San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-09-30
PuRIF1cATIoN OF WATER
By the Metallic Iron Process, Which
Has Been Successfully Used
in Many Cities

The purifying properties OF the
metal iron, and its beneficial &C
ton in the natural soil, are well
known.
The great need of some practical
method of restoring to their pris.
tine purity sources OF water sdp-
ply, which have become elements
of danger and causes of disease to
the numerous cities aud populous
centers which are dependent upon
them for the first and greatest of
their daily requirements, led DIR.
Medlock, in 1857, to invent aud
patent a process for suspending
iron wires or plates in tanks
through which the impure water
was to pass. Little, however, was
accomplished on practical scale
previous to the invention of the
material know as spongy iron.
Experiments highly satisfactory
to the city of Antwerp, in Bel
GUM, whose water supply from
the river Nethe is discolOred by
substance derived from the peaty
nature of the country, exceedingly
hard to remove, were conducted
by an English firm, resulting in
the construction of permanent
filters filled with spongy iron and
gravel, which for several years
produced q pure and sparkling
water. After time, however, it
was found that the mass OF the
spongy iron mixture was caking
together and becoming daily less
porous, resulting finally in the
necessity 10 rebuild entirely.
At this juncture OF affairs Will
liam Anderson, a celebrated En-
glish engineer, hit upon the SIM
pie and ingenious plan now
known as the "Revolving Purifier"
Instead of allowing the water to
flow downward through a motion
less mass of the purifying mater
ial, Mr.. Anderson adopted as the
principle of his invention the
showering down of finely divided
particles of the purifying material
through flowing stream of water.
To complete the process, in the
case of supplying a city, 1T is
necessary to strain out the pre-
cipitate. This is done by passing
the water through filters compos-
ed of sand, and it must be under
stood that the revolving purifier
is in no sense filter and has no
power OF retaining any impurities
in 1t; everything that passes in
passes out. Therefore the process
includes two subsidiug reservoirs
for receiving the purified water
before its filtration. 1t Is impos-
sible here to give a detailed des-
cription Of the process together
with its workings and results in
Antwerp and other cities where it
is now in use, nor Of its numerous
applications on a large scale to
waters of varied compositions.
1t may be stated, however, that
the average results are as follows:
Firstly-All color is removed
from water.
Secondly-Organic matter is re-
duced from As to 80 per cent.
Thirdly-Free ammonia and
nitrous acid are entirely removed.
Fourthly-Albuminoid ammon-
ia is reduced from 60 to 80 per
cent.
Lastly, and in the opinion of
majority Of the scientific men
Of the present day, most import
tant Of all micro-organism are en-
tirely destroyed or removed by
this process. In no case has the
Antwerp water supply disclosed
the presence OF bacteria of q sus-
picious or pathogenic kind, such
as those Of typhoid fever, for
which search has been made with
special care. 1t is therefore be-
yond question that in the present
state OF science the Anderson pro-
cess offers the most complete
guarantee that can be desired from
the point OF view of public health,
and has proved the possibility
Of counteracting and overcoming
in practical and economical man.
ner the great objections which
generally exist TO drawing the
water supply of cities from the
most convenient and abundant
source-that furnished by the
rivers on whose banks the cities
have grown up.
The capacity Of the apparatus is
ample; the power required for
rotation very small; the annual
cost light. The cost OF putting up
plant complete is very moderate
and will be borne by the owners
on a loyalty or sold direct to a
city.-Texas Industrial Review.