The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-06
THE WATER QUESTION.
A Crowd of Witnesses as to the
1nadequacy Of the Greek
IND THE VARIOUS OBJECTIONS
To tina, Source of Water supply---It
Goes Dry In summcr---sOmo New
suggestions on the General Subject
ola Water supply for the City.


Tho nublic interest in the question Of
nure water supply for Wheelingseems
- crow deeper and more general daily,
and almost every day some new sug-
,..,ion is made in the matter. DIR. Ash
s,ook, who stirred up good deal OF
discussion by his contributions in OPP
,osition to Wheeling creek as a source
isnpply returns to the attack armed
with formidable proofs to sustain his
eide Of the case. The doctor suggests
,bo, il it can be shown that Wheeling
r,cek does not furnish all the year
round enough water for the needs of the
ri,y and this can be established with
oat expanding any money, it would be
foolish to cxpcnd 500 orsl,OOO to inves-
.i,,,c that question. lie hands the IN
.2IrIGrycrR two letters he has recently
,"rriyed, which are Interesting, and
hear directly on the question at issue.
pr, W. II. McCollum, of Dallas, writes
an interesting letter, sustaining every
statement DR.. AshbroOk made about the
creek lie says he has practiced medi-
sine for twenty wears along Wheeling
cyprk and its tributaries, and in that
lime typhoid fever and some other cpl
denies have been very common. He
says these diseases are not attributable
~ had drinking water, because good
wells and springs abound along the
creek valley, and few OF the wells are
an lower ground than the outhouses or
stables. lie attributes the difficulty to
Tie poisoning OF the air by emnnatioDs
from deul animals half covered by the
waters OF the creek.
Dr. McColum says: ~ have seen
me creek so low in the summer that
there was no water running at all,
eycep. what might be filtcring through
The sand beneath the surface. A five
inch pipe would drain it often in very
short time. =,
pr. McCoiIum iaYors the idea OF wells,
thinking that this system would assure
pure water in abundant quantities. He
suggests anew scheme, however, which
he seems to think solves the difficulty.
This is to use current Of electricity in
the delivery pipe at the basin. He says
this will destroy the disease germs; sit
seems to me that nothing would be
easier or more certain TO destroy
absolutely every microbe. A dynamo
With Gu pacity OF COO to 1000 volts
would do tho work for millions OF
gallons daily. Put section OF insulated
pIpe in the delivery and lot the wire
extend into the water passing through
the pipe. do not think the smallest
organism could exist"
Dr. ]. W. Abercrombie, OF Dallas, also
writes to DR.. Ashbrook, confirming his
statements us to the prevalence Of
typhoid, and he adds:
II have seen the waters OF Wheeling
creek SO low that ut many points all
Israel could have crossed over with
sandals as dry as though they walkedon
the sands OF the, desert. What little
water there was found its way down the
bcdoithe stream by percolating beneath
the surface Of the creeks sandy bed.
Along the course OF the stream one
would find here and there pools Of
water, generally near the bank, beneath
the roots OF an old, large sycamore, and
what fish were left alive gathered in
these pools, under a green scum"
A well.known physician Of the city
said to an ISTELLIGENcER reporter last
night that il the water now furnished
by the city water works is boiled and
filtered, it is rendered practically pure.
il it seems insipid to the taste, shaking
will acrate it and restore something OF
the natural taste OF unboiled water.
This physician says that out in the
country on both sides of the river, and
in towns where neither river water nor
creek water is used, typhoid fever is us
prevalent as in Wheeling, so that some
other source for the disease must be
found than the use OF the river water,