New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-10
DANGER IN THE WATER.
ND EMERY's REPORT SHOWS FOUI.NEss
AT SOURCES OF SUPPLY.

,r GAYS THE WATER is HEALTHFuI. RI-r THE
CONDITION OF PONDS AND STREAMS Is
NOT SUCH AS To RESTORE CoNFI-
DENCE-AN IMMEDIATE FLUSH
ING OF THE CITY MAINS
RECOMMENDED
Wealth Commissioner Emery submitted TO
v.vor wurster yesterday his report and that Of
-. chemists and bacteriologist. on the condition
sts city's water DR.. Emery says the water
faithful and safe for use by human beings.
-, adds that the inspection of certain sources
:, supply shows condition of affairs that ia
,.,serous The bad odor and taste are due he
.sys. TO the presence of living and decomposing
r,eeable material in the ponds reservoirs and
.s,nbution system. He recommends as an i'm
...siate remedy the cleaning of ponds and reser-
o,rs and flushing of the city mains. In addi
tim he recommends the establishment of an
,rx;l,arv laboratory on the watershed.
nv Emery SAYS that this report is preliminary
"a rs conclusions general. Later and detailed
,orts based upon series OF analyses. will
Aou tho exact character of the water taken
~ the various sources Of supply. DR..
r,,.rv thinks the water at present is not only
80. ,o- Use but that II compares favorably with
Az water in use in any Of the large cities The
r.o,er contains no pathogenic germs, and the
,,er,;cal analyses show the quality OF the
no,ar 70 be normal except for superabun-
dance Of organic vegeta Die matter
The nhysical condition OF certain ponds from
t,aA na,er has been drawn. continues DR.
rr,er, is such as 70 favor the growth and rapid
-o.ior ~ deleterious bacteria. The ponds
a~a axcellent breeding places for germs DIT
Emery hopes that the heavy fall rains and colder
weather will check the growth or vegetable or
or,su, Systematic and continuous biological
d chemical analyses, covering the various
ror,s ~ the water system. he thinks. should De
a,,crea upon by the Sanitary Department. 10
which such work naturally belongs ano is uni
,orsauv accredited throughout the world. For
this reason he wants the Department OF Health
- 10 nerrnitted to establish an auxiliary labora-
.orv on the watershed
nv Emery first appends the joint report OF DIT
y BARLEY. consulting chemist; William
Hutchinson. assistant sanitary inspector ana
GEORGE 3 Rowell assistant sanitary engineer
This report Is result of an inspection or the
rords and streams on Long Island by these
won The report notes that the spring Vegeta-
ZION was unusually vigorous. owing to the carry
osso, and that the vegetation was favored ny
m abundance Of wet weather. especially In July
rhen came an unusually long period OF not
e,bar which killed much Of the earlier veg
e,ahle growth or led to it's being attacked oS
various kinds of parasitic organisms OF oo'"
veoc,ahle and animal matter. This gave 10 the
nonds much the same odor that is noticeu ATOMS
tho seashore when seaweed is being "as"eo
- Tho odor is enhanced by the myriads
.. PARASITES which invest the dead material
rhsse ,n,rart a disagreeable and even hshy
odor. The report recommends, as the only pos
sibe remedy that the ponds be cleaned anu
,ba, the dead weeds grass and algae be raHed
on, While this is done the ponds shouu NC
cut OF from use.
PONDS sTAGNANT AND sT1NKING.
Tho investigators report Of the Springfield ana
vauev Stream supply that they found IN the
r,,sr nond near the railroad station COLLECTION
~ woods horne down from the upper end by the
wind and current At the upper end there Is an
enormous quantity of a surface aquatic pant
This part Of the pond is swampy and practicany
s,agnant These weeds have the disasreeaOie
odor noticed in the city water Ihree sihal
oonds each on the Springfield roao were louhu
70 he simply vile and sinking. The surface IL
covered with dirt and dead decayins VegetaDie
organism the whole mass In state Oh raPio
.o,,a,ion The ponds are private property
In the nond at the Springfield pumping STATION
the vegetable rrowth was not so DAD az III the
ohsr ponds The upper Of the twin ponds Is nan
Covered with a Shiny decomposlng mass ol grass
and weeds and the water contains a large guam
tity Of bugs larvae of insects and hsn. Inc h'''e
- an tho north side of the Merrick Road Is
reported as being simply vile Ihe lower emu
~ valley stream pond has a layer Of decompos-
ing vegetable matter on the bottom fihe
cnd smiths pond and the Hampstead pond and
GOOD condition In the Milburn pond dead
g,sss and decovcd aquatic plants were found
. r,icroscon{c examination Of the water showed
sdis,or, and some snaky-looking organisms On
tho bottom ~ the Merrick lower pond was found
scoa,,ng ~ ,egeta bic matter. and the water mas
aslah,,, hrackish taste The water Is full or ola-
toms and white snaky threads. The upper Mer-
rick nond has some vegetable matter, the camp
meeting ground pond is in fairly good cohdi'ion'
but contamination is possible; the pond aoo'e
Rdgewood has vegetation which is not eeheia"y
ma state OF decay and OF the two pohos WIS.
0. Wautagh the lower one Is fairy cream anu
The upper one dirty. The vegetation IN ,ne ID.
tis "a sort Of dry Jelly or albuminous s'uii VIM"
sdeyeloping considerable gas. II mas GOVERNS
ia blue nouldv appearance. The Massapequa
You'd is in good condition.
DRAINAGE INTO HORSE BROOK
ns next report submitted is that OF Ohlei
.ismist G Weakening and Bacterioosi'' -
Wilson. They spected the Hehps'edu ie.
e. otherwise known Horse Brook- Al III
tonst the street culverts empty into the strea'i''
and below Fulton-s 81 the stream appears 10 re-
ceive the refuse Of the gashouse and the SURFACE
drainage OF the private yards. The stream IL
sluggish. has a large amount Of vegetation anu
foreign material and in some parts has thick
e'eeh scum Clear Stream pond Is oVerero""
WIN vegetation. and likewise covered WIN d
thick green scum The twin ponds at Brookheld