The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-06-27
COLUMBIA, S. G..
Fri ley Morning, June ~. 1873.
iTAo Water Complaint.

pother about the water supplied to the
city. It looks as if everything in this
era of freedom. and Of the predominance
OF the party OF moral ideas. must be-
soiled. The prevalent and all.abound-
ing 6lth, it Is charged, is not kept out of
the streams which are sent up to slake
the thirst and supply the kitchens of our
citizens. In Columbia, before the dawn
OF this delectable era, We always had
good, wholesome water, of delightful
temperature in winter. but requiring ice
or somo cooling process in summer. In
all seasons. it was pure and agreeable.
The public drank it without apprehen-
sion of cholera. or cholerine, or the fear
OF entozoa. And while it was good, it
was cheap. It was furnished at cost OF
about $4,000 The pretext that the sup.
ply was likely to prove insufficient, or
that the machinery wac getting old. was
seized upon by the new City Council Of
1s70-7I. and the'job of supplying water
was let out for twenty years to the Co.
lumbia Water Power Company fog
$4,000 q year.
Then commenced this water trouble,
and now all who can gain access to q
we'll, decline to risk drinking the water
furnished by this company. The Mayor
of the city gave It as his opinion to the
City Council that it was impure. un-
wholesome and dangerous. The Board
OF Health pointed ont specifically the
causes and sources OF this impurity.
The contractor answered these charges
and imputations, and made fair showing
OF certificates from the heads of large
pablo institutions. in favor of the good
quality OF the water supplied to them.
Again, the Council and Board of Health
have had the matter before them, and in
course OF debate before the former body.
an eminent practitioner OF medicine is
quoted as saying that he would not even
use the water for bathing purposes. as he
feared i'll effects from it, The City
Physician stated that upon examination
he had found the water impure and
charged with organic matter. It might
cause disease to break out at any mo-
ment. Tho action of Council culmi.
mated in the adoption Of motion that
the Mayor coll mass meeting OF the
citizens to take action upon the subject.
Thus the matter stands. There is,
beyond question, a general uneasiness
c],or-A 1-;nl-;oo fba xvoka~ Tho o;t;-oo.
are afraid to use it, and as we urged two
weeks ago, it is of the last Importance
that the question of the culpability OF
the contractor be settled, and OF more
Importance still, that supply OF whole
some, palatable water be furnished by
him. II he is faithfully discharging his
duty. agreeably to contract, he should
be promptly exonerated OF all blame.
II he is not, and the public are daily
drinking in the seeds of disease and dis
order, remedy should be summarily
applied. The mode OF doing this, or
the agencies by which it is to be done,
are, perhaps, unimportans. We cannot
say that We favor the scheme of public
meeting, into which prejudice and haste
are likely to enter. A competent COM
mittee OF such meeting, however, might
very we'll cooperate with the Board ol
Health. to whom the duty properly be.
longs, in an Investigation OF all the facts
pertinent to the question. We write
without bias, except in :avor of good
wate: and fair dealing all round. Lei
those who may be appointed to make
such Investigation 80 e. their work with
judicial strictness and cando. % tc
parties and their rights and feelings,
but with unswerving purpose to probe
the evil thoroughly, if one exiuts, and tc
effect the desirable and all.importani
object OF securing once again o supply oi
water that shall be healthy. agreeable,
and, in every respect, satisfactory. an
old poet sings OF water as "thc bes,
thing" It is, when good. It may be
the worst, when foul.
Our Natural Allies," says the Mobile