Sharp County record., 1885-07-23
DRINKING WATER.
Necessity That 1t Should BE Aosoiu'oiy
Free from Impurity'

Free from lmpurlty'
The average healthy adult man taxes
into his system four and half pounds
of water daily, and with it too often
dangerous quantity of foreign matter
and disease producing germs. In very
many homes during the summer
months water that otherwise would
nauseate the drinker is made cold by
ice and then is hastily swallowed, the
coldness masking its otfenslveness'
Unfortunately for the health OF the con-
SINNER the addition of ice does not
render the impurities in water innocu-
OILS. but often adds to it its own contrl-
hutton of disease germs. Those who
have studied the subject are aware that
impure drinking water is the cause OF
MANY of the most common diseases
No subject, then, is of greater impor-
tance to the public than how to purify
our drinking water. Water, if drawn
through lead and tin pipes, often be-
comes contaminated with these metals
to q dangerous extent Where water
remains in a lead pipe for twenty-tour
hours, and is then drawn off and drank,
there is always danger of lead poison
mo 1t is ALWAYS safer to let the water
run for several minutes before using
anv for drinking purposes. Boiling the
water DESTROYS some germs. but does
not remove impurities in solution. An
alvses of water from city wells have
frequently shown it to be so impure as
to be utterly unfit for drinking pur-
poses, and dangerous to health. The
use of rain water caught in cisterns,
with suitable precautions, will obylate
most dangers from the present supplies
of many cities, but unfortunately, few
persons can take these suitable pre-
cautions" A clean roof to collect the
rain, clean pipes to transport, and
clean. well-ventilated cistern to receive
it, are essential. Water stored in
close cistern soon becomes unfit for
use. Many waters that appear clear
are full of impurities and dangerous to
health DR.. Ezra Hunt says: There are
many waters used for drinking which,
if kept few days in long glass tube,
half full and corked, will, on opening,
emit much odor from the change in the
suspended or dissolved ingredients they
contain" The large majority of peo-
pie in cities mast depend for water
on the public supply, hence it
is of the utmost Importance to
the public health that the purest water
attainable be secured; this, unfortunate
". is often very impure. The only safe
guard to the consumer is in giving his
personal attention to the filtration OF
the water used in his household. Water
slowly percolated through crushed
vegetable charcoal will escape from it
not only cleansed of particles held in
suspension, but also of organic and
other matter. The cheapness OF char
coal is such that it is obtainable by all
classes, and when soiled, fresh guam
tity can be substituted at trifling cost
The most effective filtration is obtained
by placing crushed charcoal in an
earthen vessel, so arranged as to COM
pei the slow passage of the water
through it, as all efforts at rapid tiltra-
ton have proved inefficient. Only
wooden spigots should be used in draw
ing off the water. A reservoir for the
filtered water with separate ice
chamber will permit the water to be
sufficiently chilled and keep all ice i'm
purities out. Such contrivance re-
quires but very little room, is easily
cleaned, the coal easily renewed and
is efficient in freeing water from i'm
purities. Dr.. HoWe, in american Agrt'
culturiSt.