The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-14


What was the Croton water forty years ago the
damned up water Of pure and peucla RIVER running
through beautiful country bordered Dy sparse pop
ulatlon II furnished 500 900 people, ignorant how
10 waste with practically pure water TINS popula-
ton doubled, and The water supply Az ieast ue
How has this supply been increased Partially by
utilizing the waste new streams have been added,
yos or storage ponds have been created by submerg
ing swampy lands and low territories, and gen
eraly ample supply has thus been obtained.
What is the character OF the water thus added Does
II equal the original standard and is the original
standard Of forty years ago analysis yet kept up
The most eminent Dr. Chandler, scientific chemist
the Croton Board, says that recent investigation
and analysts has SHOWN the Croton water to be per
fectly pure Let u.s. without scales weights, look
At the water ourselves
During the past few years once or twice yearly,
and for q period each Of several weeks the Croon
water becomes so offensive TO the nostrs noisome
10 the taste to be scarcely drinkable In cooking
these qualities are generally either obvated or rem
dered less oflensbly noticeable.
Dr. Chandlers analysis will give you the quantities
OF suphaes of sodium magnesa &c In gallon but he
don't give you the quantities Of bad taste and horrd
smell
II we follow the stream back as far as the dstrbut-
ing reservoirs in Central Park viii find immense
sheet of water generally quite pure in appearance
The multitude OF fish in II is very Objectionable, how
ever. Carp and fish OF like nature that live vege-
table matter in limited quantities very WELL for
they eat up more deeterious matter than they make
at least act as aembics transmitting malarial mate
rial into something less Injurious But there
for carnvorous fish being tolerated therein and
these should be at least yearly entirely removed. None
of us would like tImbler OF water however iced and
strained from out the globe of gold fish, and yet that
Last fall riding through the Park saw large nocks
Of seagulls sailing through the air ascending and de-
scendng into the reservoir Driving up as TO get
complete view immense number OF these
birds The policeman OF the vicinity said that there
must be 900 of them there at time often. The top
of the water profusey covered with the floating
feathers and the birds were tumbling and sporting
and, presume fishing.
Almost every spring large numbers of crows collect
on the softenng ice-perhaps for the dead fish inn
prisoned within-and these, too to the number of
many hundreds are not such d choice bird that
banker TO drink after Them Surely when little is
required to drive them away it might be done
have said that the Croton River in 1880 through
a sparcely populated territory. To-day how changed
Villages have sprung up along its banks; tributary
brooks pure and visited only by the slaves Of the
rod choked with the tin cans Of an advanced
civilzation village cutters empty into them, and the
drainage of houses and barnyards and tanneres and
manufactures empty into them. Indeed the brooks
themselves now lost in the ponds made by dammng
lower point These storage ponds, then,
broad Their expanses of water spread over shallow
marshes replete with semi aquatic vegetation.
Old trees and cumps Of bushes that but half live in
tins unnatural condition through them.
The bottom Is thus, may be imagined congregation
Of dead branches and rank vegetation, last years
leaves OF the forest, &C This condition is we'll enough
perhaps while thus covered with water; but the heat
and dryncss of summer comes, the city reservoirs are
drawn low the Croton RIVER spare water to flow
ever the dam and call is made for more water, and
the storage water boarded Tor this time Of need let
Then the bottoms of these shallow ponds LAID
bare the blazing sun pours It's scorching rays down
powder, the vegetation is killed. Is dried up; the dead
leaves almost cacined; the bottom is baked dis
integrated By dew and shower and TIL there
n time when foods descend once more and again we
have renewed pond The water Is the cold infusion
OF banks Of every variety Of the ooze and dried slime
and mosses and the decay and decayng deposits
OF the past few weeks of roaming cattle search for
water or the vegetation growing around moist spots
Is 1t wonder that our New York water has and
sme2
But perhaps some one may say this is not malaria;
this Dirt this is filth AT any rate, IL is drink
Tor every householder 10 pay $40 TO $25 year for
when 1t can be prevented.
But tell me- critic, what is maiaria9 The word ma
laria is simply the combination of Italian words
which mean "bad air." II is, however, by usage
applied only certain cxbaations OF the earth The
in which this influence manifold
much its presence in the system mobiles every ex-
istng type OF present disease.
But what is the mpurityS The authorizations OF
water, -four sugar, milk, &c, show; the
microscope the chemists tubes will bring II 10
light Has any the aduteration of malaria
its ultimate principles No We Judge of its presence
only by its effects When disease the cause OF
which cannot discover, trace it back malaria;
and then the most we can do is to say it is subtle in
fiucnce, unrecognizable power Is physical
spirit of evil which hovers over decayng vegetation
and malign inhnence in its vicinty attacking
humanitywhen weairened by disease OF any sort; Too
and vile TO attack the robust and vigorous but
bouncing upon the tororn, emaciated and stricken by
powerful disease.
How does Il enter the human frameY II has hereto
fore been supposed that II only through the air
through the lungs claim that II as frequently enters
through the stomach through the water drink
Many cases Of maarious diseases have been noted OF
persons attacked with fever and ague while in the
mountains in cities at sea and these cases have here.
been ascrped TO the previous absorption OF
seeds OF malaria which have renamed in the system
for prolonged period Thus the disease of one year
has ascrbed to residence in the country the pre-
vious year. thought will bring many such cases to
the mind OF every one
II is seemingly absurd to accuse the mpid ranspa.
rent beautiful leo OF capabiity Of transporting the
masm Of the country into the city; hut If Il is pos
sble for the pure sparkling water to be the media Of
malaria, why notY
Water the great solvent Of nature II only alb
serbs the virtues Of the soft woods and barks but
permeates stones dissoves minerals carrying away in
its imperceptibe bosom ime iron. arsenic, sulphur,
petroleum., and the like 1t IS not content with satura
ton with earthly material but still in Its receptive
for all the airs and gases with which the
ror and exterior OF this world are hlled Thus many
waters charged and supercharged with oxygen
oonic acid combinations OF phosphorus with hydro
gen, &c.
Nor are these necessarily united by an enforced con
tact by definite interchange OF corresponding proper
tons by friction one with another More than all
these there marked affinity and noticeable
ton of the one for the other. Thus that
boiling over a fire attracts the smoke, which unites
with and permeates the entire Again, a ves-
sci of pure water placed n newly room attracts
to il the aerated lead with which the apart
ment was loaded, SO as TO be easily recognizable by
the taste and smell Water, TOO is well known
absorbent Of our ordinary gas
1t is merely .'begging the question: TO reply that
miasm destroyed by irost for II one never
masm and knows not its constituents, how he
positively assert that i is destroyed. In truth the
most that be urged rs that II is held in abeyance
imprisoned by icy letters, for we well know that
marshy swamp which IS full OF malaria in November
when II is frozen over, and that il again
thawed out the malaria reappears say, is this
malaria or is but reappearance Of the old
am informed on the authority of one OF New York
States distinguished physicians, Dr. Isente OF
Cold Spring, y. ~ that intermttents unusually
rife during the last winter and appearing usual
IN the fall but in mid winter, notably n February
after marsh and brook and pond had long been held
in icy letters the slightest codn usberng in chils
He attributes this malaria TO a change the water
levels which by some alteration in the dams has
affected this Connected Herewith has been 1--WE years
drought which has lowered the water levels Of that
region SO greatly that wells dried up and many
dug deeper He says the general effect Of this was to
bring new ands-ands previously under water-to the
air exactly as have previously explained occurring
in the drawnoG reservoirs OF the Croton with SUBJ
sequent rottng parching sleeping in rain water and
final empyng into the Guy conduits and drank by the
inhabitants Of New York Could any corroDoratve evi.
dence be more 10 the point?
To return however, TO the point Of most especial
interest IL is not only the called pure ice with
which city and vicinity IS supplied Much Is stored
which evident TO the and taste and smell
10 ~ only ACTUALLY foul perhans