like those we see in analyses of the valuable
springs, current from which is supposed to
he necessary to every ones internal polity'
in the summer The water all seems very
good water yet the persons that use it may
Lave more diseases than they wot of. As
these properties are regarded as highly med
icinal in mineral springs we suppose that
he larger the proportion of them the better
The Ohio River water seems to have least,
and in fact. seems unaccountably deficient
il solid properties, although yielding freely
of sediment The results Of the analyses by
different parties are stated in such various
terms that a comparison of them, to see how
they agree, would involve much labor, if it
could be made at all. This is probably well.
Now that the Council have got the analy-
sis the question is, what will they do with
4l,o
seems a very good water, yet they who use
it may have more diseases than they wot Of.
Probably the Council can tell the public
whether the salts make it "dilatory to
health, or beneficial. If beneficial, the Mad
River or one of the Mamis is the thing, as
these seem most gifted. If "dilatory," that
and the dilatoriness which the Council ap-
prehend from the steam-heating apparatus
in the City Buildings would be too much
for the Council, and that disposes of the
case; for existence would be miserable with
out the Council. We suppose that at their
first meeting the Council will "cast the
water Of the land" as Macbeth" anxiously
desired in his time, and report what diseases
lie hid in these infnitesimal portions of mag
nesia and lime, or whether they are Just
what are needed to give tone to the city
stomach.
Nobody knows what dangers environ us
until analysis has revealed them. Not long
ago a distinguished chemist discovered a
very deadly acid in Catawba wine. Prussic
acid abounds in peaches and grapes; and
bread, in the process of rising, evolves car
bonic acid gas, which, if rightly taken, is
fatal to life. An officious savant showed
Brahmin through a microscope drop of
water teeming with animal life. AS the
Braminic religion forbids animal food, the
Brshmin lamented, like Eve, the fatal
knowledge. But the savant poured some
rum in a tumbler of water, and showed him
the animalcule precipitated to the bottom.
Thenceforth rum became part of the Brah-
minis religion.
This reminds us to inquire what was the
fate Of the animalcule in this analysis
Night not their properties be materially
changed by it? Most any of us would ex-
perience slight modification if put through
such process; and we are only animalcul@,
little more developed This brings us also
to inquire what effect does the admixture
of some of those beverages which are COM
mon to our population, have on these
"salts ?" Really the investigation seems
quite incomplete, in spite of the haste of the
Superintendent of Water-works to rush into
print. We hardly think that the danger of
the Water-works was so imminent as he
thinks.
We presume the Council will tell the pub
lie precisely what effect these properties of
these various rivers will have on their in
ternal economy. Each may be adapted to
different constitutions and races. The Celt
may require magnesia and the Saxon lime,
to make the proper effervescence. We may
have to have all these rivers brought into
the city to suit all cases. In the mean time,
until the Council have spoken, the analysis
leaves the matter as the Council found it
''the water seems very good water, but they
that use it may have more diseases than they
wot Of" .... .....-.. .. ~.