Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-05-24
THE WATER We DRINK.
Dangerous Character Of Some Of
the GrtsSiaa Wells.
THOSE IN LIBERTY PARK
Are Not al Pare. - Precautions
Necessary 10 troid Bad Results.

s yscessarr 70 truid Bad Results.
among the most generally usef'
and practiclI Of the results Of chem
iraI Investigation are the anaiyse
and tests on f05d materials. Adul
tcra.i0ns In manufactured product
are today almost tie uuiverzal rule
and poisonous additions to the sta
pie articles Of diet are by no mean
uncommon. Chemical analysis mas
with IFS mystic -ccr.re, pointed t,
many OF these, and in-principle,
manufacturers find It necessary Il
move with great caution in thei
. Injurious practices.
Scarcely, il at all less general, ar,
/ the cases OF vitiation Of the natura
articles Of human consumption
Many modern homes, embellishet
perhaps with all the accessories that
luxury can suggest and wealth
afford, are wUfuliy lacking in mean:
. or securing even moderate access Of
rure air-th3t indispensable agent
. at cleanliness and that essential OF
life. Next to the purity Of the air
we breathe, in order OF Importance
to the human family, is that of the
water We drink. Physicians and
chemists are united in the knowl,
/ edge that a contaminated water sup
. piy j. an iufaIlibIe agent Of a long
I train Of contagious and terribly fatal
diseases.
Absolutely PURE iwaier, it should
be remembered, Is not 20 be found
Z IN Nature, and Is scarcely known
even 70 chemists. The reason for
this fact is that water Is 50 universal
n solvcu, that it diss0ives much Of
the material Of the soil through
which il UcrcOlatcs, and indeed
washes away something from almost
every substance with which it
comes in contact. Mineral matters,
such rs the compounds Of lime and
the like, which exist in almost every
sJiLlrc Of bat little il any detriment
o. drinking water unless present in
excessive quantities. Magnesium
salts are more injurious. bat they
are seldom present in large amounts
in natural water.
Sucn matters viii impart hand
hess 10 the water. seriously affecting
il for laundry purposes, hut even
twenty-five or thirty grains Of lime
compounds to the gallon Of water
viii seldom produce any serious de-
Engagements OF health. The impuri-
ties most to lie dreaded in potable
H-aters ara organic matters resulting
from the decay Of animal and vcge-
table substances. one Part Of such
matter in a million parts Of Wateris
sufficient to render the lquid
positively poisonous 20 the human
system. And such must APP
pear strange 1T first thought, for
all OF cur foods. wholesome and
otherwise, consist a.uC-. entirely Of
organic Substances.
The reason j. this: organic mat
teg ia Wa-eT ngurishes therein the
germs Of disease, and thus effects the
Ell.j spread q cuntagiOn. 1t has
been proved 10y the best authorities
upon the subject in the world that
cholera j. spread almost wholly
through the meiium Of drinking
water.
The municipal authorities Of New
\ ok City, few yeGrs ago, caused
a chemical investigation Of the wa
e. supply Of the metropolis: and rs
a result all the surface wells
in the city were condemned,
and an ordnance WAS pas-eI
all citizens 10 pro
cure their wafer for their houses
from their general supply pipes. :
The expense Of extending ihe ser
vice pipes throughout ,hr city and I
the necessary increase in the supply l
E5s immense, yet the statistics Of f.
New YORK showed that during The I.
following yedg sufficient was saved 7
from the decrease. outlay Tor medi- I
aal attendance % Che poor and for /
lauu-r hurials tc tctray most OF the |
cost.
This subject Possesses Z strong I
local interest In the community AZ I
present. Our mountain streams are !
II the purest, and the supply Of |
water from the city works above I
mFiaiut. but there are many local /
supplies drawn from surface wells /
and ar,esi1n pipes which are high
~ impure from 4 chemical stand 4
point.
Oar reporter recently called upon
Or. Jas. L. TalDage Of this city,
b recognized specialist in water anaiy-
SIS, and asked the geutlemau's
opinion upon the subject. he eN-
pressed his pleasure At the request \
nov before a committee OF the City 4
Council asking that the waters
II Liberty Park wells he properly 1
as ne himself had made
several analyses Of waters from the 1
Park, ami knew some O. the wells I
there situated to bc in 4 very impure /
condition. One of the wells the /
doctor especially characterized rs
and this is one from |
which many hundreds Of visitors, !
most o. them children. sometimes /
GCinS IL . single day. We learn 4
that there Is no assurance Of prJcuT- |
ing pure water from arlesjan wells; |
many Of such wells in this city are |
Of high order Of purity and others |
are simply filthy from their heavy |
contents Of materials from organic |
decay.
1t Is TO he hoped that the Council |
win take favorable action on the p,-
titiUn, and that the wells in tie
chief Of cur public pleasure grounds /
will o. thoroughly tc,tei, and all |
Objectionable sources be properly |
secured from common CONSUMPTION.
Livery person having upon his /
premises a local supply Of water
sauu!I have the liquid tested 10y a |
Competent chemist that its true IA |
;urc may Ice understood. Organic |
poison in water + among the slOwcst /
hut nevertheless the surest Of moi (
sons. Il viii render The system Of /
its consumer liable 10 almost any |
ami every form o! disease.
But little can be told Of the purity |
Of water from its general appear 1
aCcc or t3sle-that l. 20 say, while |
an ili-smclijug OF tai-tastiug sam |
p!eis sure TO be injurious. vet many |
clear sIarkliHg waters, cooling AMI /
pleasant 10 the taste, are reel,ing /
with r0iting filth.
Let us ali he alive 10 such dang
e-S, and remember in the case Of
water. as I'm other things.