Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-11-02
Cistern Water.

agent in producing disease of the
human system. Any deleterious
element existing in the water we
use is conveyed into the system as
a part of everything we eat or
drink, such as coffee, tea, soup,
bread, boiled vegetables, etc.
The mountains along the Pacific
Coast arc huge piles of minerals,
containing nearly every variety OF
metals, most of them in soluble
form, as chlorides, oxides, sui
pilates, &C., massed together or in
close proximity, producing chem
ical action, one upon another, so
that their solubility in water Is In
many cases increased.
We have thus thrown together,
in more or less soluble forms, and
chemically acting upon each other,
gold, silver, quicksilver, copper,
zinc, lead, cobalt, antimony, arsen-
ic, tin, bismuth, &c, &C., includ.
ing nearly the whole list OF metals
known to act deleteriously upon the
human system when taken into it,
for any considerable length of time,
in quantities however minute.
Tho entire water supply of our
valley is from these mountains.
The rains and SHOWS that fall upon
them during the rainy season per-
colates through this mass of solu.
BILE minerals in the mountains and
rise up in the valleys in the form
Of springs, which furnish our en- tire
supply for all domestic purposes.
Now, it is we'll known that water
drank and used for culinary pur-
poses from tanks, or coming
through long tubes of lead, copper,
zinc, or from many other of these
minerals, even in this metal state,
will, in the course of time, produce
alarming poisonous symptoms and
often even fatal results. There are
many diseases peculiarly common
to tho Pacific slope from which our
own county and valleys are by no
means exempt. Taking into con-
sideration the salubriousness of our
climate, the total exemption of our
valleys and plains from all causes Of
malaria or miasma, the prevalence
OF many of these diseases can be ac.
counted for on no other theory so
nationally as by the agency of the
water we use. Especially to be
enumerated among the diseases
above referred to, are diseases of
women and diseases of the nervous
system.
AS an Illustration of the mineral
quality OF our water, go into your
kitchen and examine the inner sur.
face of the boiler on your stove.
You will find q crust OF these de.
poslts as thick asa dime which,
when thrown down npon slab Of
marble or iron, will ring like a
coin.
You ask, What shall we do about
ii" Your remedy is easy, and in
reach of every man that can build
n house to live in. We never have
less than one foot Of rainfall during
any winter, and from that to two
feet and upwards. A house with n
roof thirty foet square, at this cal
culation, will fill Il cistern ten feet
square and from nine 30 eighteen
feet deep, which would be sufficient
water for II family of from ten to
twelve persons or more. There is
scarcely q family in Los Angeles
who have not sufficient water sued
from their house to supply them
with all the water thew may re-
quire for all drinking and culinary
purposes, Either n clstern dug in
the ground aud walled up with
brick and hydraulic cement, or a
wood 3istern, such as Mre used for
wine vats about our wine cellars,
can be used. The cost will be tri-
ding compared with the benefit
and comfort to many. The water
will keep pure, and will even i'm
prove after standing in the cistern
two or three months. In the
Southern cities of the Uuited
States, such rs Charleston, New Or
leans, Galveston, and many other
places throughout the country,
nothing but clstern water is used;
and, in every case where cistcrn
water has been substituted for
water from wells, springs, rivers or
brooks, the result has been most
satisfactory and gratifying. From
an experience with the dis
eases OF this community, and
u close observation of many
peculiarties connected with them,
for period of about ton years, |
am perfectly satisfied that the eX-
pertinent of using cistern water by
the people of Los Angeles will be
followed by results the most graft.
flying to many, deleterious to none;
especially beneficial to many
women, suffering with female dis-
eases, dyspepsia, nervous troubles,
sc. Less than $100 will furnish q
good wood cistern for family OF
six or eight. Now is the time to
prepare one, before the rain begins
to fall. Make yourcistern, put it in
place, fill it with water from the
hydrant, let it soak well before the
rains; aud, when the rains begin to
fall empty your cistern. It has
been we'll soaked and. ready to
catch you good supply of pure