The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-02-03
THE POLLUTED WATERS
Expert Testimony Being
Taken in Reference to
the PaSSaic River.

The taking Of testimony in the matter
of the pollution of the Passaic water was
continued this morning before Master in
Chancery, Walter knight. in the Chan
Gerry Court. Room. Newark. Colonel Price
aud Counsellor McCarter appeared for the
city Of Newark, ex-senator Edwards and
Counsellor Russ for Jersey City, and
Senator Griggs for Passaic.
The first witness called was Professor
Leeds. of Stevens College of Technology
of Hoboken. He said he was professor Of
chemistry in the college since 1871. the
time OF its organization, and prior TO that
time had been professor of chemistry at
Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. he
was q graduate of Harvard College, and
had devoted all his time to the study Of
chemistry, giving special attention to
the subject of the pollution OF water, and
especially of the Passaic River water,
having been EMPLOYED by the Joint Board
of Pollution Of New Jersey from 1881 to
1855.
he said he visited the Passaic River
about once a month, or when circum-
stances would require. He would make
an examination or the water in boat, or
perhaps in a conveyance on land or afoot,
and would examine such places as he
thought were important and should be
taken cognizance Of. Where he
| thought there was a special source OF
danger he would examine. He instructed
the inspector 10 get the samples of water he
analysed at certain places. and these
samples were sent him in specially
sealed jars, in box with lock and key i.
SO that they could not In transit be
tampered with. The bottles were marked
and labeled. The inspection of the river
he made extended from Little Falls above
Paterson to the entrance of the jersey
City pumping station, about one-haf or
three-fourths OF mile. He was
thoroughly familiar with the place. He
was familiar with the case, aud also with
| the Passaic plan of sewage OF Colonel
| Waering. The system was what Is called
the separate system
| Prof. Leeds was asked to enumerate all
substances deleterious to health in the
| sewage matter, but said IL would be tedi-
Gus. so he classified the subjects into
three groups.
/. heterogeneous organic substances,
which In their chemical nature are simi-
lar in general way to the white Of an
egg or albumin. The are called albumi-
noids, and wnen they decompose, give
rise to aibuminoid ammonia, and are
usually reported in analysis as being
measured by the amount OF albuminons
matter contained.
2. Substances derived from decomposl-
| tion, with putrefactlon, with the bodies
of the first class. They are toxic in their
nature and are called ptonamins.
3. Glass are living particles, some
of vegetable and others OF animal
origin. which are called mic
robes, aud sometimes called
| bacteria. These living particles are
| thrown off the person during the process
| of excrement and constitute what are
popularity called germs, some harmless
| and others fatal to life. The latter are
called the pathagenic facteria-
| The diseases which are attributable to
| the third class, that is for germs In the
water, are typhoid fever and Asiatio
| cholera Water becomes affected with
| these germs from the excrements of per-
SONS. VINO are themselves suffering from
| typhoid. 1t is generally recognized that
! typhoid fever is due to this.
| forms Of Cholera caused not so severe as
Asiatic cholera, but which cause much
suffering and sometimes death.
The effect OF water OF the first class is
to impair the system. Prof. Leeds stated
| that in his opinion all the elements clas-
! sitied above entered into the Passaic sew
/ age system. He explained the difference
| between pure and adulterated water and
| gave an instance in his professional
career where an epidemic of typhoid
fever in Plymouth, Pa. was done to the
excremenL of a typhoid patient entering
| the drinking water OF the town, whereby
over one thousand three hundred persons
I at one time had typhoid fever and over
one hundred persons died.