Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-03-19
WHAT WE DRINK.
A Quincy Papers Grave View of
River Water
The Mis sissippi Charged With Being
an Iminense sewer and Only FIT for
such Purposes Unless Filteripg 1.
Generally Resorted TO.


GENERALLY Resorted TO.
The Quincy journal has the following
with reference to the consumption and
use OF Mississippi river water:
The Mississippi river is an open sewer.
Merely that and nothing more. There
Is not drop or pure water in it, and
there never will be. The filth that is de
posted in the river at Minneapolis and
81. Paul is in it. substant TALLY. at New
orleans. And the assertion that this is
not so IL born either of ignorance or self.
interest. This is all there is to 1t. Any
disease germ deposited in the Mississippi
at st. Anthony's falls may float out into
the gulf. This IS perfectly established
fact
Ham bal gets the sewage OF Quincy
fresh. That sewage comes from our hos
pltals az well as from our homes. 1t IL
full OF germs of disease. It is pumped
up at Hannibal. and served to her good
people 20 drink. These are the actual
cold facts. They cannot truthfully be
disputed or gainsaid. OF course Quincy
Is IN the same boat. precisely, that Han
nibal is in. II draws its water from the
same polluted source from the same
hlth-filled, disease-laden sewer.
Talk about civilization Pshawl Will
a civilized people dump all their offal,
empty all their privies. pour all their
hospita sewerage into the same stream
from which they take their drinking wa
ter uniltered2 Never neveril Our
grandchildren will never be able to un.
derstard how their grandparents could
be so unspeakably filthy, and so unac.
countably foolish. And they will won
der, too, that we lived as long as we do
Talk about bathingi Talk about clean
underc othing-clean collars and cuffsl
That's right Keep your skin clean wear
clean collars and cuffs-and drink sew
eragei
That is the civilization of this time,
this country. this valley. And disgrace
to us | is; aud an awful injury as we'll as
disgrace. is there any escape from this
condition, in this valley? science saws
there IS. A perfect escape But what
use TO mention il? II will cost some>
thing. II will cost those men something
who are getting big pay for furnishing
the people in this valley their own sewer
age. UNCHANGED, for drinking and cook
ing purposes. Money is expensive
Only hum n life Is cheap. So We say by
the WAY we live.
Pure water can be obtained by filter.
ing. There is no question about that
Every water company in this valley
should be compelled to filter their water
Nor would the cost be so great. The
plan is perfectly practicable and CON-
parat vely cheap. Every city council in
the valley should insist upon it, every
newspaper should strenuously advocate
It,
If the newspapers of every town
in the Mississippi valley would take a
strong stand in favor of pure water, in
favor of general cleanliness and good
health, they would confer an inestimable
bless ng upon the people OF this valley,
and would in turn be blessed by them.
The ideas advanced by our down river
contemporary are right, notwithstanding
that he is inclined to 90 a trifie into ex-
tremes and TO he somewhat sensational
in his conclusions The subject ia one of
vital importance-ss the journal says in
this same connection, it is tremendously
important-snd Rock Island, as other
river towns, will he just so much bstter
of from sanitary point of view when
all tie water that is brought into the city
for consumption is filtered. Sill. Rock
Island has more advantages than the
average city on the Mississippi. In con
nectiOn with its water works. which the
city owns, there Is sort of filtering pro-
cess or catch basin. and the water drawn
into the city passes into a well before il
strikes the inlet pipe. This affords a great
benefit to the city. The thick muddy
color of the river water at present is
probably traceable to the stirring up &C.
cssioned by the movement of the ice. A
reservoir Is the best thing Rock Island
can secure now. though II is believed the
TIM is not far remote when there will be
a great number OF artesian wells here,
and that people will not be so de.
per dant upon the great stream to quench
their thirst and do their cooking, etc.
The Quincy man. however, presents al
excellent view of the case, and any gen
ersl effort that could be inaugurated il
tht direction outlined would be in TIT
interests of public health, which is thu
first great aim of nature.