Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-23
Ions which is supplied every twenty-four

hcation of the Potomac water Is forced up
on us, as physicians by every recent addi-
ton to our knowledge of the subject. The
late examinations reported by DIR. Kinyoun
In connection with DR.. Kobers report show
that the water of the Potomac has been
found to be suspicious or to contain in
testinal bacilli in numerous instances. Col
onel Elliot, in his report of 1894, says that
under the present conditions there ap-
pears to be no cause for apprehension re-
spectng the hea1thfulnesS of the Potomac
water as delivered by the river into the
intake of the aqueduct at Great Falls"
He bases this opinion largely upon the
facts OF the self publication of rivers I'M
der natural conditions. Investigations at
Zurich Switzerland) show that in the water
OF the river Limmat there is a rapid dis
appearance of bacteria below the point
where the sewage of the city empties into
this river The mean decrease of bacteria
in the first six miles is 40 per cent, and at
this rate. six miles below, the bacteria
would be reduced to the normal number
of the lake water. "a river flowing at
the mean velocity of four miles per hour
Will purify itself within distance of about
sixteen miles from the point of pollution"
Inc nearest town of any size above Great
Falls is Harper's Ferry, which is distant
forty-four miles, so that the pollution from
TINS source may be supposed to be elm
mated long before it reaches the intake
But 1t Is not only towns which infect the
river; the washings of the mills carry with
them whatever filth there may be at any
point on its banks. The letters obtained
river is the receptacle for fecal matter and
what DIR. Miller of Cumberland saws Of his
city is true of every hamlet and farm house
along the banks, that the entire outlet for
waste material is the Potomac river. All
closets are cleaned and refuse deposited on
soil drained into or dumped directly into
the river, While many sewers and closets
open directly into streams which flow into
it.
What another correspondent of Shepherds
town says of his locality is true of the
whole river: THE greatest source of pollu-
ton OF the Potomac is the canal. All slops
and filth of every kind, dead animals ma
nure from stables. are thrown into the
canal by boatmen, and the people living
alohs IL also use 1t for very much the same
purpose. The water from the canal is con-
tnually washed by leaks into the river"
which must thus be extensively polluted
typhoid fever prevails along the Potomac
river at all points, its tributary streams
and the canal receive the dejecta from all
such cases, and it cannot be asserted that
sclf-purlfcation can take place to the ex-
tent needed to protect US against all DOS
Slble danger Of infection.
There are over $1,000 people living along
the river. in towns of from 500 to 12oO0
inhabitants; the number living outside of
towns cannot be estimated, and there are
thousand possibilities of river infection
with the typhoid bacillus from other
sources than towns. The history of vari-
Gus epidemics proves that it is not the
amount of infection which is to be con-
sidered, bat the fact of Infection and there
are many arguments from experience
against the idea of efficiency of self-pur-
tcation of rivers. 1t cannot be relied on
to protect Washington against the dan
gers of impure water. Nine years ago il
was asserted that the Hudson river water,
supplying the city of Albany, was perfectly
pure. In February 1895. Albany, with
population of 100000, led all the cities of
the state in its death rate from typhoid
fever; in March there were 1T5 cases, sew
enty-one new cases occurring in one "6ea.
FROM January to April there We're 39S cases.
win siXty-five deaths. 1t is now known
| that the sewage contamination CT the Hud-
son is a crying evil, and that there can
| be no health for any city which gets its
drinking water therefrom; The Delaware
| river below Trenton has to 10 per cent
! of sewage. The death rate from typhoid
| fever in Camden. which gets its water di-
| rectly from the Delaware, is very high, and
! the people of that city are urgently de-
| manding relief from the drinking Of dilute
| sewage. The Ohio river, before 1t reaches
! Cincinnati, receives the sewage and sur
| face drainage of 100 cities and towns. This
| dilute sewage is pumped into the reser-
voir5 of Cincinnati and served to the peo-
| pie. In 1894 in Cincinnati there were 161
! cases of typhoid fever with 1G9 deaths.
| Cincinnati returns to the Ohio 100000 gall
| Ions of sewage.
| No constant reliance can be placed upon
| the efficiency of the natural publication of
| Potomac water. Ii all the conditions which
! bring this about are in perfection, the water
i may be freed largely from its dangers.
| Some of the principal conditions most ia
vorable TO publication of river water are
| the large dilution of the contaminated
| water by unpolluted streams flowing into
it along its course the natural sedimenta-
| ton of suspended matter, q rapid current
flowing over uneven surface with free
exposure to sunlight.
| In the dry season of the past summer
| we have an example of now these in
fiuences may be reduced in their operation.
| The 1ilution from infiowing streams was
| much lessened, and because of the dimin-
| ished clay in solution, there was less sedi-
| mentation of contained organic matter;
| the lowering of the river bed involved a
slower current, with less exposure to ali
and sunlight. Add to this the greater pol
luton of the river from an unusual preva-
lence of typhoid fever, and it is clearly
seen how, at certain seasons no reliance
can be placed upon self-purification of Po
tomac water. With increasing population
along the river, the sources of contamina
ton are continually increasing, and tht
efficiency of self-prrification constantly di
miniShing.
There are two methods by which we car
secure a pure water supply; one is by
| enacting laws to prevent the contamination
| of rivers and streams, and the other to ge
rid of impurities, and especially bacteria, ty
artificial sedimentation and filtration. Al
though bills are pending in Massachusett:
and elsewhere to prevent the emptyfng o.
| the waste from tanreries mills dye works
etc, into streams, it is questionable whethe
there is any justice in preventing the free
| use OF rivers LOT IIle carriage Oh Sucn In
purities. 1t is true that much waste mattel
can be destroyed and that sewage can b,
rendered less dangerous by proper treat
ment hut for large stretches of countr,
the river must still continue TO be a sewer
The second method, then, must be tn,
only feasible one, namely, the publication
OF water used for domestic purposes b,
. treatment before it is sent into the pipes
| House filtration mas been shown to be use
less in getting rid of bacteria.
Publication of the Water Supply by
standardization and Filtration.
In Europe 2O,OOO.OO0 people are now regu
larry supplied with filtered water. Thi
: number about equals the total population o
the cities of the United States which have
! public water supply. In London 5,o00,o0
j of people receive 200,OOO,00O gallons DAHL
j of pure filtered water, from 30 acres O
: sand filters. Other cities thus supplied fl
Europe are Liverpool, Birmingham, Berlin
| Leeds, Bradford. Hamburg, Amsterdam
Rotterdam, Antwerp, Breslau, Magdebure
Warsaw, st. Petersburg, Copenhagen an
O.. Zurich. The facts of the decrease of tn
e | death rate with a pure water supply an
! | perfected sewerage have been so often be
. | fore this society that 1T is not necessary t
repeat them here. The history of Lawrence
| x,bfn npa ip,a hod 1a