Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-03-24
WHOLE NO. 1854.


in property aud works that would have to be
heavily taxed if any change was made in the
manner of disposing of sewage
And again on pages II and IL Mr., Hall quotes
from the official report of the Rivers Pollution
Commission OF Great Britain rs follows: Under
the head OF Quality OF water from different
sources the commission say g. River water,
usually in England, bur less generally in Scot
land. consists chiefly of the drainage from land
which is more or less cultivated, When ii is
iurther polluted by the drainage of towns and
lnhahited places, or by the foul discharges from
manufactures, its use for drinking and cooking
becomes fraught with great risk TO health. \
very large proportion of the running waters of
dieat britain are either nj present dangerous or
are rapidly becoming so'-ISixth Rept. Riv.
| Poll. Com, p. 425
:" Under the heading As to the possibility Of
rendering polluted water again wholesome :: /.
When the sewage of towns or other polluting
organic matter is discharged iuto running water
the suspended matters may be more or less per
lecfi iy removed by subSidcuce and filtration but
the foul organic matters in solution are very
persistent. They oXidize very slowly and they
are removed only to slight extent by sand
filtration. There is no river in the United King
dom long enough TO secure the oxidation and
| destruction Of any sewage which may be dis
CHARGED INTO II, even at Its source. Work cited,
p. AZ.
And, finally, for the purpose OF this special
/, point in my subject, quote paragraph found
under the heading As 10 the Propagation of
Epidemic Diseases by Potable Water / The
existence of specific poiSons capable of produc-
ing cholera and typhoid fever is attested by evil
dence so abundant and strong as to be practi-
caliy irresistible. These poisonS are contained
IN the discharges from the bowels OF persons
suffering from these diseases ,. The adniXture
OF even small quantity Of these infected dis
| charges with large volume OF drinking water
Is sufficient tor the propagation of those diseases
amongst persons using such water, 3. The most
efficient artificial filtration leaves in water
much invisible matter in suspension, but con-
situtes effective safeguard against the propa-
cation OF these epidemics by polluted water
Boiling the infected water for half nm hour is a
probable means of destroying its power OF COM
munieating these diseases. = Work cit.
goes contrary to the old theory of the selfpuri.
iication OF river waters of organic matter by the
action of the oxygen contained in them, etc.
The conclusions OF Pasteur were taken up by
other chemists and observers and applied di-
reetly 10 the sewage disposal problem, and there
are a number OF opinions, based on experiment.
to show that the organic matter of sewage is not
oXidized upon being turned into a river, but is
precipitated TO the bottom or carried III solu-
ton
And again on page H. Mr.. Hall refers to DR..
Frankland; DIR. Frankiaud has shown that
flow of between II aud - miles OF stream POI
luted with sewage has very little effect on the
organic matter dissolved in the water even at a
temperature of $50 Cent. And he has shown in
the case of the river Wear. flowing between
Bishop Aukland and Durham. which has been
quoted by Dr. Tidy in Illustration OF his theory
of oxidation of sewage, the publication is
caused by an admiXture of highly ierruginous
waters, fact which does not appear in DR..
Tidy'S quotation.
Referring to page Is OF the State Engineers
report we find: "Oue of the very latest
writer's on this subject is c. W. Folk
ard, c. E, associate OF the Royal School OF
Mines, member of the Institution of Civil En-
gineers. In 1889 he read u paper before the In
stitution, from which the following extracts and
summarzationS are made; Rivers are the natu-
raj drains of n country, into which every parti-
Gle of rain falling within their watersheds lex
cept, etc.) ultimately finds its way with every
thing which it is capable of diSsolving or
suSpending. Highly manured arabic lands
pastures, with thousands OF cattle and sheep
mills, factories. village cesspools and lastly
town sewers, all contribute their quota of foul
water; in some cases TO such an extent that the
river becomes an open sewer in which no fish
can live, and the eXhalations from which, espe-
cially in hot climates, spread lever and d-}ath
around
Speaking of the detection of impurities In
water contaminated by sewage, Mr.. Folkard
says: The organic substances in solution and
suspension are the most important on account
of their dangerous nature. and, unfortunately
they are the ones with which the chemist isleast
able TO deal. As yet he has been compelled 20
be content with the examination and estimation
of the products of their deeompOSitOn-am-
monia ard nitrous or nitric acids-or with their
determination of one or two OF their coustitu-
tional elements carbon and nitrogen
Ii is perhaps needless to say that these or
ganic substances are contributed to sewage
principally as the waste of the human system
Mr.. Folkard asserts that in the matter ofdetect-
ing organic impurities in water, chemists as yet
eliminating between wholesome aud unwhole-
some water. In the first
place, he says, it is an ascertained
fact, proved beyond the possibility
of doubt (by microscopical methodsj.
that mere dilution, however lar soever il be
carried, does not render imperative the specific
action of living germs
"The generally accepted theory OF the propa-
CATION of Zymotic diseases is that the living
germ, or matter capable of evolving that germ
under favorable conditions, beirg taken into
IA sgfn a tod in hA
blood, and hence the disease. Evidently in
view of this theory Mr. Folkard says: Provided
the individual is sufficiently weakly or un-
healthy, it is OF small Importance whether he
receive one thousand or one million parts of in
fectiouS matter (Whether in the form of organ
lied germs or not is immateriaD, and, conse-
quently, one part of infected sewage containing
the dejecta of persons suffering from zymotc
disease, mixed with one million parts of water,
viii be nearly as dangerous to him as one part
per thousand.
THE difference being simply, of course, the
less chance there would be of happening to
drink the particular drop of water carrying the
germ matter when the rate of dilution is great
than when it is small; and also, again to use
the words of our authority, the less contami-
mated water would probably not affect person
in more robust health who might succumb to
the use of the highly contaminated sample
" This author insists that il viii be impOSsi-
bic to Danish Zymotic disease from u town where
deiecta OF patients suffering from that class of
disease. The very weakly will contract it from
the almost inappreciable amount OF infection
contained i'll the water and from them II will
spread to those who have resisted the poison in
its diluted state
a He then goes on to state as conclusively
established fact, that the germs which cause or
accompany disease are endowed with the most
persistent vitality, and are capable of withstand
ing heat, cold, moisture, drought, and even
chemical agents, TO Il marvellous extent.
" And illustrating this fact, he says: So diff
cult is it to destroy them, that for many years
the now exploded doctrine of spontaneous gem
Grafton found talented supporters who relied on
their own carefully conducted experiments to
prove the theory, all which experiments were
found to have been rendered illu-
sory by the astounding vitality of these low
forms of life
'And finally upon this point Mr. Folkard
says: The conclusion that, once contaminated
water never purites itself sufficiently to be safe
for dietetic purposes becomes inevitable.
The only safe test of the Wholesomeness of q
given water is by tracing it to its source and as
that no Objectionable impurities gain
access to it..
. He then gives all illustration of the effect of
contributing sewage matter, even in very small
quantities, indeed-contatning the dejecta of
zymotic patients-upoh the potable quality of
water and says. The above is no ianciful pic
ture The experiment was tried on the inhabi-
tants of a town id Surrey, unwittingly, it is
true but on that account the result is The more
reliable. An epidemic broke out, and the con-
sequent investigation revealed the cause in all
its loathsome details, Fortunately for mankind
at large, the relation in this case between cause
great majority of cases this is out OF the ques-
ton
And finally, under this heading l find this
conclusion There is not the least
evidence TO show that foul water is rendered
wholesome by flowing fifty or one hundred
miles; indeed, all experiments point i'll the OPP
posite direction, on account of the persistent
vitality of the organisms which accompany
zymotic disease and of the utter failure of dilu-
ton to disarm these potent germs of corruption
and death. '"
Filth biennial report State Board of Health
for the years 1873 and 1879. Page As: 1.-The
question OF the pollution of streams becomes
an important factor i'll the consideration of the
of the water of the Sacramento to
domestic use. There is a State law designed for
the protection OF all our rivers but it is well
known to be sc constantly violated as to be
imperative. Indeed laws which
require for their observance some sacrifice of
personal convenience, especially when nothing
more serious than health or life are concerned,
are seldom capable of fully satisfying the crav-
lngs of human selfishness, or of commanding
general obedience. 1t is more convenient for
the towns along the river to drain their sewage
into 1t than 10 seek other and more expensive
and sometimes almost impracticable methods
in a different direction. Ii is more convenient
for persons with families residing along the
river bank to erect privies in such manner
that the tiecal discharges are deposited directly
luto the water, and TO drain of the sewage from
the houses stables, and pigpens into the
so these things are done.