The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-20

of hydrant water,
But the inquiry is made-How do you
explain those cases which have occurred |
where individuals have drank hydrant
water and yet did not have the disease;
and are not such instances fatal to your
theory? L will cite an instance by way of
illustration which will fully answer this |
inquiry as well as another which | will |
hereafter state. Millbank prison, En-
gland, one of the largest institutions of its
kind IN that country, containing many
hundreds OF people, is situated on the
Thames river, some distance above London. |
was, Tor many years, subjected, from time
to time, to epidemics of diarrhea, dysen-
tary and typhoid fever. These became so
severe and so frequent that it became the
subject OF discussion and legislation in
parliament. Commission after commission
of experts were appointed to investigate
the matter, but they arrived at no salts
factory conclusion as to the cause of the
great amount of sickness. Finally the
House of Commons appointed two select
committees to examine the prison, and
after months research, aided by all the
science and skill the government could
command, still arrived at no satlsfact-
DRY conclusion. 1t was finally suggested
that the trouble was 10 the Thames water
from which the prison drew its supply.
The idea was at first ridiculed, but finally
they acted upon the suggestion, sank an
artisan we'll of sufficient capacity to sup
ply the prison. and from that time hence
forth it was as healthy as any public
institution in England. The epidemics of
diarrhea, etc, ceased. Here was an instance
where the use of bad water produced
epidemics of diarrhea beyond the
possibility of a doubt, yet it did
not produce the disease in all,
yet all drank the water. This illustration
answers another inquiry which is often
made.yiz: Why don't you analyse the wa
ter of our hydrants and settle this matter
at once and definitely? That sewage in water
poisons it, there can't be a doubt, but the
form in which it exists, what its peculiar
properties or characteristics are, no fellow
has yet found out, and to detect it by a
chemical analysis is simply impossible, as
was proven by the examination of the
water of Millbank prison when the best
skill Of England was employed to make
the attempt. Chemical examination of
water will determine as to the amount of
organic matter water contains, and If the
amount is large the inference is that the
water is bad. The microscope will inform
US something about the number Of inius-
ora or animalcula water may contain IF the
number is large. the inference is that the
water is bad; but the exact amount that
is compatible with healthy drinking water
: nobody has told us,-so that according to
the popular idea the means that are sup
= posed to furnish the most reliable tests of
the purity of water, viz: The microscope
and chemical analysis are mere aids to
: other means. But when l see one half of
the people of our city drinking hydraut
e water and having diaIrh9a, and the other
half drinking well or cistern water and not
S having diarrhea | must confess these to be
q hard stubborn chemical facts, which have
: a wonderfully convincing effect upon
: my mind that the cause of the epidemic
t was the drinking of hydrant water. All
J. minds, it seems, however, were not constl
Il tuted alike The inquiry is made-Wby
should the water be contaminated at this
+ time and never before? My answer is: The
S conditions of our water supply this winter
y taken in connection with sewerage are very
: different from any former period of thu
y history of the water works.
!. Two years ago nearly all the water
=. n mains of the city were frozen up, and still
- a larger proportion Of the supply pipes
~ became useless by reason of the intens,
- cold The consequence Was-very little
= water was used from hydrants; the sewer
~ we're not kept flushed for III,
- reason that there was no waite
J. to do it; the sewage remained il
= the sewers all winter and compare
~ lively little sewage went to the river; net
~ withstanding the intense cold weathe
= there were openings in the ice all alon
- he levee permitting free access Of al
= and sun light to the water. Last winte
~ was warm open enc, the river did nc
W close up at anytime during the winter
90 and the water had free and unlimite
y access to the air and sunlight, keeping
~ comparatively fresh aud pure. Anothe
u. thing that had a tendency to make it bet
q ter was the unusually large amount
~ water that was discharged from Sylvia
,"t Water channel, which was much create
~ than usual, for the reason that there was I
10 obstruction to the entrance to Moline dan
,io by stranded ice, But the conditions du
~ ing the present winter are Who'll
W. different, from the two prece
,n ing. Toward the latter part
re November to the middle of January, Wht
~ the epidemic had reached its maximum
l. the weather was continuously anG intense
~ cold; notwithstanding. all the mains wei
.oo free, the service pipes were in coed wor
~ ing order, and wherever connected wit
\. a sewer, were kept constantly running
- prevent them freezing, so that the cold
~ the weather the larger the amount
vi sewage went into the river. The sewa,
of the city, during the past year, has be,
~ greatly increased, and | think | do n
~ exaggerate when | say that the sewag
49, into the river from the city this wint
~ has been ten times greater than duriI
VIC any previous winter.
During the long continued and Intense
is cold weather the water In Sylvan Wat
channel became very low, and BEGAN
ble entirely closed in by ice, leaving not
,xt single opening for the admission of viii
as or sunlight. Thus it will appear, as b
nj. fore stated. that the conditions of OF
NO water supply, together with the sewag
ga have been different from those of previo
rst winters
md 1t is asked-hoW can 1t De possible
CHI so small an amount OF sewage TO contain
mr. mate 50 large body of water as lies b
! a tween the mouths of our sewers and Il
/: | conduit? Between our shore and t
i'd Davenport shore there are, In low stag
ose of water, two distinct channels; the cha
lis mel on this shore discharges the wat
M coming down on the south side
en-. Island beyond this there is a sand bar c
se. Etending down from Willow Island. a
ese beyond is the main channel. When t
an water in the river is very low, and VII
tn the ice becomes stranded on shoal plac,
at each of these channels maintains sep