Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-04-25

become much more salt in time; but the
ratio between the quantity OF water ex'
is,ing in the ocean. is such that the
change must procccdNery slowly. 1t is
estimated that thirty-six cubic miles Of
water flow into the ocean every day, bu.
Il would take $4,000 years for all the
water in the ocean Ia make the round
once. to 90 hack to the land and bilng
its cargo of saline matter. Suppose that
each gallon of river water which comes
to tho ocean brings six grains of impurity
with IL. il would take thirty thousand
wears for il Ia bc Increased in the ratio of
six grains to the gallon. The probability
is that The solution OF saline matter took
place much more rapidly in former ages
than it does now. Ii is pretty nearly
washed out OF lis dust now and carried
to the ocean. Inland seas which receive
rivers of considerable size, and ats the
same time have no outlet. become much
more concentrated than sea water. owing
to the evaporation. We have saline
waters in which common salt prcdomi.
mates: some OF the most remarkable ol
which occur in New York. at Syracuse.
and in the Onondaga salt reservations we
have brine from which enormous quanti-
ties of salt arc manufactured. Nine million
bushels have BEEN manufactured in n
single year, the impurity consisting. IN
this ease. almost entirely ol salt.
pURIriCATIoN.
Where water is used foi washing, rs in
WOODEN mills. in dying etc, It is extreme
iy important that il should he compare.
lively pure Various methods have
been rcsorted TO for its publication.
THE speaker here exhibited filter.
whicli he said was now coming into use,
in which n sponge is made to do the
work For domestic purposes, the
water oi hllsiles is always best. Wells
are Objectionable as they serve to col
lect what seaks fiom the soil, and in
these waters nitric acid and decomposed
animal substances are almost always
found. II is found that the waters OF
arlesian wells contains no oxygen. To
make these waters useful they must he
brought into contact with the ail 9.
Rivers and lakes are preferable for city
supplies. As lo the characteristics of
yood waller, first, il should bc low tenn
peraturc. not over forty eight or fifty de-
prcua; it should bC free from taste, except
pclhnl,s, slight saline taste. aud slight
pungcncy from the presence ol carbonc
acid Transparency is not SO important,
4 water ma, be considerably cn'Orcd.
aud vet he tree from injurious gradients.
Ii is nol So much in the quantity rs in
the quality of the impUrity. Five or six
gIainS of lime nr magnesia in water rem
der, iruniit tpr cnoking. For ten and cot
lee. however. il i found Ia l,c IN adran-
ttg, Ia have small quantity "I lime IN
the water \ person ol delicate taste
can d,lr.l the presence oi lime salt, in
water when it cNi~ls IL the proportion ol
only Two griin> the gallon. Certain
waters in almost every region acquire
il s,crial reputation aS tea waters Old
inhabitants oi New Ymk remember the
lannon's tea pump. one ol which was
situated in Franklin street, where II boy
WAS kept pumping tea water Tor the
neigh1oring inhabitants.
ORGANIC IMPURITIES.
1t i, the animal organic matter in va.
ter which is Objectionable. not the vogc.
table In many cases living vegetables
are our great safeguards. Many lives
have beer saved by the action OF vcgc
tation destroying drcompOsing animal
substances Solknge from the ueighhor-
ing dwellings adds organic matter TO the
water, which has germs Of disease.
Analysis hardly detects it. Sudden out
breaks OF dyscntcry are produced By his
cause Before New York was supplied
with Croton water, it WAS visited by ep
idemics believed to he caused by delile.
menl OF the wells then in use Cholera,
although it does not originate from this
cause. is chiefly disseminated by impure
supplies of water. During times OF its
prevalence il has been noticed that where