Bridgeton pioneer., 1885-08-27

When cistern water is relied upon
the first care must be exercised to re-
ceive it from a clean roof, to see to it
that the first water of rain does not
go into it, and that the main supply is
derived from long and heavy rains,
rather than from occasional showers.
If q leader ends in hogshead or tank
proportioned in size to the water ca
pacity of the roof or its single leaders,
and is arranged with an overflow tube
to the main cistern, or with an auto
matte float, it will, when nearly full,
divert the purer water into the main
cistern, and leaving the other to be
used for non-drinking purposes. Cis
tern water, unless collected and kept
with care, may be charged with or
ganic matter. The cistern should in
size bear proportion to the needs of
the family, SO that it can be empty
enough to be cleaned twice year. If
in the ground, it should be tightly
cemented and kept so well covered
that small animals and foul gases can
not enter it. The pump fitted in it
should be ofmetal. When it is claimed
that air should be admitted to the cis-
tern, it is best to have an upright shaft
of few feet, in the top of which there
etc.
Wells and springs must be most
carefully protected from any possible
defilement. To this end, it must be
remembered that it is not safe to place
any well within one hundred feet of
any cess-pool, privy, COW or pigeon
pen, or other deposit of foul matter.
Sometimes, without knowledge of
where these have been before, wells
are dug in too close proximity. The
we'll should be carefully stoned or
bricked, and for at least four feet from
the top the bricks should be laid in ce-
ment, and come up higher than the
surrounding ground. The soil should
not be rich Just about the well. The
cover of the we'll and it's pump should
be such as not to admit any foul mat
ter. People are too often careless in
rinsing vessels about a WELL Even a
cistern may be defiled by the soil or
spillings about it, and wells often are.
The cistern may have crevices, or may
have something fall into it, or may
have its water dead by long standing.
The we'll may have its surrounding
soil SO saturated with decaying mater
ial as finally to become unable to oXi-
die it. Some new crack or under
ground rill may let into it foul LIQUID
from sources that had never reached it
before, and which are especially liable
to reach it in dry weather. The same
may, more or less, happen to springs
Therefore, it is not enough to say that
a water supply has been good, as it
may have suddenly became bad from
causes not visible. Where, because of
sickness or for other reasons, there is
suspicion as to the purity of the water,
resort should be had to some simple
tests, or at once to chemical or biolog-
ical examination.
Here are a few tests which, without
all the appliances of a chemist, may
much aid in indicating whether fur
ther examination is necessary, or
whether it is wise to cease using the
water until fully examined:
Color.-Fill clean, long bottle made
of colorless glass with the water; look
through the water at some black OBJ
iect; the water should appear perfectly
colorless and free from suspended
matter. A muddy or turbid appear
anee indicates the presence of soluble
organic matter or Of solid matter in
suspension.
d0r.-Empty out some of the water,
the bottle, and place it for few hours
in warm place; shake up the water,
remove the cork, and critically smell
the air contained in the bottle 1t it
has any smell, and especially if the
odor is in the least repulsive, the water
should be rejected for domestic use.
By heating the water to boiling, an
odor is evolved sometimes that other
wise does not annpar
1aSte.-Water fresh from the we'll is
usually tasteless, even though it may
contain some putrescible organic mat
ter. Water for Domestic use should
be perfectly tasteless, and remain so
even after it has been warmed, since
warming often develops a taste in
water which is tasteless when cold. If
the water at any time has repulsive,
or even disagreeable taste, it should
be rejected"