The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-17
Are Recommended by the
Committee.
A Report That Is Rich in For
eign Statistics.
No Reference TO the Necessity of
Covers in This Latitude.

WAS DrOuBDt luto tnc NonIlOu lOHcli
last night by Councilman GriDnell, but
it could not be received under the rules
until the next meeting. The members
refused to suspend the rules and the re-
port was placed on file with Council
Clerk Hayden. 1t is as follows:
To the Honorable the City Council Of the
City of Providence:
The Joint standing committee on city
engineers department has had under
consideration the Improvement OF the
public water supply, and begs leave to re-
port to the City Council certain recon-
mendations thereon.
1t has been suggested that the source OF
the supply ought TO be changed. What
ever may be, the final decision as to this, 1t
IL apparent that the present source must
continue for many years, and there are
strong reasons for the opinion that the
balance of the advantage is in favor of its
permanent use. But even IL ii is finally
changed, the people cannot meantime
afford TO have supplied TO them anything
less than the best quality Of water 1t Is
possible to procure.
The immediate and evident means OF
improving the quality OF the water after
OF such impurities as cannot be kept out,
and for this purpose there is no known
method SO effectual as fltration.
There are very few cities in civilized
Europe in which unfiltered river water is
supplied to the. people for domestic pur-
poses; on the contrary, the use of slow
iiltration through sand is almost uni
verssL In Germany the use of surface
water without filtration is now prohibited
by the Imperial board of health
The sand filtration OF the public water
supply began in 1889, when water from
the Thames was purified in that way. he
example Of the Chelsea Company in thus
treating the water was followed by other
companies supplying London, until in
1892 Professor sedgwick said: "The
steady Improvement in the sanitary con-
dition Of London, which is today the
wonder and the envy of the world. IS due
in no small measure to the protection
afforded by her now very extensive sys-
tenn of sand filtration. / am myself per-
suaded that in scientifically conducted
sand filtration We have a complete solu-
ton of the problem of a safe and sanitary
water supply. i am ready to agree with
Fraenkel, the professor OF hygiene at
Marburg, aud Piefke, the accomplished
engineer of the Berlin Stralaun water
works when they affirm that:
i. Every surface water, before 1t is
used for drinking purposes, should be
freed from all infectious substances.
=. TUT Wis puIIOet hntntNSI ldlkt
quantities OF water are TO ce treated sand
filtration is at present the most conven-
lent END effective method"
Again he says: "There is nothing
better known to sanitary science at pres
ent than scientifically conducted sand fl
tration."
1he daily supply of filtered water to
London is about 195 million gallons, OF
which about GA per cent. is taken from
the Thames and about 80 per cent. from
the river Lea. In addition to this about
10000, 600 gallons are supplied which are,
taken from springs and wells. All the
water taken from the rivers is filtered
through sand by slow filtration. For
this purpose there are in use l13 filter
beds having total area OF about 116
acres. Thus is served with drinking
water a population of over 5000. 600 per-
sons forming the greatest and probably
the healthiest city in the world.
The Eoglish practice of sand filtration
has served as q mode to the rest OF Eu-
rope and countries elsewhere.
In Berlin there are in use for the pub
lie water supply to about LOGO, 900 per-
sons, 43 filter beds having a combined
area of about 20 acres. The capacity OF
these works Is 100000 gallons per
day nd the supply Is entirely satisfac-
tory, but its use without passing through
the sand filters would not be tolerated.
In England the best practice requires
the slow filtration of ali surface waters
even If they. are not known 20 receive
sewage, and the unpolluted supplies of
Liverpool, Bradford, Dublin, and many
other cities are filtered before use. The
population, in addition TO that of Lon
q IN, Supplied in some of the larger towns
OF Great Britain and Ireland where slow
filtration is in use is "a follows: Liver
pool, s15, 600; Edinburgh, $4,000; Brad
Il.
borough, 1sA, 900 and many other smaller
towns.
Some OF the larger towns of the Conti-
nent which are supplied with water filter
ed by the slow sand process are ss fol-
lcws: Berlin, 1.600,0 000 populations; St.
Petersburg $50, COO population; Hamburg,
$50, 600 populations; Amsterdam, $1,000
population; Warsaw, 100000 population
Budapest, 500, 900 population; Marseilles,
400, 600 population; Breslau. $50, 0Ol popu-
lation; Rotterdam, 2i0,00) population;
Antwerp, 200, 900 population; Magdeburg,
200, 0O0 populations; The Hague, i70, 600
population; Konigsherg. l67 900 popu
lation; Altoona, 1866 populstion;
Bremen, $4,000 population; stuttgart,
l39, 900 population; Stettin, 1i6,C0O popu-
laton; Brunswick, 10000 population;
Zurich, 10000; population; Ghoisy Ie
Roi, 100000 population, with many
others.
Large filter plants are also in use in
Asia.
With the great and successful expert
once, extending over more than 30 years,
In this method OF purifying water, it
must be evident that we can confidently
pursue the same course with Pawtuxet
water and thus place ii above the spring
water sold in our streets as TO safety and
purity for all purposes.
Other methoJs may perhaps be success
full in removing impurities from water on
q large tcale, but IL must be said that
such methods are as yet largely expert
mental. Mr. Allen Hazen. an acknowl-
edged authority In this matter, has said:
"It Is not difficult matter for an intelli-
gent person by skillfui manipulation 90
produce limited quantity OF good efilu-
ent from almost any filter within reason,
and the fact that good ofIluent is 50 pro-
duced Is OF no interest whatever. Snch
results only have value when they are
known TO represent the total of some deh.
mite part OF filters work when running
under known conditions { least approxi-
mating those Of actual practice. f"
An expensive experiment upon the
Pawtuxct water was made b. the city of
Providence with excellent results as TO
the quality of the effuent and much val
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