The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-04-24
THE WATER QUESTION.
WHAT A GRRENVILLE CORRE.
SPONDENT THINKS OF THE
Recent Report OF the Committee
Qualification ~. Filtration
The Mississippi supply.
To the Editors of the Appeal

To the Editors Of the Appeal;
Although / am not a resident OF
your city, / have been much interested
in the "water question" which is now
agitating the minds Of your citizens,
and have read with much interest the
doings of the Water Committee and
sayings of correspondents. / was in
deed much surprised to see your cOm-
mittee adopt the Wolf river in prefer
ence TO the Mississippi as a source for
water supply for drinking and other
purposes. Granting that the Missis-
sippi contains larger amount Of sus-
pended matter, it has been proven by
many analyzers that it contains less
organic matter in solution than any
stream in America, and il the germ
theory OF diseass, which Is accepted
by the medical profession, causes the
various malerial troubles, then your
committee will have to give the Mis-.
sissippi river the preference.
lam not we'll enough acquainted with
the surroundings of Memphis to esti.
mate the cost for obtaining water from
the Mississippi, but am well satisfied,
were the cost 100000 more, it would
be much the cheaper, as your death
rate would decrease in the came pro
portion as it did after your city OBJ.
tanned a thorough system of sewerage.
was much surprised 10 sac Gen.
Greene suggest the Hyatt filtering ap'
psratus, for such quantities Of water
as the city of Memphis consumes
namely, 6,000,0 900 gallons daily, with
a probable increase. II the tilteIine
process possessed an advantage over
settling tanks, why, use 1t. But as IL
is a known fact that filtration removes
nothing more than the suspended mat.
ter and the organic matter is still in
solution, why, there is no ad.
vantage gained by the process
and is imprscticsble for such guam
titles, while the settling process
has proved a success and al
a much less cost. In the city Of st.
Louis, 10 March, 1883, there was 49,
000,0C0 gallons of water practically
clarified as fast il entered by the chem.
list of the New Orleans Water Works
Company for the nominal cost OF Lest
than one.half cent per 100 gallons, q
between $40 and $50 per 100000
while the cost will be much reduced
if the plant is furnished by the com.
pany and the chemicals manufactured
on the grounds for Qualification, and i
The process should be adopted it would
only require two settling reservoir
instead OF three, and the basins coulC
be of much mailer capacity than sug
gested by Gen. Greene, and the cost
of cleaning the RESI- rvoir would be
much less than by filtration.
The plan that Is suggested lie the one
that was adopted by the New Orleans
Water Works Company, and will be
in operation this summer beyond 9
doubt, if their suit with the city comes
to close.
l intended comparing more closely
the Mississippi and Wolf rivers as q
source Of water supply, but after hsv.
ing read the correspondence of RE
former" i find he has made the same
observations that have; so it would
be useless TO burden your paper with
the argument OF another. hope the
Water Committee will reconsider theil
resolution adopting the Wolf river as
source. JOS wADLY.
GREENvILLE, MISS, April 20, 1886.