The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-02-04
SCIENTIFIC NASTINESS.
Expert Testimony as to the
Pollution Of the
PasSa1c.
TYPHOID TRACED TO IT.
Water Companies Devices for Puri-
fcation-sewsge Disposal.

Ane baktn0 OF expert testimony ID the
matter OF the Passaic water pollution
case was continued yesterday afternoon
attne Chaucellor's Chambers in the Globe
building. Newark. fun account Of the
morning session was published In the
JERSEY CITY NEWS Of yesterday. Coun-
sellor Robert MeCarter continued the
examination Of Prof. Leeds.
In continuation Of his testimony pub
lished yesterday. Prof. Leeds said that it
was generally understood that typhoid
fever germs in persons system result
from the contamination Of drinking
water BY house sewage. He said there
were many cases on record besides that OF
Plymouth where typhoid fever had re-
suited from the same cause, notably in
the village of Lausanne and the recent
epidemic near Rochester. y. r., where
the inhabitants of a village were attacked
by typhoid fever. and the typhoid baciln
were found In the drinking water they
were using.
WATER COMPANIES USE PRKvExTrvEs
he said that water companies OF many
places have taken precautions TO prevent
typhoid fever from exreta. The best
plan was tnat of Glasgow, where the wa
ter authorities have purchased the enfirs
border Of the lake from which the water
Is obtained At Plymouth the water has
prevented the entrance OF any sewage
matter into the water course, and ia
Philadelphia he said he knew that IN
many cases the people who had been
emptying sewage into the Schuylklll
were compelled BY process Of law to dis
continue IL.
Prof Leeds also testified that at a dis
tance of four-and -a-haIf miles down the
river he found that impurities emDtiad
into the water at Passaic still existed In
quantities sufficient to be deleterious to
the health OF consumers OF the water, and
that If there had been disease
germs they would have been car
ried into the systems of persons drink
ing the water. He said that the auantf-
ties Of impurities found at the distance
named woald have imperilled the health
of the persons drinking the water. The
distance aud other conditions Of the
river were not sufficient, in his iud9-
ment, TO cause complete oxidation of the
sewage matter emptied into the river at
Passaic before 1t reaches the intake 1T
Belleville.
Mr.. McCarter asked, $40 what extent
will oxidation take place in the sewage Of
Passaic before it reaches the Newark in
takef" To which Prof Iced answered,
TO 50 moderate an extent that consid-
erable portion of the rcxious sewage
Of Passaic viii ind its way into the IN
take"
Are there any seasons Of the year
when oxidation is more likely to take
place than othersy"
When there is not coating Of ice on
the water. When there is perfect cost
ing OF ice, so as to exclude the air. there
Is little. II any, oxidation"
VARIOUS MEANS OF DIsPosING OF SEWAGE.
As to some other means Of disposing of
sewage than by emptYing into water
courses, Prof. Leeds said there were yari-
Gus means OF doing this by artificial aids,
the best being by the use of acids and the
other by the use Of EARTH He mentioned
the works at East Orange, where the
sewage is put through a chemical process
70 purify it, and then disposed OF by food
ing lands set aside for that purpose. and
said that the same system could De eco
nomically adopted By the city of Passalc.
Furthermore, he said that it would Do
practicable for Passaic 10 use some sucn
system with its present system Of pipes.
SENATOR GRIGGs EXAMINES.
Senator Griggs, Tor Passalc, then cross
examined the witness. The first part OF
the examination was In reference to the
analysis made oy the witness and others
whom he had quoted. Prof. Leeds stated
that nearly ali natural waters contain
microbes. and that hundreds of species
have been classified, out most of them
are harmless. and they can be dis
tingulshed from the microbes that pro-
duce disease. OF the latter he mentioned
the typhoid germs and the common bacil-
lus OF cholera.
Senator Griggs here produced some
newspaper clippings purportlng TO be an
account of a lecture delivered by Prof.
Leeds In 1883. in which the professor was
quoted as saying that no disease had been
known in Newark and PasSaic traceable
to the use of the Passslie River as drink-
ing water. The professor answ cred it
was true in so far any physician al that
time could make an investigation. The
injury 10 the water supply of New ark
would be prOportionate 70 the amount or
sewage which entered the Newark in
take.
Another pamphlet published May 26,
1887, and written by Prof. Leeds, was
then introduced by Senator Griggs, In
which the professor said that another
source Of pollution TO the Passaic is New
ark ITSELF" The professor acknowledged
writing il, but said later Investigations
led him 70 modify his opinion. but ne
said, in justice 10 his WORK and the city Of
Newark. pollution could be found az the
Jersey City and Newark intakes. An-
other passage in the pamphlet was read
TO the effect that the Inhabitants of New
ark and Jersey City drank their own sew
age, which the professor acknowledged
he had written.
TYPHOID TRACED TO THE PAssAIC.
He said typhoid lever could be traced
run the NAteES OF the Ed>cGlc N Jersey
City from the tables of the Bureau Of
Vital Statistics. As to whether Pater-
son suffered from typnoid, he
knew not. At no time since
1851, did ne know of the waters in the
Passaic being wholesome bat IT could
have been purified by proper processes
He further said that the river had reached
such state of pollution that be did not
think it advisable TO add even half an
ounce of sewage from any point OF the
river.
Other extracts were read from the parn-
phlet by Senator Griggs. which told of
the pollution carried BY the sewage from
Belleville. Bloomfield, Montelair and
other places.
EEwARKERS ARE ndPERTLLED-
Prof. Leeds was then asked BY Mr.
McCarter IL IL was "A fair conclusion TO ar
rive ~ tnat Newark people are not lmper-
ilIed in their health by the pollution OF
the Passaie. TO which he answered 1t was
not, aud further said that the sewage Of
Passaie would add very much 10 the ex-
iS<ing danger. Hoboken. he saids got lis
water iron the hackeDsack, having
ceased taxing the Passaie water seule
years ago, anc since that time d1minu-
tiou Ii its death rate was noticeable
An Adjournment was here taken TOR the
dag.
Hudson ctrcait Court