Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-03-24
CLEAR WATER.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST rAer.l


1pon a mine which only needs the application
of a match to explode. There is danger IN It,
and we have no right to conclude from the ap-
parent innocuousness of given water, as ex-
emplihed by those who haDitually use 1t, that IL
is a standard of purity.
lone of the most interesting questions IN
yolved in this subject is that OF the sefpurltea-
tion of running water. The English
Rivers Pollution Commission are emphatic in
the denial of any such publication, at least 10
any appreciable extent. The result of all the
examinations made by this learned commission
is TINS summed up: We are led in each case to
the inevitable conclusion that the oxidation OF
the organic matter in sewers proceeds with eA
IRENE sloWneSS even Wnell the sewage IL lIlAeu
with a large body of unpolluted water, ana That
II is impossible to say how far such water must
flow before the sewage matter becomes thor-
oughIy oxidiZed. 1t will be safe TO INFER, now
ever, from the above results. tnat tnere Is no 10
river in the United Kingdom long enough TO
effect the destruction of sewage by oxidation.
Seventh Report of the State board OF health,
1880 and 1881. page "a: " Pure water Is u heces-
sity of Lie 1t is essential not less to the happl-
ness than TO the health of the people; and yet 1t
is one of the things most difficult TO obtain. The
use of impure water Is now generally recoS-
nized rs a common cause OF disease ana TO no
other single agent, or combination OF agents,
are 10 be more generally attributed those sud-
den outbreaks of disease by which communities
are sometimes afflicted No other fact in SAM
tary science is more firmly settled than that OF
the connection between impure water and dis
ease $ It is notorious that the sewage
from towns situated along the banks OF our prlll-
ciiitl INTERNATIONALLY the Saeramento-nas peeh
enptied or permitted 10 flow therein ut all sea-
sons Of the year; that the refuse nom dwellings,
and sometimes from pis-pens, stables ana
privies has been discharged therein, with the
full knowledge on the part OF property owners
and the authorities that this water forms the
principal or only source of supply Tor nearly
80 000 people living below them.
Nor looking especially at SScra nellto
river. are these The only sources of dehiement.
The Feather river adds its quota from Settle
mpnts but a few miles above its junction with
the Sacramento, and. as if TO fill up the measure
of the misfortune of those compelled to use this
water, the American pours Its streams OF MIN
from settlements along its banks and from ilve
or six hundred human beings inelosed Within
the walls of the State Prison at roisom.
The disposal of the sewage OF towns or OF large
public institutions Is beset with difncullIes, and
the easiest solution of the problem-the most
natural place of discharge for towns built upon
the bank OF n river, is the river Itself II saves
much Inconvenience and expense; it affords the
Speadiest and most elective method OF getting
rid of that which all desire TO have removed as
far rom them as possible: and, too commonly
but little concern is manifested whelnSf IL Is
destined 20 become the daily supply OF others
or whether those who drink il are satisfied or
not The question of the Contamlna-
tion of streams by sewage, ana OF the dlherent
measures J1roposed for the disposal of this
troublesome agent, was fully discussed IN the
report Of the state Board o Health for lS1I-79.
Ii was there shown thar, according to the best
authorities, WLlle running Sllttius tp nave Vic
power to slight extent. to oXidlze the
sewage with which they have been cOntami-
mated, this oxidation takes place so slowly. ana
so iuconSiderably. as 10 be almost lnappreclaDie
by chemical tests, aud that, to use the emphatic
language of the English Commission, composed
of men especially fitted to pursue such an IN
Vestigation il Is impossible to say how i.;B such
water must continue TO How before the sewage
it eoHtainSs becomes thoroughly oNidlzed. 1t Is
further shown that the apparent inn1cuousncss
OF such Water is mainly due TO the conservative
agency OF diiutfo; that the greuter the uItutioIi
the less the danger; and that water containing
even an excess of what is commonly considered
TO be sale amount of sewage, may often be
used with IMMUNITY, until upon the outbreak
of an epidemic of typhoid fever OF of cholera,
its presence Is made known by fearful demon
STATIONS of fatality. = Admitting these
facts which are believed to be ineontestible.
the question instinctively forces itself upon the
mind as 10 the position i'll which the population
of sacramento Wculd be placed should an cpl
demic of any oneoi these diseases appear at the
State Prison at Folsom, only - or 993 miles dis
taut or at Marysyiilc. 60 miles above us
It is estimated by Eranklanu that the amount
OF the bowel and kidney eXcreta, which alone
we are now considering, reaches daily i'll adults
three ounces of foeces and forty ounces of urine
toy measured If the weight OF urtEe We're
equal 70 that of water. which is not commonly
the case. there would be discharged from Il
prison OF 800 inmates 90 l. pounds of solid and
1850 pounds Of liquid excreta daily, or nearly
IL y tons of the one and over 229 tons OF the
other per annum. The question arises, Is there
conservative influence OF dilution sufficient to
render this amount of tilth innocuous?
- 50 much Tor the eXcreta solid and liquid.
But there is another kind OF sewage 10 be pro-
vided for. There is the refuse from the kitchen,
and the baths, and house water of all kinds,
containing a greater or less quantity OF us
solved or suspended animal and vegetable mat
ter ready to decay. The admission of the
sewage water into the river can in no sense be
Justified, unless it be previously purified by
some one of the processes devised for the pur-
o
Importance intimately concerning large popu-
lations compelled to use, indirectly at least the
water of the American river. II the investiga-
ti0ns OF sanitarians be OF any value, If tb-y
have denonstr rated ANYTHING .oI,2--r-rvv1y it is
that water. poliutedby Just snch sewage as now
enters the Sacramento river from Folsom, Is
dangerous to health.
In $50 Dr. J. F. Montgomery. n member OF he
Nmefican Medical association, read Il paper Re
fore the state Medical Society III san francisco,
in which h discussed somewhat at length the
question OF water slppiy from hygeiIlc stand
point: ard while commend ihe entire p2l'ef as
an ante discussion of this matter, beg TO read
but a single extract which. rs the author has
gone to his long home, comes Ike a voice from
Tic general ruie throughout the world, with
occasional exceptions, Is 70 expose the water
supply OF cities and towns 70 pollution. or even
10 pallute it directly aud Willtuily ana would
he glad to sec California, as generally az posi-
bic. stand Is an exception as regards that aDom-
inaple and suicidal habit sometimes arising
from disereditable parsimony, but oitener lrom
want of knowledge. and consequently the lack
,1f u inst apprcciation Of the dangers the one
hand and the benefits on the other, accordingly
as TO whether sanitary laws shall be disreEarGed
or properly observed IN reference 10 TINS I'M
pOTfant matter The poIuing material oi an
organic nature often enters into species OF Ter
mentatinn. or the specific disease germs engage
in the ws-]: If propagation, that leads, in either
case, 30 such .apid ana DpChGles7 muoipAtS-
ton a.. from very slnall beginning, TO result
IN the contamination, more or less, OF the entire
mass even when very large. ADlhdant cyl.
dence Of this fact is afforded IN The cases eiteq
In this paper and would hope that we would
pr1ff by the fearful warning the examples a.
iuied 80 give Us Biit man seemS 70 be strangely
constituted In sOulc respects, adu 10 De mex
plicably blind or Indifferent towhat vitality con
Gems his health Ne might go further and say
he is maryelousy Stupid, and insensifile 10 the
disgusting, for We end him al over the world
pOllutipg'hiS water supply with hlsoWu eNcrel&'
and then gnlpinS It down III large potatl2rs, OF
using Il il cooking his food, OF for other domes-
tic purposes
And again Or. Montgomery says, on page -
The water supp.y everywh here, Wbere II IS Plac-
til able, should be obtained from pure sources,
high uu ia the hills or mountains. 81 from mae
cessible or sterile regions unit for habitation,
SO as 70 provide against the possible contunlnA-
ton of the water. aud then, forthe same reason,
il should be conveyed in iron pipes from It's
source to the point Of delivery. TaiS idea Is be-
ginning to find recognition, nnticitbly in Eng
land where the questioned better water sup
ply has agitatcd the public mind FOL years, and
where they are looking to the surface springs
in the has for purer supply of the needed
LIQUID thau they have thus Jar had. nOtwiyh
standing N. their Efforts mt the publication O
water oace polluted, by liberation subsistence
precipitation or irrigation.
California Is siDgu arly favored in having 50
many lakes al pure soft water upon her noun
tain ranges, and all these should be utilized by
having jEeig waters conveyed, in the manner
here advocated, 20 The cities, towns and plains
below, where Il is at all practicable so to do
and then her example should be urged upon 81
other states and countries, 10 be adopted BY
them rs far IS practicable.
Sacramento obtains lis water by pumping il
directly from the Sacramento river, opposite the
" alter WORKS which are situated near the upper
end Of the city and that supply is polluted by
the sewage of the towns and other settlements
upon the banks Of the stream higher up or neaI
OF supply. including the American river, upon
the south bank 81 which, twenty-five mile;
above. IS situated the town Of Folsom and the
Branch Prison. The consequence is that the
water supply OF the city is more or less polluted
The amount OF pollution Varying considerably al
different times, IS 5 made manifest by lis sen
siblc properties to those who drink II. And this
pollution must increase. as Il does everywhert
else. rs the country becomes rlorc thlckly set
tied. and the opportunities or occasions for pol
luton multiply
Aud then, If further evidence were required
il comes readily TO hand. This is n question
which has commanded the attention and in.
voked the anxious thought OF those whose Spe-
cial iaty IL has been to consider matters essen
tial 90 public health, and over aud over again
has the Board OF Health OF this city officially
called attention to this important theme
One oi the most eminent physicians OF this
oh no