The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-12
THE WATER WE DRINK.
No Cause for Alarm or Apprehension in the
Stream from CrotOn Lake.
ORGANIC MATTER NOT DELETERIOUs
Comparison Of Our Water Supply With That
Supplied to Other Large Cities.

Judging by the light OF the fact contained In the
"Rerort upon the sanitary Chemistry OF water,n
when was made some time ago 10y Professor
Charles f. Chandler, Pm. d., NJ. d.. LIZ d., to the
American Pubic Health ASSOCIATION, 1t is hardly
possible for the CrotOn water to become impreg.
mated with matter which will DESTROY It's good
qualities and make it a pest instead OF beneht
70 our population. 1t may even be said that II
organic matter, the result OF animal decomposi-
zion, thrown into the feeders OF the Croton
River its water when received and used here would
not communicate any evil effects. The volume OF
the water It's continual movement, whereby
At steadily takes up oxygen, and other agents
would r1d 1t OF poisonous material before 1t ar
rived at the High Bridge. The evidence IN favor
OF this theory is found in the results OF the exan
nation OF the waters OF the HUDSON River and OF the
Thames, In England. Notwithstanding the fact
that the Hudson has poured into II at Albany the
drainage OF OF about 1000 square miles. IN
which area there are three not particularly ceany
cities-rroy. West Troy and Utica--tae water OF
that river is found Mt to be drank. me area Of
the watershed OF the Thames above where the
London water companies procure the drinking
fuid winch they circulate through the Brush
metropolis, is 1876 square miles. The population
OF tAat area IS about 1000, coo souls winnie the
population Of that part OF the watershed OF the
Hudson which Is above Albany IS about 400, OoO
Professor Chandler states these ana Other facts,
makes comparison between the conditions AZ
iecting the waters OF the Thames and OF the Hud-
son rivers. and, having proven that, although the
agents having enect upon the former river are
the more numerous and unpleasant, It's waters
are wholesome, he, by a process oil deduction.
shows tnat the waters OF the Hudson are fit TO ne
drank rms method is secondary proof, FOR
he had already shown by analysis tnat the water OF
the Hudson River at Albany cont aimed no harmful
Ingredient.
In a conversation which the writer had with
Professor Chandler yesterday that gentleman
SAID 'the Crot0n water now contains more organic
matter than usually has IN It, but that the matter
does not render It deleterl0us to the health. 1t
might contain five times as much OF the same
KIND OF organic matter without being hurtiul.
THIS is SO because the matter is OF vegetable
origin. II 1t were the result Ut animal decOmpOsi
lion and should remain IN the water as the vege-
sable organic matter now does, it would make the
water poisonous TO the people who drank oft 1t
would nr,ng to them the germs OF vphod lever
and Other diseases"
TIE report made by DR.. Chandler '.Upon the San
itary Chemistry Of Water" says:-
ORGANIC MArrER.-The organic of purely vege-
Table origin such as occurs TO the extent or
three grams per gallon in country SPRINGS and wells or
yellow to the is entirely harmess and unobjcc
in wells in depseiy peopled towns themselves harm
ia sS; 'S'
ANNA axoa.1t.rhs product OF the decomposition &c. 1s
obiecnonabo mpuriSy organis matters, produced BY
s Of p se 81 H
animal substances highly dangerous even when in
selves apparent TO the taste On the eontrsry such
are rsansny mne IN
@ tSs
traced to The OF waller poisoned with The soakase
O'en caused BY 9
or from some Of SG Such eonr
he ,s VEN aI,ss
inc disease At CONVENT in Munich ,hr,yone ou q
~ Of The inmates were affected VIII typhoid lever i
Nv and disease disappeared us soon as the
proper repairs were made.
The report goes on to show that cholera typhoid
fever and kindred diseases have usually been DIS
seminatcd by the water OF wells into which
sewage mad run or soaked through the ground. 1t
says
his city during the last century and before the in,ro,
eVsrS few W Years by deadly epidemcs Which are now
believed have been favored and invited by the dehe
soasage No such visitation has occurred since
the very perfect system Of sewers Cholera though It
docs no, originate from nd water
pies y '''
1t mas been said, in the early part OF this article,
that even il the headwaters OF the Croton River
were con tamInated by animal matter, the drink.
Ing nuid winch is conveyed INTO our houses Would
not he harmful 10 our health. Perhaps, II the
Croton River were impregnated with sewage
prOportlonatey with the Hudson and Thames
rivers the above statement would not be rue.
The agencies by which sewage In rum ing streams
IL destroyed are "inIusorial animals, aquatic
plants, fsh, and chemical oxidation" 1t has been
estimated that these do their work OF pur 1catlon
thoroughly, while the sewage is running ten or
twelve miles with Sae stream The more
however, the quicker is the work OF pm fihcation
effected, Ior AT every movement the water taxes
pnn1v nF Yyfynn - n nrn
cess OF chemical oxidation. The lon0wlng CUES
tons and answers, part OF the proceedings OF a
dOmestlc use OF the waters OF The Thames, and
which are extracted rom Professor Chambers
report, throw great deal oil light upon the
TACT That rivers purify themselves
3. What quantity OF water as compared with the
81 sp nc Original S1 me e
which has been disc hargcd INTO it, A. Generally about
"e" 1as s DC coSnua rscssnT fresh
smaller even W ur 70 Se WI
little more @toi but usually twenty 10 ono aoundan
liver after rsseyns . A. ns sewage
tie as t DO not
maj was S us q Ss 5 a. !" a.
,na me smell was s1 ny me me gGs to
its pristine conditions could stand me
there ana see the sn m mo s
Inst AS IN the purest stream you could see every pebble
sion.
II the water OF the Croton River should become
poisoned III WOuu uaVc no SuCu variety O means
30 purify itself as the Thames and the Hudson
nave, or, to speak more strictly, That part OF it
when reached This city for consumption would
PROBABLY be noxlOus and cause Of disease, WINE
that part which went over Croton Dam would be
purified ere It would reach the Hudson River The
reason for this IL easily discovered. The water
that would come to tue city would not have been
aerated as the would water which would go dane
ing down 10 the Hudson, and hence Its sewage I'M
purities would not undergo chemical action ike
to mat to winch the impurities i'll the other water
were subjected.
The Croton River. however, IS never likely to
have its waters poisoned by iecal impurities
Professor Chandler has made thorough examiua-
tion OF the watershed OF The Croton and Is OF the
opinion that II Will always be the region OF bucolic
lie, anu that not enough Oi such cIvilizng agents
as factories Will ever exist IN II 10 poilute the
waters OF which we drink
The following statements and statistics, taken
4rVm Professor Chandler report are very IN
1enesting and Instructive. II they are remen
bered ny the people VINO read them, there VIII not
BE a very widespread feeling OF alarm III reference
Al. q -raf ~ al IiltI nn Ia