The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-08-24
HOW FILTERS WORK.
Catch All Matters That
Are Held In Sus-
pense.
THEY CLARITY THE WATER.
Bat Do Not Purify 1t or Make 1t
Safe to Drink-Disease Germs
Can Not Be Eliminated.

Water Commissioners. Since the disease
became epidemic scores of reputable
physicians have discussed the Passaic
water as the cause, aud thus far not
single physician has attempted to defend
the water. The terrible black. Shiny and
atrociously smelling disease breeder has
no defender.
The condition Of the Passaic River is
even worse today than it was week
ago. and It viii be worse next Monday
than it is today. The garbage dumped
into water by half dozen sewers in
Passaic Is bound 10 increase as the sum-
mer draws to close. Fruit aud other
vegetable matter at this period becomes
most abundant and the sewage Increases
noticeabiy. The rain of last night, pro
fuse as it was, had no otner effect on the
Passaic River than 10 render its water
more foul BY surface drainage. The
water is no higher. IL flushed the
Passaic city sewers however and forced
an increased amount OF sewage in the
river.
An itineraDt dispenser of filters called
at my house Saturday to sell one. 1t was
a small contrivanoe and very simple. 1t
consisted OF solid brass adjustment two
inches long with a strong wire sieve in
side. On top of the sieve was compactly
pressed piece OF sponge. While show
ing me the filter and explaining its work
ings ! asked the vendor IL be sold many.
"Yes, sir; have sold q very large num-
Der. and il the people In this city don't
get a new water supply soon Will make
fortune. i don't misrepresent my pat
ent filter. / don't claim that It will take
from Passaic water the poison that thor
ougnly permeates it. Nothing that man
ever made could do this, in my opinion.
simply claim that the filter prevents
a. ~ III
being used. The poison Is in the water,
and thousand filters would not dispell
it. As / said, 1t will only make the water
less dirty. / will show you, and you can
Judge for yourself"
The intelligent vendor followed me to
the kitchen and adjusted his filter to a
faucet. He permitted the water to run
through it i've minutes. Then he filed a.
glass with the element and passed 1t to
me- To the naked eve the water looked
very clear. There was no sediment in
the glass.
You. of course, notice that there is
yellowish tinRe to the water, said the
we'll informed vendor. That / do not
pretend to remove. Nothing but chemi-
Gals can do that and no matter what COM
panies claim that use chemicals, they can
not destroy the germs of typhoid fever
although they produce water as clear as
crystal. Now look here" continued the
man of filters as be unscrewed his little
machine and drew from IL piece OF
sponge.
WHAT THE SPONGE SHOWED.
/ examined the sponge and found 1t to
be filed with Shiny substance which
stained my hand a dark brown when |
pierced it. A closer examination showed
me that the sponge was filled with sedi-
ment It was SO fine that it would not be
noticed in glass of water. A glass was
then drawn from the faucet without
passing through the filter. In very
short time the bottom of the goblet was
discolored l poured the water out and
placed my finger on the bottom OF the
glass. II felt Shiny and reminded me OF
my boyhood's days when l waded in mud
puddles and let mud ooze between my
toes. remarked this to the vendor who
laughed and said
"You are convinced that 1 have told
you the truth. AS said before, my FL
ter will not remove the poison in the
water. but it will make it look more pal
atable."
( bought the filter and began to ponder
over the necessity for one. II is decidedly
wrong that city as rich rs this should
DO and care so little for the health of it's
people. l realized that rich as tie city is,
yet its enormous debt ap-
peared to be about all that the
people can well stand. Then again, l
realize that this is a case OF life and
ones had gone TO their graves from
zymotic diseases superinduced by this
horrible water. Cases of tYph old fever
that prove fatal are reported at the
County Board of Health, but hundreds
Of cases not fatal are never heard OF.
How many of these cases of sickness were
directly due to the bad water? Not being
able to answer this question. called on
a physician who for ten years past has
made Passaic water study. told him
what 1 desird TO know, and he re
plied:-
A STARTLING STATEMENT.
do not use my name in this connec-
tion and / will tell you what think
about il. The authorities of this city
ought to be indicted and tried for mur-
der" he exclaimed suddenly.
at is because OF their neglect
that during the past ten years thousands
II say advisedly thousands-of human
beings have been sent to eternity The
Passaic River is as full of typhoid fever.
typhoid malaria and children's diseases
as an egg Is full of meat, Nothing but a
kind Providence has prevented an epi-
demic of typhus fever thus far, and now
l hear the first warning note Of this
scource has made IFS appearance in New
ark THE JERSEY CITY NEWS told the
people OF this last week repeatedly, when
with commendable enterprise iE reported
Newark, where, within two days. nifty
cases and four fatalities were reported 10
the health authorities.
1--WE must have pure water No being
can be well without it. IL is life It is
more essential than meat Vie water.
poisoned by the germs of disease that
emanate from eity's sewer. Is bound 70
create death. This poison does its work
slowly. 1t gradually permeates the sys-
tenn. The victim feels lsnguid- He is
not sick enough to call in physician aud
not well enough to attend to business
Slowly but surely he becomes worse be
has malaria. Ii it Is not checked in time
it becomes typhoid malaria or typhoid
fever, or that awful contagious disease,
typhus fever. / tell you. sir, we must
have pure water"
but how can we get itf'
81 know what you mean. You think
think the city'can not afford the cost. In
cases of life and death money should not
be considered The city has two ways TO
procure the water with but trifling cost
to the present generation. Ii can build
it's own water works and pay for them
with long bonds The new water supply
would be tor the use OF the people of
the future as well as the present. Let
the people of the future pay for the bene-
DC we give them By making it compulsory
for them to redeem the bonds issued to
get a supply Of water The people OF the
pressDf arc ettv{nE 10 itereess fheshc&vy
debt now on their shoulders. All we.
would be compelled to pay would ee IN