Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-07

utility of the process and its adaptabilty
to American conditions, and earnestly rec
commended its adoption at st. Louis. Not
so much was known then as Tow in re-
gard to the effect of filtration upon the
healthfulness of water, and Mr.. kirkwood
was not able to urge what would now be
the strongest arguments for filtration; and
the city government declined tc make pro-
vision for carrying out his recommended
lions.
Although ST. Louis did not adopt Mr..
Kirkwood's advice, his report resulted In
the construction of filters at Poughkeepsie
and Hudson. New York, and a small filter,
apparently based upon the descriptions in
his report, was constructed at ST. Johns
bury. VT. These remained the only sue
cessful representatives of the process in
America until 1892. although quite num-
Der of water works following AIR. Kirk
wood suggestions had, at an early date,
constructed filters; but without important
or successful results, because they We're
inadequate in area, and were not properly
designed or taken care of, and were. in
ainicst every case except those mentioned,
abandoned sooner or later
In 1922 the subject of the filtration of the
public water supply YVES taken up at Law
renee. where remarkable results had been
obtained at the experiment station of the
state board of health. The city had for
from typhoid fever, which had been d.
rectly and definitely traced to the publ.
water supply, polluted as it was by the
sewage of Lowell, eight miles above and
OF other cities farther UP the river. The
city govern. ment voted the money to con-
Strutt suitable filter, and plans for it
were prepared by Mr. Hiram +. Mills, who
from the start had had the direction of the
experiments of the state board of health
and VINO was deeply interested in the well
fare of the city, and gave his invaluable
services gratui.ousiy to the city.
Decrease in the Death Rate.
This filter has area of two and one
half acres. and is able to supply a maxi
mum Of five million gallons daily for
population Of fifty thousand souls The to-
tai cost of the filter was less than seventy
thousand dollars. 1t was put in operation
in September, 1898, and it's use was follow
ed by prompt and decisive drop in the
death rate of the city. For six years, from
1887 to 1892. the city averaged over fifty
deaths from typhoid fever annually. In
1875 there v ere thrty-nne deaths, thirty
five of them in the nine months before the
hitter was put In operation. In 1894 there
were but twenty-four deaths, or less than
half as mary as there had been before; and
of the twenty-four people who died. twelve
were operatives working in certain mills
where unfiltered river water was used for
washing purposes, and was used for drink
Zig by the operatives notwithstanding the
prohibition of such use, because the river
water was more accessible than the city
water; and four Of the others probably
contracted the disease out of town.
In 1893 the number of deaths was still
further reduced to sixteen, of which nine
We're among the operatives in the above
mentioned mills. and two are supposed to
have contracted the disease out of town
leaving five not accounted for, where be-
fore the Introduction of filtration there
We're over fifty, and that with smaller
population.
The great and immediate success of the
Lawrence filter has since led to the con-
struction of filters in number of small
American municipalities, among which may
be mentioned Mount Vernon and Zion, New
York, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and
Ashland, Wis.
In accordance with the American desire
to do things rapidly many attempts have
hccn made in this country to construct
filters which would purify water at much
more rapid rate than has been found adj
Yisable or possible in European practice
These filters have met with great success
in certain manufacturing opera tons where
only moderate degree of purity is re-
CURED. ard the attempt has often been
made to use them for purifying the water
for city supplies.