Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-06-10
CLEAR AND PURE WATER.
A Decided Distinction Between the
Two Kinds.
Reflections from the Present Muddy
Water--Pr0spects of a Filtertng
Process in Rock Island that All viii
Approve.

Nearly everyone has. no Coubt, OBJ
served the almost repulsive appearance
of the river water of late. and people
obliged to depend upon it for consump.
ton have condemned it as not fit for any
use. The Davenport DemOerd, has been
looking into this subject from A scientific
point of view, and here are the sensible
conclusions it arrives at:
G ear water is something much to be
desired. Clear water is by no means
pure water. Discolored water us it comes
directly from the Mississippi river rapids
and directly forced through service pipes
into dwellings is much more wholesome
than the clear water that has been for
days sweltering in the sun in great set.
Ting reservoir or basin. Better for a
people in sanitary point of view is this
direct service-better than water made
clear by stagnation. To this conclusion
have the best OF authorities come, and it
| is only common sense after all. Stagna-
| ton is followed by fermentation, the
| reservoir water becomes charged with
| caIbonic acid gas and loses its free oxy>
gen. In all these settling reservoirs mud
| accumulstes rapidly at the bottom, fer
| mentation is constantly at work-even
putrefactive fermentation. The water
becomes clear-but Qualification is not
publication. The consumer praises the
clear wster-drinks it. loves nm bathes
I in tilt is just what he wants-but the
rOily water coming direct from the river
rapids TO his table is far more wholesome
than this clear reservoir water Vegeta-
BILE contamination is what discolors The
Mississippi water, and such eontamina :
ton is harmless-nav. it is helpful-be-
ing one of natures efforts at p,riticstion
Better to be supplied with it than with
water that is maze clear through stagna
ton. The time has well nigh gone by
when settling basins are desirable. Clear
water is not necessarily pure-is not so
pure even as in its roily state-as COM
| ing directly from the river. A fter an ex.
animation of several waterworks plants in
| various parts of the country there comes
| to the writer but one cnnclusioT-namely,
that Davenport is blessed rather than
cursed in her wa er privileges Roily al
times though the water he, yet with this
water at its worst. and with or without q
Il
better far than any that is clarified in
settling basins. 1t is not so inviting 10
the glass or bath. but all that can he
easily remedied at home, besides it is
best that water be wholesome. Clarity
is later consideration. Clarity and
purity are not always neiehbors. Ifsuch
were the case artesian waters would be
pure. Together these qualities are mos,
desirable. To establish such union is
what the Davenport water works board
has been at work upon for months and
hopes to be able to accomplish.
so that the river water we are obliged
to use now is no; SO bad rs it looks; il
is like a singed Cat. But apropos of this
discussion it is a pleasure to ate that 1,
is not outside the range of possibility
that Rock Island will before long exper-
fence an entire reformation in the process
employed of affording water supply from
the Mississippi. and that the water which
falls from the Cable fountain in Spencer
square will be as clear as cry stall drops
| always. and that the water which passes
through the supply pipes into your kitch>
en- or your bath room will be not only
clear. but as pure as it is clear. A gem
tleman who has the highest interests OF
the city ever at heart and is philanthropy
ically disposed has N mind purpose al
putting in operation at the waterworks a
filtering device such as will subject all
|
oughly filtering process before it reaches
the pipe through which it caches the
consumer. The plan is a splendid one,
and will from all present Indications be
introduced in Rock Island before very
long.