New-York tribune., 1871-01-21
THE WATER WE DRINK.
LECTURE by PROP. C. +. CHANDLER BEFORE TIE
AMERICAN INSTITUTE.

vercd last night at the Academy Of Music by Prof c.
f. Chandler Of Columbia College, on "Water." large
audience present The lecturer was introduced by
Judge G. r. DAILY who announced that the fifth lecture
would be delivered Friday evening next by j. T. Hill
gard-suect: "Tdcs and Tidal Currents, and their Ef-
fects upon IIarbors." Prof. Chandler said
LECTURE OF PROF. CHANDLER.
Water Is the sole product Of the combustion OF hydro
gen. The Hndoos and the Egyptians considered water
the element from which all bodies are formed. Among
the Greeks years before Christ the opinion was de-
Tended that water the first and fOntal element of all
matter. Aristotle regarded it of the four primal
elements, and this idea prevailed for more than
thousand years. and the four eements-re air. earth,
and water-were supposed to be material from which
all matter formed. IL was supposed however, That
these four elements To certain extent mutually
convertible, and there were certain facts which
made this appear very possible at that date.
converted water into steam which to the ancens
equivalent to air; and the frequent evaporation OF
from glass vessels seemed to convert the water
into earth; the four elements were mutually con
vcrtibe And this idea of the conversion Of water into
earth prevailed until about 177O just 100 years ago. when
Lavoisier, the French chemist applied the balance to
the solution of the problem II had, however. been
known that when water placed in retort and
ovaporated there remained behind small quantity
of earthy matter If the water was poured back
and distilled second time the quantity of earthly mat,
ter increased; the third timc and tins continued utii
the distation complete. Layoisier provided him
self with aembic which hermeticay sealed, and
into this he introduced three pounds OF wafer lie re-
peatcd the disaton for long time, and found that ut
| the end of the operation he had 20 drains OF
mineral water hat he found that the acnbic and the
water had the weight Is before. On opening the
apparatus he discovered that he bad not lost any OF inc
water hut the alenbic had lost the 20 drains. Schcle,
swedish Chemist anay2ed the earthly matter ieit ana
repeating the experiment of evapoiating water from
clearly proved that the earthly matter from the
| vessel aud not from the water.
The discovery of the composition Of water is one Of the
greatest triumphs OF induciivc genius The aphGati9h
the balance to the chemical cation in the hands
of LavoSer, laid the foundation of the present system,
not simply of chemistry but the sciences based on II
geology, mincralogy, physiology and medicine Cayen-
dish proved 10 be composed of oxygen and hydro
illustrate the cOmposItionOf of water It's decomposition
The lecturer here introduced several beautiful eXperl
| ments 70 illustrate the peculiar properties OF
| oxygen with regard 10 cOmbustion.l oxygen is
nf TcntS @ wch S M S cement in name
and the crust OF the earth Is simply composed on Dt
forming ydcs and there remains now an excess of oX
gen i'm the atmosphere. Water Is the most Important ana
remarkable of all compounds. II covers threefourhs OF
the carths surface in the form OF oceans, lakes rivers
snow and ice As vapor Il Is ever present III % the it.
70 per cent and the muscles 10 per cent. III Iact
| human body is thrcefourtls water. Plants contain
from 20 To ~ or 20 per cent None OF the soma roks "
free from it. and some OF thomas psun-cohtaln 20
per At 2l2o Fahrenheit water boiS passing OIL IN
the form of vapor hut il evapOrltcs at all temperature
Water has great capacity for heat cubic lnlle ot
water IN cooling one degree warns 50G cubic nirS oi
ice in melting coo 0n0 cubic yards of air from 5Oto %
|
acid in combination with strong base: l. in tue
condition of acid that it attacks the quick lime and
form OF waery capitalization in solid substances which
assume crystalline form when separating from water
AS ALUM GYPSUM andmany other materials. We nave 1t
| again - solvent in which case u eNerts n weak
affinity for the substances involved The water disSoves
only but gases III fact II Is universal sol
vent Natural waters never pure, owing Ia solvent
properties Atmospheric waters the snOw the dew, the
fog take up certain impurities before they reach the
earth. They absorb a certain portion OF oxygen ana
nitrogen, they wash out the dust floating in the atmos-
phere and the scashorc the waters contain common
salt In find suhuric acid, and in others
| ammonia.
Terrestrial waters are still more impure. when the
water reaches the surface it is absorbed by the porous
strata The character of spring will depend upon the
strata through which the water has percolated. Our
common wells are simply holes dug down through the
strata Water takes the character Of the earth through
which has passed The earth's crust consists OF strata,
and slate. Some of these are porous, others
are imperyiOus to water, so that We may have
ring in as many different layers. la boring an artesian
well we may water characterized by salt
init an ''Iri pnrc The artsaa well is simply a boring
made down through these different strata TO reach
TaeT of Of sce w9 Gs x at one Gne Fa 8:
LOCO feet, third of mile in depth As the waler
ance where the porous strata which bring IT are more
| temperature is so Fahrenheit. The deepest
well in Europe-at Rochefor,Ihas depth o,', OF
XiIic Ky well has been bored 2.OsG feet deep,
and another at Charleston, s. c. 1850 feet deep Bo, oi
these wells bring mineral water Attempts have been
to obtain fresh water by boring III some oI our lf
feet dccp hut no water would to the surface AT
St Louis the deepest artesian well that mas ever pech
b"red was 3s feet nearly twothirds of mile IT was
failure however the water obtained would not rise
TO the surface. III other localities these wes .sSo
hcen exceedingly successful on the desert they
have added greatly to the fertility In Alglers anu
other localities they have been bored win great success
sometimes producing natural ana at other hie''iri, @
waters At Tours, in France the artesan well Is some
times closed by leaves which, rdn TMGn TegnS n ,p s
distant. the water having come through suoterraneah
Owing TO the solvent power of water spring and well
always contain more or less mineral matter Who're
the rocks are chiefly COMPOSED OF SluiDs r ;er
generally contain nearly three or our grains OF mpur
| ity 10 the gallon.
| WHAT WATER CONTAINS.
We sometimes find in water organic matter derived
from the decay of vegetables and certain gases oxygen
and nitrogenn other words, air; but the air which Is
dissolved in water is richer IN oxygen than the atmos
phere This seems to be wonderful provision Of ma
ture for the support of those animals that breathe by
of gills. Fishes derive their oxygen trOn TINS
gas which is dissolved in wat"r and although s Volume
is only One-twenty fifth the volume OF the watnr st
the supply is sufficient 10 support tiis amman me. IN
wells have also nitrates and ltrales and ammonia
salts, produced by the decomposition OF animal matter
| IN the soil round our dwellings.
We Will show you few of the common Impurities
of the quality OF spring by the density Of the
ciptaes contained in it, Pond lake, and river water
|
has simply passed the surface OF the earth ana not
through the porous strata Consequently this water Is
purer generally than spring water. Some OF the pfcst
waters that known are lake waters There s lake III
Sweden the water which fonnd TO contain only one
| twentieth of grain OF impurty III a gallon water
which is in notion river water, often contains sls
pended Impurities, mud which IL has no opportunity
of dcpOstng; but when the stream becomes quiet the
| mud deposited and the water becomes clear. The
pended Impurities in u gallon, and II is estimated that
lOOOOOOO tlns are carried to tho Gulf OF Mexico anh
ally BY the Ganges 3Gs cubic feet of earthly mat
ter are carried annually to the ocean. In fact
| it il by auvial matter-nud transported IN
| this way-that the entire state OF Louisiana mas
| boon fnrmed. by the encrOachment Of this