The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-03-09
OUR DRINKING WATER.

the churches can do to enliahten and morally
advance them2
OUR DRINKING WATER.
The exhaustive and exceedingly interesting
paper read on Saturday evening last by DIR
Charles Smart. U. s. A., on the condition Of
the water supply Of this city. should be read
and pondered on by all our citizens. Dr.
Smart was sent here by the National Board Of
Health, expressly for the purpose Of examln-
Ing into tho quality OF water used by us for
drinking purposes, and his researches cannot
fail to be productive OF great good to the com
muDlty which seems just now To be realizing
the vast i'm portanoe Of sanitation In all lis
branches. It may not be very pleasant to
know that tho clear ant. crystalline looking
water that we have been drinking for
so many years Ia filled with tmpurl-
ties, and u the prolific cause Of inter-
mittent fever and other diseases, but II
is most important that oil OF us
should know II. and knowing should
take lmm sdtate steps to correct the evil. Let
no one however wealthy he may be, or how
ever much he may have prlded himself upon
the elegant appearance Of his clsterns, lay
the flattering unctlon to his soul that he has
been drinking pure water. for there is not a
single cistern In this entire city from which
can be drawn unilltered one drop OF water In
which impurities Of various kinds cannot be
found. This Ia not news TO many Of our peo-
pie, who have always recognized tho fact that
our cistern water was measurably impure.
but who have consoled themselves with the
reflection that great many other cities,
notably Chicago and New York. were
no better of. and, perhaps, after all,
tho impurities were not detrimental
to heelth. It ls true that other cities
suffer like our own from impure water,
yet there Is very little consolation in that re-
Election, while tho idea that bad water is not
unhealthful is most fallaolous. and should. In
view Of the alarming disclosures made by
Dr.. Smart. be abandoned ut once.
When we reflect upon the vast amount OF
organic impurity which is swept into our
oisterns by every rainfall. impurities both
from the atmosphere Itself and from the
roofs Of houses, the wonder Is that the sedi-
mentary deposit does not In the course Of
comparatively short time actually fill them.
and render the water too foul to admit OF the
possibility Of Its being used for drinking pur-
poses ut ALL In order to Impress upon our
readers the Importance Of this subject we
reproduce few extracts from DR.. Smart s
valuable PAPER:
/ ANALYSES or THIRry-NrN C1sTERN wATEHs.
| Most OF them. so far ~ can ascertain. rep
resent cisterns Of good repute.. A few are old.
years. but to Offset them others are compare
| lively new. have been cleaned recently or are
preserved from fonling by the use Of CUTOFF
I'm fnH fn1rRt Tf IN rFfr ~
| lilo or semi public buildings. and six from pri-
vate DWELLINGS,. where m endeavor IL made to
IRE or ought to be good. and which were
brought to me mainly for tho sake Of establish
Ing their purity. while nineteen samples were
collected by the inspectors to represent the
contents Of the average private cstern. OF
| these 80 waters the impurity hgure reaches
y IL nine specimens rgns from 70 to 20 IL
remaining eight waters. Or tho doubtful or
suspicious waters which range from 10 to 30 the
flcation Into good and bad. involving the break
ing up and Redistribution OF the doubtful
waters. one hnf OF them would bs, thrown to
| each side. making 40 good and 10 bad out OF
The recurrence OF the figures 10 and 10 Is lIa-
coincidence aud does not Imply that the 40
waters reputed good proved on ANALYSIS to be
40 or that the " collected BY the inspectors
were AL bad. Among the latter were some Of
But these results are By no means N. sstIsiac-
tory. although kn nov, 81 all the circum-
ton prepares us for the occurrence. The fact
IL the fault does not lie entirely with the els
as We have already seen: but clean cistern
will not give u pure water unless pure water
is stored IN IT. or unless the water undergoes
Now. the rain water which ts run into the cis.
4 S 90 no hS
We have seen to BIZ washed from the roof. That
IL understood. What would desire you to ap-
int the rain a., water y an o
is falling from the clouds.
NY eolleasue Or: stsrnber9, could tell aay yoa
hnt the aad ana
here investigating that very subject.
The dust. mineral and organic, would collect
The rain. Your city has no mountains In the
distance, but you have seen some elsewhere
hay and uncertain IN outline after SIX !. " eks
the morning after heavy shower standing out
ia bold relief The rain had washed the turbld-
sion t at t had purified the atmosphere. But If
come q a. impartsS k%sniIsstig i L e :; 8;
your association. understand, ts to procure q
water supply TO flush the streets and cleanse
ture raises water by evaporation. condenses 1t
| into cloud and prectpitates II as rain to flush
| the atmosphere and cleanse 1t from all Of Its
impurities.
Having shown us the evil. DR.. Smart pre-
sents the remedy, which consists In efficient
filtration OF the water before 1t is used, and
to this point we desire specially to call the at
tention Of our people, and also Of the Board
Of Health, for the cleansing OF cisterns or
purifying OF the drinking water OF the city
comes as properly under their supervision as
does any other sanitary measure. The doctor,
after referring to filtration through English
sandstone, which is not satisfactory, says:
There Is one substance however. which exer-
organic matter In water. Animal charcoal Is
well known as purifier and daodorizer. 1t
condenses q large volume OF oxygen In Its
Of causing the air. which is dissolved In the
water. to participate IL he attack upon the or:
%. 49, 50. etc. will be reduced to the putty Of