People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1892-07-01

name, but he gets enough of it to make
one feel the courtesy and win every
bOdy'S good will.
1t may sound little queer, but the
patrons of shoeblacling establishments
are not all men. Women patronize
them extensively. There is pace on
Dearborn street which was told the
other day has eight hundred lady Gus
toners. And yet they say that women
have not equal rights with men.
Some efforts have been made lately
to disparage the water supply of Chi
cago, with view of lettering visitors
who might come to the worlds fair.
Now, while it is true that occasionally
during the time of spring freshets or
such visitations of the deluge as we had
this spring the water will be polluted
TO a certain extent, the fact is that as
general thing the water is better than
that of most other cities Especially
is this true during the summer
months when there are no heavy rains
to disturb the efficiency of the water
works. A brief description of the ex-
tensive establishment of the city of
Chicago to secure water will make it
apparent that there is but little proba-
bility ofpollution of the water The main
intake for the water is located in Lake
Michigan, over two miles from shore,
at what is known as the crib. A cylin-
der of nine feet diameter is surrounded
by strainers, that keep ont all gross
impurities, and descends to the bottom
of the lake, which is about fifty feet
deep at that point. Thence two large
tunnels conduct the water to the pump
ing stations, of which one is located on
the North side, the other on the West
| side. One of the tunnels, there
fore, has to pass under the riv-
er. In addition, there is a small
inlet at the north end of the
northeast breakwater. The water
supply will shortly be enlarged
by two additional tunnels, now almost
completed, of six feet each, running
out to a new crib four miles from shore
in eighty feet of water, where even the
worst impurities never reach it. To
guard more efectually against pollu-
ton of the water there are pumping
works at Bridgeport, on the south
branch of the Chicago river, which lift
from forty thousand to sixty thousand
cubic feet of water per minute into the
Illinois & Michigan canal. which flows
toward the Illinois river. Thus
under normal conditions a current
is created in the Chicago river
which, aided by water pumped
from the lake into the north branch at
Fullerton avenue Aushes the river with
lake water In this manner is created
another of the wonders of Chicago,
namely, that its river runs up hill
The water of Lake Michigan is better
than ordinary river water for drinking.
1t contains more minerals in solution
but fewer in suspension; it is heavier
fuller, has more body. Ordinarily, too
il is cooler, as it enters the intakes be-
low the surface where the summer heat
does not affect it materially. Recon:
investigations have shown that the wa,
ter at the four-mile crib contains NJ
more than about fifty micro-organ
isms per cubic centimeter, whereas
according to Prof. Koch one hupdred
is the limit which drinking water
may contain without being injurious to
health. Al the two-mile crib this
number was exceeded at the time of
the heavy rains, but ordinarily the
water at that point is of good quality.
In view of the fact that epidemic dis
eases are most generally communicated
by the drinking water this condition
of Chicago's water is highly important
for the worlds fair. On the fair
grounds water will be taken by a
special inlet built for that purpose.
II T. n Iut,-r,,.,-x-