The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-04-01

sure to light and air. In this connection
/ cannot do better than quote some state
ments directly from recognized experts.
In an interesting communication from
Prof Leeds to Col. Ludlow, Chief of til G
Philadelphia Water Dept. he says, (Oct.
10Th, 1884:
Ordinarily, as you are we'll aware, til e
effect of atmospheric agencies is to dimin-
ish to a notable degree the amount of oxidi-
Fable organic matters present in solution
But in this instance, starting at Phoenix
vile, where the amount of albuminoid
ammonia is 0.015 parts per 1901 70
times that present in the Delaware river
at Point Pleasant on the same date), the
percentage of albuminoid ammonia re-
mains about the same, while that of free
ammonia increases. The organic matter
regularly increases as we go down the
river, until the Spring Garden basin is
reached. The analysis emphatical lily in
dicates the increment of sewage, whether
we measure it by permanganate, or by the
photo chemical test of its reducing action
on salts of silver. But the various data
obtained in the ordinary course of analy-
sis while indicating the impurity of the
Paramount water, did not sufficiently ex-
plain the great difference in the taste and
potability of this water as compared with
that collected above Phnnixville.
ITO this end had recourse to ana lysfS
Of the air as held in solution, and l now
desire to call your particular attention to
the very striking differences in the
amounts and composition Of this dissolved
air at the various points named.
"At Point Pleasant the water was tho
roughly @rated and charged with oxygen,
containing in one litre, 20 @ &C. of air, OF
which 6,5 &C. were oxygen. AT Phoenix
vile the amount of air was almost the
same, being GA &C. At Roxborough,
however, the amount had fallen to A &C.
at Fairmount basin to 413 &C., and OF
Spring Garden basin the volume of dis
solved oxygen was only 81 &C. In other
words, the percentage of dissolved oxygen
had been reduced to less than one-hall
its amount at Pheuixville by the great
work done in oxidizing the organic i'm.
purities which are thrown into the river
between Phmnixville and Spring Garden
basin, and, what is sti,l more important,
even this amount of oxygen is inadequate
to thoroughly perform the work of puri.
flying the stream, the water being left i'm
pregnated with great load of on.oxidiz-
ed organic matters. In the place of oxy.
gen we find carbonic acid, which has in
creased from 90 &C. to the unusual and
very large amount of 81 &C. But water
with so low an amount of oxygen as 81
&C. is dead aoater not 1iDing aoater. 1t IL
in a condition liable at any time to bring
| forward growth of low organisms, es
pecially the lower orders of plant growth,
| similar to those found in stagnant ponds. y
He goes on to state that "the water il
Hoboken having become so filed with
| growing plants as to become altogether
undrinkable, the Chief Engineer applied
the remedy which had asked him to gel
ready. That was to force in air at the
pumping station, and bring it into con
tact with the water in the main, under
the pressure of water lift of 1870 feet
When this was done, the greensh ting,
| from plant growth that had begun Il
develop itself at the reservoir, entirely
disappeared within 4S hours. The wate
itself, which had been bitter and nause
GUS to taste, became colorless, sweet
tasting, and sparkling, its liveliness being
due to the excess of dissolved air. TIL,
process of oxygenation under pressure hai
been maintained ever since that time, an,
will henceforth be permanent feature o
the Hoboken water supply" Nothin,
could possibly show more clearly th
value of thorough aeration then thi
actual test on SO large a scale, and tn
success which followed it shows how th
same difficulty may be overcome else
where. In paper read Feb. 7th, 1856
by the City Engineer of Reading, befor
the Engineers Club of Philadelphia, h
stated that the same difficulty had bee
experienced in the water supply of Read
ing, and the effect of thorough aeratio
had been to remove the trouble. TIL
want of space prevents any quotation
from the article, which is interesting an
instructive.
The Water Co. desiring some expert
ments to be made here in regard to th
amount of dissolved air and its compos
tion in our water supply, at their diret
ton / procured the necessary apparatu
and materials, and made several examina
tions of the amount and composition @
the air contained 10 the city water and /
some of the public wells, the results c
which are here given:
FEBRUARY 5TH-A sample of water from REESE
voir No. contained In litre 305 &C. dissolve
air, OF which the composition was Carbonic Aci
- Va boa vi N'S' ANiIiobVu SS.o tt. iOti
30.5 &C.
FEBRUARY 26TH-A sample from Reservoir No.
contained in litre 20 g &C. dissolved air, cor
tanning of Carbonic Acid IL &C., Oxygen 65 c.,
FEBRUARY 27TH.-A sample drawn from one {
the hydrants contained litre 2S.3 &C. dissolve
air of which 63 &C. were Oxygen.
FEBRUARY 2STH.-A sample from pump on Brldg
street, below Main, gave In litre 52.6 &C of di
solved air, of which 21.7 &C. consisted of Cai
bonic Acid This however resulted from the de
composition OF the Bi-earbonate of Lime dissoly
ed In the water; the Carbonic Acid being drive
off by the boiling required.
Thus it will be seen from the result
obtained in the examination of the waite
furnished to the city that its aeration i
at present thorough, leaving nothing tC
be desired. This is, no doubt, laIgel,
due to the great extent of surface of thu
reservoirs in proportion to their depth
thus exposing their contents freely to tn,
action of light and air. Several othe
analyses have been made, the results o
which confirm those given above, ant
which 1t is therefore not necessary to oc
cupy space in given. Some other expert
ments of different character which i
was intended to include in this report
not being yet finished, are therefore neces
sarily omitted.