The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-11-15
TANK WATER AND FILTRATIONI.
II You Live In an Apartment, Read and
Profit by This story 9&2


II You Live in an Apartment, Read ana
Profit BY This story.
An experience in an apartment house
in this city few weeks ago served for
an excellent text for the lecture OF an
expert sanitarian on the filtration Of
water.
Lack of force in the Croton main
during the day necessitates tank on
the roof, and pumping once day, .
not uncommon necessity in many por-
tions of our city. The big round box
like structures seen so often on the
roofs of fats, as one flies by on the eie-
waited train, are these Objectionable
features of our water system.
The apartment house in question has
one OF these affairs, and one of the
long-suffering tenants determined to
find out why every short while the
water ran muddy, and unfit to use.
Investigation revealed the tank to
have no outlet to the sewer only the
overflow pipe at the top. 1t was thus
impossible to clean the tank, except
through the service pipes. OF course,
this was never done, and the oldest in
habitant in the house could not say
when there had ever been long period
of freedom from the muddy water.
The tank was found to have a layer
of many inches of mud at the bottom,
accumulations and sediment of years
standing. A plumber put in a connec-
ton with the waste service in the
house, and stop-cock, and now the
tank is cleaned out once week. But
and here comes in one OF those evil
dences of human stupidity and igno-
rance-the janitor was seen one day to
use the same broom with which he
sweeps the cellar and street for clean
ing out the tank. Imagination needs
no aid to figure what might or might
not be on that broom. from uber-
culosis bacilli to every other microbe
found in dust.
Here was greater problem to solve
than that of the plumbers part of the
difficulty To educate the janitor was
the one remedy. Could one have chos-
en- more difficult task? A new broom
and lecture administered OCCASION
ally served, with the watchful eye of
repetition of the old broom service, but
human nature clings to habit, and
the new broom was soon as full of
street dirt as the old one. Finally only
flushing was urged, and that remains
the method.
To make sure of safety, boiling the
water is resorted to, and should be the
invaria BILE practice of every house de-
pendent upon tank. Filtering water
is very uncertain method. 1t must
be done so slowly that not only by a
mere oozing through very deep sand
bed or an almost impervious stone, can
there be surety of the infnitesimal
plants being kept back.
Filters consisting of sand, animal
charcoal, wire cloth, filter paper, etc.
do not afford protection against any
unhealthy qualities which there may
be in the water. They clarity turbid
water, but Objectionable intruders are
able to squeeze through in large num-
bers If household filter is scientific
ally planned and intelligently man
aged, and positive assurance is given
of its correct action, these household
filters may be wise precaution, but
"a great danger lies in the domestic
filter" says Prof Lancaster, who has
made searching Investigations and
careful experiment, "by reason of the
filtering material being used over and
over again, thus, unless it is properly
sterilized, becoming regular field for
germ propagation, and, passing into
the water, making it worse than it was
before"
Filters of whatever kind need to be
handled with intelligent care, and
should not be left to ignorant servants
to clean. Sterilizing the filtering ma
terial should be done every time it is
cleaned. N. Y. Times.