The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-08-24

The City Council should Take Action to
Prevent the Causes OF Disease.

!
Editor of the Times
In his card published in The TIMES o
Sunday. the 2lst. the Superintendent of thu
Water Works has dismissed further discus
sion of the city drinking water so far as h'
il concerned and relegated the matter tC
the City Council.
IL is 20 be hoped that this body. some of
whom think the subject worthy OF consid
| grafton, will take steps toward thorough
I investigation of all matters pertaining e
/ the sanitary condition OF the city by com
petent person who has not been influenced
| by this controversy or had his opinion fixed
| BY imaginary or any other causes. one way
! or the other. This IL reasonable request
/ 70 make of those in whose hands IS placed
| not only the protection of our lives and
property, but the promotion OF our health
/ and comfort
A highly esteemed citizen. whose cOnser-
vatye advice in matters pertaining to our
city is often sought and rightly valued, sug-
eests the employment of sanitary engineer
TO examine into these matters and the
medical committee had taken steps IN this
direction after their report had been laid on
the table by the board of directors Of the
Chamber of Commerce.
This will at least do no harm. The fees
paid TO a sanitary engineer Of repute would
be well spent if on his advice the name Of
our city could be lowered one line on the
death-roll now published 10 the world, and
if this result is impossible we can at least
submit to the inevitable with more resigna-
ton.
These points seem TO have been made in
the papers heretofore published: The
canal receives the drainage of large sur
face. great deal of which is suspected Of
contamination. and some OF il proved 70 be
so. and all of II likely TO be so in time. The
condition Of the drinking water has been
the subject of inquiry for several years. and
the Board OF Health advised drawing the
water from the river direct more than SIX
years ago, aud this was the original plan of
the Water Committee of the City Council.
That the Superintendent of the Water
Works agrees with the Board of Health OF
six years since and advises a settling basin
20 be supplied from the river direct rather
than from the canal. although for reasons
stated from a higher point than that recon-
mended by the committee and others. And
be further admits. although not In terms
the difficulty Of policing the territory now
drained by the canal in stating that ordi-
nances and regulations relating % contami-
nation OF the water We're made previous 10
his connection with the department in 1885.
before the report and advice of the Board Of
Health. of which DR.. II. G.. Cabell was pres
ident. was obtained, and yet tho conditions
at the Philadelphia quarry. mentioned by
the medical committee in their report 70
the Chamber of Commerce last year. existed
at that time six years ago and continued 20
exist up TO less than two weeks since: aud
the same eau be said Of the drainage from
the dairy farms on tributaries a few miles
further west. This much may be considered
admitted
But chemical analyses of water from river.
canal and hydrants have been made by
competent men who say that all these are
purer than that of other citie8 whose water
is considered wholesome; and, further. that
biologists say that specimens from the city
hydrants contain but few bacteria and those
of a character not known 10 be noxious
To this it was replied This may be true at
time when the drainage is mainly from
spring. as in dry weather, and widely other
wise after rain. which would cleanse the
surfaces contaminated during the dry
weather. A physician Of high repute says
that single case of disease which car be
transmitted by its baccllus occurring IN
these water courses may cause an epidemic
of the same disease In this city and this IS
only fact well known 10 all physicians.
The water may be free from germs of dis
ease to-day and highly dangerous from
them tomorrow
These bacill OF germs are very minute.
Authorities were quoted by the committee
stating that n million may flourish in a tea
spoonful of water. limped 70 the unaded
eve and offering no residum for a chemists
analysis and yet every one of them carries
the power and potency" of disease. II may
be of typhoid fever or of some other cpl |
demic, according to its species.