Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-07

America is suffering in a very marked
degree from the pollution OF drinking water
which is so apt to be the Nemesis of the
accumulation of great city populations, IN
less primary regard be paid to scientific
sanitation, and especially to the supply Of
pure drinking water, as well as the preser-
walton of purity IN the soil and air. The
drinking water of the great cities OF Ameri-
ca appears to be IL some instances little bet
ter than sewage water, and in numerous
cases the pollution of potable water in great
cities is such as to cause, at the present
moment, considerable disgust on the part of
city residents, and to call for government
intervention, which is unfortunately slow,
and net always satisfactory in its action.
From comparative results which have been
published by DR.. A. r. Leeds, in the Chem
zeal Meas, it would appear that the water at
Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken had be-
come suddenly noticeable for the highly
marked flavor Of carbolic acid, indicating
that the pollution OF that particular water
supply was at that moment of an especially
chemical nature. When the board was made
aware OF the nuisance, it was ingeniously
urged that water was all the better for being
polluted with carbolic acid, inasmuch as it
served to disinfect the other kinds of filth
which got into the drinking water. This
plea, however ingenious, was not held to
be good In law, and SO for the moment,
the inhabitants of Newark, jersey
City, and Hoboken have to drink their pot
able water without the preliminary disinfec-
ton, which made 1t more unpleasant to the
taste, IL less noxious to the health. Boston
is suffering from what is described as a
striking and interesting and scientific
popularity. Its drinking water shows al
bumenoid ammonia to the extent OF OO6O3,
q statement which analytical chemists and
medical officers of health will read with
grim surprise. 1t is stated, however, that
the peculiar interest is, that this is due,
first, to the pollution by few manufactUr-
growth of alga. There is especially
an extremely Interesting and rare fresh
water stonge, SpOngilLa .ttetUidtitjs, which &C
counts for the peculiar cucumber taste"
1t IS thought that the Bos people would be
more recOnciled to the "cucumber tasten IL
they took little more scientific interest In
the SpOnglla GpsiGt'tiS, which Is accordingly
deliberately described and figured, and re-
commended as an object of interest under
the microscope. Another source OF pol
luton of the Boston water Is PECAN Brook,
which flows through town Of ten thousand
inhabitants, almost entirely engaged In the
dressing OF leather and manufacture of
shoes; the outflow from which factories
is supposed to complicate the "eucum-
Der flavor" Philadelphia and New York
also, it appears, receive their water
from polluted sources. The feeders, which
empty themselves into Croton Lake, the
principal reservoir of the New York water,
pass through a settled country, with numer-
Gus tanperies, factories, etc, along their
banks. Wilmington, Del, also ranks among
the towns supplied with polluted water.
Under these circumstances it is satisfactory
that an energetic effort is promised to main
tain the public interests and to prott CT the
public health by improving the sources of
water supply, and guarding them against
and, meantime, 1t is not sur
prising that ApollinarIs water is stated to
have become so general a favorite in the
United States that Its consumption there as
q daily table water equals that OF Great
Britain. British Medical journal.