The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-07-27
FRIDAY MORNING, JULY ~.

ne has right to expect, will fail to continue
us unprontable visits, and the swill, left to
tne ohance OF removal by irresponsible parties
VINO dare not call at short and stated in
tervals, may putrefy near the house and become
the cause of some filth disease.
THE WATER SUPPLY.
The city has for o number of years been sup
Piled with water from Sebago Pond, which
competent authorities have pronounced to be
remarkably pure. However true this statement
may be of water taken directly from the pond,
there have been reasons to doubt its applicable
ity to the water which is delivered in the city.
therefore submitted a specimen, drawn from
a faucet near the centre of the city, to Dr.
Henry Carmichael, Professor of Chemistry in
Bowdoin College, for his examination. From
the report of his analysis we learn that the
water contained, per U. S. gallon of 231 cubic
inches:
Suspended matter. ..... ......,........1.2g grains
DissoiVed matters. -..,,.....z.4 -
Matter destructible by heat, organic. ....... e
Iinonia' '>..''sss'..'..'''''' la trace
Auiusorla. .,aDunuant.
The inorganic residue was found to consist
of carbonates of iron and calcium, small
amounts of alumina and silica, and traces of
potash and soda. The amounts of the morgan
ic matters are not given, as they are, in this
case, entirely unessential to the determination
OF the question OF purity. In order to appre-
clate this report, we should know the characters
OF pure water. Prof. Parkes, in his great
work on Practical Hygiene, says that water, to
be wholesome" should be transparent,
without suspended matters, smell or taste, and
be well aerated. The total solids should not ex-
coed grains per gallon, of which only should
be dissipated by heat" 1.-THE matter destructi-
BILE by heat should be under1 grain,
and should scarcely blacken; the indications of
nitrites should be absent; of nitrates and am
monia extremely slight" "Usable water"
should be ''without suspended matter, or with
only small amount capable of easy separa-
ton by coarse filtration "Any water il de-
cidedly turbid, is suspicious, even if the tur-
bldlty be separable by coarse filtration" Now,
we see from Prof Carmichaeps analysis that,
as far as dissolved matters alone are concerned,
the Sebago water is remarkably pure, contain
ing far less than the permissible amount; that
the matter destructble by heat is also less than
good water may contain, and the ammonia not
excessive; and that the organic substances in
solution are such as it is desirable to have. But
when we compare the amount of suspended
matter 1.2 grains) with Parke's standard, we
cannot fail to observe that our water is sadly at
fault. The presence of one-half as much sus-
pended as dissolved matter is very different
thing from an entire absence of the former
Furthermore, the specimen examined was TAX
en- when the water was at its best Sometimes
the amount Of suspended matter has been SO
great as to give the water the appearance of a
thin, brown mud, and small bowl of the fluid
would accumulate in fifteen minutes q deposit
which could be scraped up with spoon. Last
winter the water was for series of weeks
heavily loaded with sand. On the 18th of De-
cember, when it was by no means at its worst
in this regard, a specimen taken from a faucet
on Brown street was found by coarse filtration
to contain more than $50 grains Of suspended
matter to the gallon. For hours after washing
ones teeth In this water particles of sand could
be felt between them, and the grit produced a
marked sensation in the throat Inquiries and
observations made in various parts Of the city
showed that this kind of water was supplied to
the citizens generally. There is one other
point. In the report which calls for remark,
namely, "Infusoria abundant" The presence
of these little beings is significant but hardly
more so than that of the entomostraca which
can often be found in the water. These latter
have bodies one-thirty third of an inch long and
appendages still longer. They are not supposed
TO be injurious when ingested, but are rather
undesirable additions to drinking water since
they subslst on organic matter and are an evil
dence OF its presence. "It is said that they are
only found near (within one or two feet of the
surface; this arouses the suspicion that the
water is not drawn from sufficient depth in
the pond.
While the quality of our water is not what
many OF us have supposed, we all know some
thing about the abundance of the supply Al
though the surface Of the pond is many feet
above che highest land in the city, there is often
bitter complaint OF dearth of water on the
elevated points, especially in winter. Some
times for whole season a section of the CITY
will be able to draw water only in the morning
and at night The effect of this state of affairs
is not simply to occasion inconvenience to many
households, but, by leaving the water closets
and the like untrapped for many hours, to ex-
pose them to the greatest danger from sewer
gas, which naturally rises to these very quar-
tiers. An intermittent supply of water is PAL
ticulary calamity when, as in Portland peo-
pie have been led to believe that the supply
would be constant and have made their ar
TanpGmAntg QranrdIn0lu
ton in this connection deserves mention as
having not remote bearing on the question of
the preservation of life-the danger from fire
when the water supply is insufficient. When,
some Time ago, a proposition was made in the
city government to build reservoirs on Munioy
Hill, the peril of our situation was hardly bet
ter shown than our absurd thoughtlessness
and disinclination to insist upon our rights
Besides this, the question arises, What are we
to do in case fire breaks out in some street or
section from which the water has been shut off
without notice?
SUGGESTIONS.
Though the object of this paper was to set
forth few of the main features in the sanitary
condition of Portland, it cannot be inappropri-
ATE 10 oHer some suggestions respecting i'm
provements which ought to be effected.
10 Degln with, we should have some approx
imately full and accurate system of vital statis-
tics. The present method should be utterly
overtnrown; there is not a commendable feat
ure about it. The law with reference to the
reporting of births should be enforced. Med-
cal attendants should be required, under suta-
BILE penalty, to furnish the registrar Whose
office should be at once created) with all neces-
sary data concerning decedents who have died
while under their care. Means should be taken
to get regular Information of the prevalence
ana character OF disease, especially that OF an
ln1ectlVe character. 1t is as unwise for us to
continue with our present plan as it would be
Tor merchant to neglect to keep precise &C.
count OF all his receipts and expenditures. 1t
IS even worse than that; for the latter deals
only with gross material things, while we are
dealing with human life and health.
Next we should have many improvements
in our sewer system, and have them immedi-
ately: Some of them are suggested in the
criticism on our existing plan; others cannot
be determined off-hand, but require the appii
cation of consummate engineering skill For
instance, in deciding on the method of treating
the Back Cove nuisance we should make our
calculations not simply for the present time.
put for generations to come; we should lay ont
plan which Will not need to be altered when
the Deering side of the water is thickly settled
ana dlscharging its sewage into the Cove In
the long run this will be cheapest in money.
comfort and life. Our method of disposing Of
excreta and offal other than by the sewers
needs thorough reformation. If accumulate va
prlvies are to be tolerated any longer, thew
should be emptied by method which will not
compromise the safety of the people. Appara-
tus IS now made by which this can easily and
inexpensively be done. Our water SUNNY
should be placed under strict municipal SUPER
vision in order that the quality and quantity
may be relied upon at all times. Especial
pains should be taken to exclude all CONTAINING
ating matters from the pond, and from the con-
duit and the mains which bring the water to
the city. Measures should be taken to stamp
out scarlet fever. a disease which is far more
destructive to life in our country than small
pox, but which might be entirely eradicst ed.
Above all, our citizens need to be educated
with reference to these vital matters. and
shown the crying necessity of taking active
steps in protecting their own and their chill
dren's lives.
Now, the right way to accomplish all this
and much more is by means of q City Board of
Health There it, to be sure, board of health
already, consisting according to special ordi-
nance, of the mayor and aldermen; but, with
al due Difference to these gentlemen (who are
altogether too sensible to take offepse at the
remark) board of health, not a member of
which has had medical education. is an
anomalous creation. The mayor and aldermen
should appoint a new board, partly COMPOSED
OF physicians, and delegate to it the powers
which they now possess, and increase the an
tnority as occasion may require These re-
forms would undoubtedly cost money. and this
would be serious objection in the minds of
many taxpayers But the question ia NOT 40
much, Can we afford to have the nronoaod