, 1862-03-13
Annual Report AfkA6 Beard af F1ks1e

u INC INST year OF Ehe1f S176Jences II 1B ooc-
ument Of much. interest, aside from the local
interest and importance OF the topics dis
cuseed. The Board wsa Organized in Nay,
1861. By the terms Of the act Of organization,
this Board IL charged with the care Of the Wa-
ter Works, the Sewerage Works, the Public
Parks and other public places Of the city, the
Streets, the River and Hafbor, the Public
Buildings, the Bridges, the Lamps and Lights
for the lighting Of the public places aud
buildings Of the city, aad with the direction
Of all the public improvements hereafter to be
commenced BY the city. There have thus
been transferred to this Board the duties Of
the previous boards Of Water Commissioners,
the Sewerage Commissioners, the Street
Commissioners, the City Superintendent, and
Of the Special Commissioners for the making
of assessments.
The portion Of their report VIC have already
published refers more especially to the great
and vital question Of water, and from another
portion Of the report We abstract part Of q
further discussion Of the same subject, topic
it is safe to say that has been in the mouths of
all our city readers. The water the past win
ter has been execrably bad, md that to de-
gree not reached in previous years. The
nature and causes Of these evils are stated in
the report.
THE FISH EUIaASCE''
This has never been so annoying before Is
it has been this winter. In December the
came IN such quantities as to choke up the
only screen that Eas ehectuA In keeping them
out Of the pumping well, and In order to keep
the pumps from sucking air instead Of water,
f1Y1- 11,1A Ft>,
which, being in the grooves intended for q
stop gate, could not be cleaned without being
taken ont, aud the very act Of taking 1t out
necessarily let all the fish accumulated above
It pass through, 1t was hoped and believed,
Judging from the experience Of previous
IN shorter time than anything eHectual could
be done IN at the entrance Of the inlet pine.
AZ this point three Screens had been p1t in,
with conyenleoces for taking one out at q
time to be cleaned, while the others stopped
the passage OF fish and other substances. But
the bottoms Of these screens had been UNDER
m1ned, and the protection to the inlet sup
posed to be otherwise SO much injured by the
Ice, as to render any attempt at ehectual re-
PAIRS hopeless. But as the nuisance contin-
ued, and caused the hot water from boilers
connected with the works to be peculiarly
offensive, and sometimes causing even the
cold water to taste, to s2y nothing Of the
offensive sight Of so many dead aud mangled
fsh coming from the taps in nearly every part
Of the city, IN attempt was made to close up
the openings under the screens by means Of
stones, gravel and canvas; first building q
shanty over the screens to shelter the 1aborers
Men were then set to watch the screens at the
inlet night and day, and the screen that had
been taken up near the engine house Was
put IN its Place again. This appeared
At The time to be effectual, as the screen near
the engine house did not become foul. In
about three days after the work was done, the
fish ceased to trouble us at the inlet. The
pipes all over the city were flushed out by
means OF the fire hydrants, and the reservoirs
thoroughly cleansed- The cold water i1nme-
diate1y became free from ofIensiveness to sight,
smell Or taste, and the boilers gradually lost
t their disagrecab1c odor. After We had began
| to congratulate ourselves upon the purity o1
| tie water, and that the fish would not trouble
| us again this season, they re-appeared sudden
Il, through undiscovered openings, in great
ulultitudes, and made it necessary to take out
| the screen near the engine house. This was
ycrJ early on the morning of the 7sh inst
After being c1easCd the screen was put back,
but becoming foul again in the afternoon, ii
WAS broken In the attempt to take it out. By
keeping the men day and night at the inlet q
great many fish were caught, and repetition
Of the nuisance on anything like the former
scale was prevented
The fish are, however, to be charged witt
no more than. belongs to them, aud their por-
portion will be readily assigned by the eye
and taste. The discharge of the waters Of the
river into the lake, carrying with them thei1
I immense volume Of impurities, has produced
| the well-known effect upon its taste and smell
so that it could be distinctly perceived all
along the shore from considerable distance
south Of the river, to the cemetery on the
| nortt. The taste thus given to the waite,
supplied to the city is much more offensive
than that caused by the fish.
THE CONDITION OF THE CHICAGO RIVER,
The discharge Of the sewers into the river,
| viii at once be pointed at as the great cause,
! ard the late Board Of Sewerage Commissioner
! IN the plan which they adopted, with the con.
currcnce Of the City Council, TOOK the ground
that the time would come when the discharge
! Of all the sewerage Of the city into the riycr
| would make it offensive, and provided plan
| 1or correcting the evil; that Of 4 constant
Infusion Of fresh lake water into the river by
! means Of steam.
I But while the sewers have undoubtedly had
! their share-and very Important one too-iu
coFrup11nE tho river, another cause. which did
not in 1885, il it does now, legally exist, has
tended most powerfully. to produce the pres
CIT state OF things; and that is the wholesale
discharge Of blood and Other refuse from tht
slaughter houses in and around the city, be
sizes distilleries, glue factories, establish
ancnts for rendering oGal, DC
1t may Seem to some idle to attempt to sep
a1ate the Effect Of the packing houses, &c
| from that Of the sewer, but the following wel
known facts will make it clear that the effect
of the former can be distinctly traced Las'
sPrlng the river became quite offensive
In smell, and committee WAS appointed b,
the City Council to confer with the officers O
the canal IN relation to changing the water il
the river By pumping at Bridgeport. It St
happened that before any arrangement Wal
made it become necessary TO pump to suppl,
the wants Of the canal ITSELF a11d nothin:
more was done by the city. During the whol'
summer and the carly part Of autumn, th'
river, though receiving its full amount o
| sewerage, did not become go offensive at an,
time rs to tie caIsc Of complaint. VerI
soen, however: after the packing season CON
Meneed, most Giear1eeabfe odor vas oh
served near The Old street Bridge or the Soutt
branch, which is dbors the outlet Of anv cx
lst1ng sewer. This peculiar odor could b.
uaccd afterwards, as it moved down stream
till it reached The riger.
another reason eau he given for the eSces
| s1Fely offensive state Of the river this winter
as compared with wha1 it was last summer. i
Is well known that wafer will become purified
1rom Offensive organic matter by simply let
ting II stand in contact with the air i suIH
0ently long time: hence the more rapidly i
can &c nroGsht Into contact with the air, th,
more rapidly It becomes purified. Nov, du
ring Inc SUMMER the snrf4ce Of the river VII.
TOT only uncovtI red, but frequently agitated b,
The passage Of tugs and other yessels, which
tended powerfully to purify it. But durins
Much OF the winter the eurfuce Of the rive
has been covered with ice, and consequently,
sne AT pas been almost entire!y excluded from
II; L has been like bottle with two mouths
which, originally filed with counparatIyel,
pure watcE, but receiving only continual &C
ccsaons OF hlfh into one mouth, soon cease
TO discharge angfhing hut filth from the other