Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-08-31


New YoRK, Aug. 30.-Only in late |
years has the Importance Of pure drinking |
water como 10 be generally recognized. |
Even today q large element in the com
munity refuses to act upon the sugges-
tons Of the health authorities, and wher-
ever and whenever it can uses the cool
and sparkling but dangerous water of
city wells in preference to the purer fluid
supplied by the municipal authorities.
Only within tho current decade have the
local boards Of health opened war upon
these ancient wells and even at the
present moment few arc atill in contin-
nous use in New York, Brooklyn Chi
cagO, Philadelphia. Boston and other great
ccnters of population
In view Of this crusade against tho well
and pump. and especially in view OF the
enormous labor and expense involved in
the aqueduct and reservoir system so
universal in the United States three Of
which, the famous Cochituate, Croton
and Hollywood having cost over $50 000,-
600 up to date, it will surprise most
readers to learn that the drinking water
supplied by municipalities is seldom if
ever pure, is generally so impure as to be
fraught with danger, and in some in
stances is unwholesome if not disease
producing or poisonous. Yet such are
the conclusions TO DO drawn from the la
borious examinations, chemical and micro
SCOPE, still being made under semi official
authority and sanction by tho leading
scientists of the land.
The history of these Investigations is a
bright chapter in the administrations Of
Presidents Hayes, Garfield and Arthur.
AT the request Of physicians from all parts
Of the country, the national board of
health in 1880 engaged Professor Raphael
Pumpelly and DR.. George A. Smith to in
vestigate the fltering capacity of the diff
ferent American soils and ascertain how
far Objectionable substances were removed
or destroyed by natural means. In the
following year they retained Professor J.
w. Mallet, Of the University of Virginia,
to analyze the drinking waters of the
country. The work proved too much for
one man. and he was soon after assisted
by DR.. Charles Smart, u. s. A., of the ma
tional board of health Professors w. A.
Moves and H. Newell Martin, Of Johns
Hopkins university. and DR.. J. A. Tanner,
U. 5. n. In 1888 the government pub
lished brief report of their labors Since
then over twenty official publications
have shown tho progress Of the work from
year to year. Tho vital Importance of the
topic engaged scientific attention generally
and most of the leading physicists have
made valuable contributions to the worl,
| as il progressed. At tho present moment
it is estimated that there are over % COG
s reports OF water analyses in the posses
sion OF the national health board. These
are TO be tabulated.
e.
The aim Of these investigations has
been very broad and liberal The emf
frt aIturnra f,f tl,p 40. Il
termined to give the work a sanitary as
well as . chemical value, and have sue
ceeded remarkably well in their endeavor
Besides the dry and technical chemica
composition Of each water examined, thel
also give q classification based upon ny
G gienic considerations into good ''sus
d picious," harmful" doubtful" Gin
pure" and medium Good" drinking
O water is SO rare that the word seldom ap
e pears in the reports.
Tho examinations are dry and prosai
on their face, but when translated int
= daily speech are Of profound interest.
u The greatest surprise is the water o
e Chicago. This, as is well known,
n pumped from Lake Michigan at such
Vt distance from tho land and such dept
lie from the surface as to insure pur
N liquid the year through. It seems no'
.e that the theory has not been borno on
Y by practice, and that at times sewag
re and other dccaying matter render the lax
re water not only harmful but dangerous
In the past year it has been so bad as {
receive the outspolSen denunciation of til
Illinois state board Of health and nun
ie Der Of the most distinguished chemist
4 here and abroad.
al The evil is remedied by many privai
Ia citizens by straining and fltering, and
m movement is on foot to purify the entil
an supply by treatment with alum and SUI
"a sequent iiltering.
"a Philadelphia pumps it's drinking mat
y, rial from the Schuyllxill river, and enio'
" the success that the Quakers always ha'
q in life. The water is of medium purity, al
L is comparatively uniform IN quality Il
A, year through. In the past two yea
- there have been complaints of sewage.
\. Washington drinks Potomac riv
n, water In April, May and June this is
= doubtful character; from September
~ November, bad; occasionally It is simp
:" vile. If one of these last occasions shou
ns coincide with an epidemic or with We
y. unhealthful weather, fearful death IA
',n would result.
90 Titusville, Pa. draws its chief supp
* from driven wells. The resulting liqu
Is UkNf44NltSNAlt Nil4 At AAlto INlSUuDl
ran One series of analyses showed il TO CO
oW tain so much foul drainage rs to be l
.fh terly unfit for human use. II has pi
or duced two slight cpidemics and is lial
ne ut any time to create q third.
aN The Cochituate, which is used by Jo
nd I. Sullivon's town, originally a typica
zen pure water, has fallen fromits high est;
Isl and is now classified as ''impure" q
iys between fair and suspicious. Its ch,
n. acter is changing owing 90 the incrcas
rye amount OF decay in the surface water.
cid Baltimore has two sources Of supp
rk- Lake Roland and Gunpowder river 7
ich water of the former is impure and modi
lry nal in character, and that Of tho latter
did markedly good Patent medicine maI
to facturers wish TO close the first, Us its
n a interferes with trade.
any Tho Hollywood, Of Brooklyn, was
for merly the purest water in the Uni
the States. Tho growth Of manufactures Z
'ep- population in Queens and Suffolk count
the and. above all, the increasing of the s.
his ply by the use Of hundreds Of small dri'
of wells, which collect sewage and surf
water. have augmented the amount
sediment and decaying matter in
Hollywood, and reduced it to a third 81
let water. This deterioration is continue
was and viii necessitate ere long the empl
me ment Of powerful filtering apparatus
To,v The Croton. which forms the sole s
rite ply az New York city, grows worse fl
arv year to year. This deterioration is
v5s In very small part to the growth Of pc
Iatfoi1 1-rou tho (rrtOn water she'd