The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1883-03-15
Msefnl aud Curious.
cIsTERNs AND PURE WATER.

The importance of pure water for drinking
and culinary purposes is very dimly appreciated
by the community. Thousands of people die an
nually from the use of impure water. and FROM
causes which might be prevented. Eminent
physicians have given the opinion. that four
ffths of the cases of typhus and typhoid fever
are caused by foul drains and streams. Impure
matter often finds its way long distances through
streams in the subsoil and rocks, and poisons
the water of wells. In one instance, a few
years ago over one hundred persons at n hotel
were made sick, and several died, from drinking
water which had been poisoned by waste Stops
In another instance, i've eases of typhoid fever
occurred in a single family, caused by vault
ten feet from the well. Poison is conveyed a
much greater distance where horizontal seams
in the subsoil favor its passage.
Filtered rain water from well made eisterns
" i'll not produce such results, as impure streams
through the soil cannot enter them George
Geddes saws that for more than a quarter of a
century he used rain water for all domestic pur-
poses in his family, and during all that fine
there has been no disease that could lie charged
to bad water.
But rain water itself may be impure, if pro
vision is not made to exclude OF remove deeom-
posing or organic matter. such for example,
come from the weather waste of shingles, from
flying dust, decayed leaves blown into the eve
trOughs, the drOppings of birds, dead insects,
etc, as well rs from foul odors, which are real
IL absorbed by water. These are carried down
the waterpipe into the eistern, aud a large por-
zion of the impurities settle toward the bottom.
According 10 ANALYSES made by the Mehis gan
Agricultural College, and reported in the col
lege spectrum, the surface water in cistern,
which was clear, odorless and fit for use,
tanned about one-thirteenth of grain of am
monia in aquart, while the water at the bot
tom was found to contain abou; three times rs
much, besides the Impurities. Hence the i'm
portanee, where il is not filtered, of using the
surface water. and not according to the
mon practice, of pumping it up from the bottom.
the surface water may be drawn of in pumping
by keeping the receiving end of the pump pipe
always near the surface. This may be effected,
whether the water is high or low in the cistern,
by fastening the pipe to the lower side of float
The float may be of oiled painted wood, or
better, a small drum made perfectly tight on all
sides. Ii the cistern is long enough the pipe
will easily bend to rise and fall. \ copper wire
straner at the upper end of the pipe, ut its june
ton with the ewes trough will prevent coarse
matter from passing into the eistern, aud will
lessen, but not entirely exclude, foreign matter
This strainer should be accessible by a ladder,
or otherwise, for cleaning.
Bat some impurities which the water d:ssolyes
will still pass into the ciStern water, and To
make it perfectly pure for drinking purposes,
filter with gravel and charcoal may be required.
4 great improvement has been made in filter
ing arrangements by substituting for the two
cisterns a single one with curved brick partition
extending across it; or with "a small brick els
tern built within the larger one. The brick
partition thus becomes the filter and allows the
water TO pass through its pores. and to become
completely strained of all mechanical impuri-
ties, and doubtless, to some degree at least, of
the chemical Substances held in solutiOn.-COHR-
try GeRflemdR.