The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-10
BAD WATER, VERY BAD,
Complaints Are Numerous
About the Spring Val
ley Kind.
HEALTH BOARD AROUSED
DR.. Lovelace Is Now Making a
Detailed Report for Next
Meeting.
NEED OF A CITY CHEMIST.
Roundabout Way of Obtaining Analy.
ses-Sutro'S Opinion on the
Supply Question.
NEED OF A CITY CHEMIST.

This is the substance of half hundred
complaints from different parts OF the City
that within the past few days have come
pouring into the Health Office.
ave keep getting them all the time like
that said Handel II. Zobel, the assistant
secretary of the Health Board, "and you
can say that the water is bad, very bad. 1t
is horriblel"
The Health Office is almost filled with
samples of the water in bottles. After
they stand little while they do not look
quite so bad as when they are first brought
in, they sort O. settle" as one critic ex-
pressed it, at any rate the water is trans
parent. What might be the result of an
ANALYSIS of these samples will hardly ap-
pear until a chemist is employed by the
City. At present there is no one to do the
work OF Analysing it seems.
One of the most persistent directors to
bad water has been Nathan NJ. Adler. a
Stockton-street restaurateur. Mr.. Adler
thus informs the authorities:
The water at my place, Is Stockton street,
is not fit to be drunk. l have informed the
Spring Valley Company, but they claim moth
ing can be done. | claim that the water re-
ferred to is menace to the health of the CRY.
l have already lost much of my trade on ac-
count OF it,
Secretary Godchaux showed a sample
which had been brought in by Stephen
Featherstone of 2544 Howard street. 1t was
suggestive of brown taste in ones mouth
ana yet twas supplied by the Spring Val
ley Company, said Mr.. Featherstone.
The San Francisco Bar Association has
complained, and vigorously ut that bad
water, wrote Secretary E. Burt Holiday;
''tastes bad, smells bad, looks bad and
comes from the Spring Valley Water Com
pany-" 1t is driving the best and bright
est members of the profession TO have q
bad opinion of water, fears Mir. Holiday.
Mrs: Van Buren, of 1858 Market street
complains of impure" water, and adds
that the neighbors all round her are COM
planning loudly and sorely of the imposi-
ton of the Spring Valley Water Company.
She took some samples to the Health
Office.
Ben Davis, the Market Inspector, thinks
that he will have to fall back on milk if he
does not get better water at his home,
1927 Polk street. Said he:
week ago Wednesday morning I went ND
on my tank and there was nasty scnm on
the water. There was mud in it that thi TX
measuring little over an inch on his left
forefingerl. l thought it might be the iault of
the tank and so cleaned it out, but in little
while 1t was the same ever. Where does
the filth come from? Heaven only knows 1t
In the southern half of the Western Adj
dltlon the sufferers are numerous and
next thing to furious. r. c. Wilbur,
newsdealer at the Palace Hotel, lives at
sos Baker street. He undertook to see If
the Spring Valley Company would do
something to remedy the trouble. Here
is his story:
Three weeks ago 1 telephoned to them to
send man to smell and taste the water. A
mali came and at first said he couldn't smell
or taste anything particularly wrong. My
vile expressed poor opinion of his senses of
taste and smell and then, on a second trial of
the water, he could detect "little something
bad about it," few days ago l again COM
municated with the Spring Valley people, but
they paid no attention. Finally our girl tele-
phoned them and told them we were going to
notify the Board of Health. This was after we
saw the article in THE CALL. They replied
that the Board of Health had it in hand al
ready and the reservoir was being pumped
out, which would require several days.
Inquiry at the Health Office does not
statement to Mr.. Wilbur. 1--WE have not
heard of any reservoir being pumped out"
SAID Mr.. Zobel in reply to a question, land
the matter has not been brought before
the Board OF Health at all. 1t doubtless
will be now" Mr.. Zobel continued:
The Spring Valley Company viii ignore
every complaint made unless the attention of
ana an the water be condemned. The Board of
heaith lntehds now to look into the matter
ana u VIII be taken up at the next meeting.
leaitn OIlcer Lovelece is just now paying par
tcuiar attention to the water question and
VIII PROBABLY have detailed report ready for
the board. DR.. John C. Spencer the CITY bac-
t tssfiottoglSt recently informed the Health Office
lhat ne ga not have the proper apparatus for
MAKING analyses OF water and he recommends
that the City employ chemist to do So since
chemist would have everything required.
Health Officer Lovelace is quoted as say
ing that ne believed the Maple court
tYphold cases were due to bad water. Ten
deaths from typhoid fever have occurred
there within the last three months. and
the fever is still very prevalent.
LII. morse OF the board was asked about
the means OF the Health Department for
the analyzing OF water. He replied:
On, process under the present law is very
roundabout We have to communicate with
the state Board OF Health first and send sam
pies to them. Then the State board sends tho
samples for analysis to the State Uniyersitv
the analyses are sent back to the State Board
ana nnally 10 US 1t tal7es long time. We
are going to look into the water question pretty
thoroughly, and will have all the reservoirs
and different services located We propose IN
map the C1ty'out into districts and systematize
the work of inspection so as to make il
effective.
Secretary Godchaux has communicated
with Secretary ]. r. Lame of the State
Board of Health.
1t has been thought that only the water
from Lakes MERGED and Honda was bad
because OF the hog ranches around them.
and that the water from San Andreas and
Pilarcitos was all right. Such is the opinion
of the Health Office.
Some water is served from Lobos Creek
which is very bad. The low parts of the
City, it was said, get their water from
Lakes MERGED and Honda and Lobos Creek.
Mayor Sutro, however, said ali the Spring
Valley water was bad, and expressed him.
self as follows at his residence last night:
1t is all unfit to drink. The only good water
that the city ought 10 have should be brought
from the Sierra Neyadas, and the city has an
opportunity for good water which few others
possess. If we had good City government
would recommend that the city issue $50 OOO,-
600 worth of forty or fifty year bonds, and get
q proper water supply. 1t would save San
Francisco 81 900 900 per year. But ] would
not recommend anything like this to our pres
ent city government.
The water supplied by the Spring Valley
Water Company comes from slipping hills-1
refer now TO its best sources San Andreas and
numerous cattle are pastured
all over these hills. What we should have is
water from the melting SHOWS of the noun
tains
The water question ought to be agitated and
at the next meeting of the Board OF Health it
viii be brought up. We will see what our new
board will do. AS TO our need ola City chemist,