American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-07-10
Purifying Water.

The great objection to most water
filters is that, like the brick dividing
wall in cistern, they are made a solid
fixture and cannot be easily removed
and replaced without considerable
trouble and expense when they become
foul, which is invariably the case in
longer or shorter time. One of the
best and cheapest we have yet heard of
we find described by an English gentle
man in the Metal Worker, which we
copy below for the benefit of all who
desire a pure, healthy beverage.
Take any suitable vessel with per-
forated false bottom; cover it with
layer of animal charcoal; on the top of
that spread layer of iron filings and
borings, the finer the better, These
are to be mixed with charcoal dust: and
on the top of them is placed a layer of
fine, clean silicious sand. This will
give you perfect filter. The foul wa
ter, however, should be allowed to
trickle very slowly through the filter,
if one would produce a fine sample Of
drinking water. The iron filings, be-
fore being placed in the filter, require
special treatment. They must be well
washed in q hot solution of soda or pot
ash, in order to remove the oil or other
impurities. Then they must be thor
oughly rinsed in clean water, in order to
take out every trace of soda. The i'll
ings should be mixed with an equal
measure of fine charcoal. The deeper
the bed of iron, the quicker they will
act. of course, if the water is very
foul, an unusual depth of filings and
very slow rate of filtration should be
employed.
The above is a simple, cheap and
very efficient filter, superior to any 9TH
er that know of, and has the advan-
tage of being free to every one who
chooses to make it.
The addition of permanganates will
not destroy bacteria or microscopic or
ganisms, but the addition of hydro
chloric acid will. If it is desired to
purify water containing bacteria hydro
chloric acid must be added until the
water is slightly acid, to test paper.
This will destroy the whole of the ami
malcule; then sufficient lime water
must be added to neutralize the acid.
The lime is precipitated by means of
the oxalate of ammonia. The final
treatment is to filter through the iron
filter which have just described. The
foulest ditch water, treated as above,
is rendered quite pure and fit for drink
ing.
The above is exceedingly interesting
to our readers, some of whom have
asked where to obtain iron sponge for
purposes of filtration. The filter de-
scribed above does away with the use
of the iron sponge entirely, while re-
tanning all the advantages of that mate
rial. We believe at the present time
there is no manufacturer of iron sponge
in the United States, nor have we heard
of any place where it can be obtained.
Iron filings and iron turnings or bOr-
ings, rs they are called, can be OBJ
tanned in almost any town in the coun-
try-certainly in any town where there
is Il foundry or machine shop. We wish
to mention one precaution necessary in
obtaining them. No brass, copper or
zinc should be present in them, and
they should be carefully looked over in
order to make sure of their purity.
Dust, dirt and oil may be easily re-
moved, but zinc would be readily dis
solved, to the great detriment of the
filtered matter. -RuraL NeW Yorker.