The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-03
DIR. NIcGHI Thinks a Remedy to
Purify Water Can he Employed.

DIR. McGiII Thinks a Remedy to
Purify Water Can he Employed.
DR.. McGill, when interviewed about the
water, said:-"Typhoid fever is usually
prevalent during this season of the year, but
in my individual practice l have found more
cases of that disease during these summer
months than at any time within my recollec-
ton. Whether this is solely due to the nasty
Passaic drinking water is a question 1t is,
however, certain that if the water was com
paratively pure there would not be such a
large number of cases.
1.-The trouble is, that bad and loath-
some as our water is, it cltl-
Gems would adopt a very simple plan.
our drinking water would be fairly good
stuff to drink. | use it daily in my family,
but first / filter it and then boil it. By filter
ing the faucet water you get rid OF all the
dirt and other matters, held in suspension,
and by boiling it up to about pig degrees
Fahrenheit. all the germs Of animal
life. bacteria and baciIli will
be completely DESTROYED. There can be no
doubt upon that point. All physicians agree
here. Now, if our citizens would take that
trouble there need be no cutlery as to the
water. Mind l don't say that we shouldn't
advocate a new water supply. That is badly
needed and some steps III that direction
should be Immediately taken. 1t will, how
ever. take years before that supply is an ac-
complished fact, and in the meantime We
must drink Passaic water.
The poor and Ignorant, however, it seems
to Inc. will not try to remedy things by
filtration and boiling. II we could induce
them to adopt this simple method have sug-
gested they would be able to drink the water
with pleasure and safety
When DR.. Varick. President of the County
Board of Health, was asked if be thought
sickness could be traced to the vile condition
of the water, he replied
81 dou't believe that Passaic water has
caused any sickness. and | have not advised
my patients not to drink it. / have drunk
it ali nv life, and l nave not vet felt any
evil effects from it. II people would only
see to it that the hydrants were blown off
occasionally, they would find the water to
be much purer and better. l have been on
the Passaic River above the Jersey City In
take, and | never saw anything wrong with
the water there"
Have you found any increase in typhoid
fever or cholera ~infantum 'casesy2
Il nave not. | nave not had a case of
cholera nfantum this year, and typhoid
cases have been rare.
Clerk Rooney OF the County Board of
Health said today that for July last there
were sixty-four deaths from cholera infan-
tum and four deaths from typhoid fever.
For the corresponding month in 1898 there
were fifty-five deaths from cholera lnfantum
and six deaths from typhoid fever These
statistics show an increase OF nine deaths
from cholera infantum and a decrease OF
deaths from typhoid fever.
NO PASSAIC AT SNAKE HILL.
Warden Ryan of the Almsbouse said,
when questioned about the health of the in
mates, that it had never been better. he
said that cholera infantum cases were rare,
and that there had not been any typhoid
fever there at all.
II attribute this general good health, he
said, sto the fact that no one at the Aims
house is permitted to drink Passaic water.
We cart all the drinking water from the
artesian well which the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western Railroad Company has
sunk near Snak Hill"