The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-01-22
TO PURIFY WATER
Board Of Trade, Today, In
speCts a Process to Make
the PaSsaiC Potable.
FILTRATION THROUGH SAND And GRAVEL
One Of Many Plans to Be Offered
to the Street and Water
Board.


this afternoon at No. sA Montgomery
street, to inspect a process for purity
ing water for drinking purposes. The
meeting was In response to an invftatioii
given to the Board at its last meeting
by General William G. Heppenheimer
who on that occasion ably advocated the
claims of the Anderson process for purl-
fication of water by means of metallic
iron.
General Heppenheimer, assisted by MS
brother Mr.. Ernest j. Heppenheimer,
received the visitors and explained TO
them that the system is applicable 10
the publication of the water necessary
for a city's water supply, and pointed out
the apparatus which they have set up
in the store on Montgomery street. 1t
consists of horizontal cylinder support
ed by hollow trunnions at each end,
through which the water flows into and
out of the cdlinder. Within the latter are
series of shelves which scoup up the
particles of iron and shower them down
through the water; the principle con-
sisting in the production of an intimate
contract between the metallic iron and
the water to be purified, by streaming
into the Passaic water fine particles or
the metal. The outlet pipe of the cylinder
has attached to it an inverted bell mouth
to prevent the smaller particles from
being carried away by the current Inc
cylinder is caused to revolve by means Oh
gearing driven by belt by an inde-
pendent motor.
When the water comes out of the puri-i
fer it is charged with what chemists
call in their luminous language soaup4te ;nl ne
change into the insoluble ferric @ oxide ny
process of oxidation" Thus, accord
ing to General Heppenheimer the as as
precipitate in the water is removed by
filtration and this is carried on big
wooden metal lined tank, alternatediy lite saed
At the bottom of the tank is faucet
from which issues a stream OF n nmpld PIG
clear, water, strong 5 contaSSt ~ Tug
- l'N'N- ADVANTAGES CLAIMED.
In response to innumerable questions
e0T eorcoren. sn sss stows Fink ana Son Soadist e
General Heppenheimer claimed that n
the process no chemicals are used, as IN
factor He said that the purifying
material is simply schap iron such as
cast iron borings or plate punchlngs, anu 1a,
removes all suspended matter and color,
reduces from es to 80 per cent: of Jile
dissolved organic mattef tier ,,gfrars eh,lTey acid
reducing the latter to an lnflnltesima3ii l3i
trace and finally completely destroys AZ AZ
+he enegTa afs extreme Simplicity and
The members made close and search-
business bus in order that when they adyo- dye
cafe any scheme to the Street and wa
ter Board they may be fully prepared on
thae eiSf1IFsEiSG5;T EFFECT ON BACTERIA.
After the examination of the apparatus
and General Heppenheimer,s , exptahnaei11il lana 1n
knew ali about it, the report of four
eminent Hollanders was read as to the
effect of the purifying process on tne
waters of the River Nethe at Ani%,erp. ,e
cal examination of the water pumped
out of that muddy ditch into the
mains of the city through the filters,
and they contend that it almost totally
eliminates these mischievous little crea-
lures known as micro-organlsms. pc
for the river, they said was subjected
to the filtration process the est.matSed
number of colonies of bacteria per cHplc
centimetre was $4,000. After the puriflca-
tion water taken from taps IN the city,
which has circulated through a great
Is colonies only. Hence, these, scien-
lists concluded their report, under the
strictest condition of experiment Tor ex-
ample by providing against the contact
of germs which the surrounding air may
have fixed on the taps, the water may
be considered as practically sterile.
Other reports from specialists In water
were handed to the members each in a
similar strain, claiming that such sys-
tenn guarantees as pure water as can
be had by any process.
PURIFIER DOESN'T FILTER,
Reverting to the revolving cylinder,
General Heppenheimer pointed out that
it is not filter and does not retain any
impurities in it. Mud or other matters
held in suspension in the water pass
with it through the filter, their bulk
being added 10 it in a minute degree by
the iron dissolved by the water. When,
however, these particles fall in the filter
proper, settling trough or reservoir, by
their own weight to the bottom they
are retained by the sand which lies on
the top of the layer of gravel.
'But won't some of these troughs be-
come foul? / mean the sand will be
so charged with the impurities that the
last condition of the water is worse than
the first?. asked one member.
Mr.. Heppenheimer replied that the sand
could be removed periodically, but as a
matter of fact they don't require clean
ing often. Those in work in Antwerp
have been in use five years. and have
as satisfactory as the experts in that
city could wish.
The members, before leaving, individu-
ally thanked Mr.. Heppenheimer for the
interesting exhibition. 1t is understood
that Mr.. -Heppenheimer, with other adj
vocates of pur flying schemes, will bid for
the new proposals published yesterday
by the Street and Water Board, and in
the event of their being successful they
will organize a company composed en-
tirely of Jersey City people to begin