St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-21
The City Physicians Report-A Small
FaiIure-Comments on City Matters
News of Various Kinds.
THE ST. PAUL WATER SUPPLY.
The Important Bearing Pure Water Has on
the Health of the City.

of population. For the purpose of getting at
the views of our best authorities upon TIE
purity of ST. Paul waters, reporter of the
GLOBE yesterday called upon DR.. Hoyt, who
has given much thought to sanitary matters,
and who, as president of the board of health,
has had an excellent opportunity to observe
the condition of such elements about st. Paul
as tend to affect the public health preju-
diciallv.
The doctor stated that he considered our
water system at Lake Phalen about
as perfect as it well could be, and the water
from that source generally clean and pure.
The wells and springs in the thickly settled
sections Of the city limits should not be used,
in his opinion, as few of them were fit for
drinking purposes. The genuine Asiatic
cholera never originated here, but its germs
might be propagated in our water. The city
was hOnevcombed with sewers and vaults,
and often a vault would be but short dis
lance from a well. OF course the water
which fed these wells came through the earth
and although the earth was in a certain sense
disinfectant its influence in this respect
was not sufiiicnt to destroy the germs of dis
ease in the water which percoated through
it and from these vaults into
the wells. Upon his own responsibility
be was having some tests made of the water
hereabouts, as also some chemical tests of
milk and food.
IT WAS ONLY A QUESTION OF TIME
when the city must have a chemist and lab
oratory for the examination of water, ETC., in
connection with the health department, so
that examinations could be conducted as they
should be for the safety of the general health.
Well and spring water that showed purity
several years ago, upon examination now
was found to be contaminated. He thought
our water system should be better protected
from animals than at present, either by
fencing in the lakes or by herd laws.
VIEWS OF PROF. wEILBRECHT.
Bearing an Introductory note from the
doctor, the reporter found Prof Welbrecht
at his laboratory in the high school building,
surrounded by evidences of researches into
chemical mysteries. The professor had made
some examinations of water in the city and
its neighborhood. Now that the subject had
been brought to his attention, he intended
to pursue these Investigations more fully
during the spring and summer. Some
years ago he had found the well waters com
paratively pure, but now he did not consider
them fit for use. His family boiled the water
they used, and cooled it in a refrigerator for
purposes of drinking. Upon investigation
of a well in his neighborhood it was found
that FIVE cases OF fever had presumably origi-
mated from it. He had examined over thirty
wells last fall, and out of this
number he had not found one
that was not contaminated, the
examinations extending over all sections of
the city aud not excluding the aristocratic
quarters.
OUR SURFACE SOIL,
he said, is sandy and water goes through it
as through sieve. Beneath this sand is a
clay, along which water runs and reaches the
wells. Often vault and well will be in
proximity and q well may be contaminated
" a vault yards away. He believed, and
cited the eminent authorities to sustain the
belief, that water once affected by sewers
can never be purified. Look at the report Of
the health officer, he said, wherein it is stated
that out of 100 consecutive deaths from
diphthera, only three occurred in houses where
Phalen water was used, and that was enough
TO arouse some suspicious as to the safety of
well water. English authorities have shown
that running water will not purify
itself If run the whole length of England,
and the assertion was backed by no less
authority than Franklin Wauc6lin. Massa-
have found there that flterinU through sand
and gravel will not purify water that has
been contaminated. Lake Phalen water
now shows oue-haIf grain of chlorides to the
gallon. and in summer something over
grain 1t varies somewhat, though 1t Is be-
coming more and more impure compared
with ten wears ago. The lakes should be
protected from the visits of stock aud from
the drainage of summer residents. Ii was
his opinion that ice does not destroy germs
of disease, but he made no claim to being a
saLitariau.
Some recent experiments on ice showed
the
FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS:
River lee, First Test-Chlorides per gallon,
1856; free ammonia 10 1000 900 feet III:
albumenide ammonia To | 900. 900 feet, I3S.
River Ice, Second Test-Chlorides per gall
Ion, la; free ammonia to LOCO, 600 feet.
.01S; albumenide ammonia to 1000, 900 feet,
1875.
Como Ice-Chlordcs per gallon, see;
free ammonia to 1000, 900 feet, O55S;
albumenide ammonia to 100000 feet,
.oTS.
Miuuetouka Ice Chlordes per gallon,
So; free ammonia to 1000 900 feet, 009;
albumeuidc ammonia To 1000 600 feet, $50.
waters. Cbloridcs are bad, and the presence
of two grains OF chlorides will also condemn
the water which contains that amount The
professor said that on the latter substance
he and DR.. Hoyt differed somewhat, the doc
t0rpaiung more stress upon the chlorides
sbgu he. In running water 1t was
found that the chlorides decrease going
down stream, while the albumeuideS increase.
These latter are the dangerous ingredient
aud show the presence OF sewage
contamination. Ii was formerly
thought by experts that ammonia
was the dangerous quality, but it was now
pretty generally conceded that ammonia
simply indicated the possible presence OF
germs. Our water supply should be sur
rounded with all possible safeguards.
DURING THE RECENT CaoLERA EPIDEMIC
In Nice it was found that tue water of the
city came from three sources, two OF which
were badly affected with delete7ious subStau-
ccs, and one Of which was reasonably pure.
The two were at once cut of and the pure
water alone used, with the result Of an abate-
meut Of the Scourye. The city of St. Paul
ought - buy up the lsuds about her water
supply aud protect it from slack aud all
sourccs Of contamination We Of this sec
ton do not appreciate this necessity so much
As other places. notably the large eastern cit
les. where the subject has long occupied at
tcntiou and where every means arr used 10
Secp the water which they drink free from
al poisonous Influences,
Suspended Business
The firm Of FeEnald s Wheeler. doing s