The evening times., 1896-02-21
Something S's,ould Be Done TO
Clarity citfs Water Supply.
PROMINENT CITIZENS TALK
Mr. woodward VIII Direct the Board
of Trades Attention to the Sub
Ject of Fiitration-wm. F. Mat
tingly Disgusted With the Waters
Condition.


piled to Washington for drinking and other
ton has again been called to it by The
| Times. Below are given the expressions OF
some of the representative citizens of the
city on the question.
| Mr.. S. w. woodward, president OF the
Board of Trade, was sked what he thought
of the proposed filter, and said:
| Il am in favor of something being done
to give the citizens OF Washington pure
water. 1 cannot say just now what stand
l should take on the question OF appropriate
ing $1,C0O,OOO for the work, but II Col.
Elliot estimates that this amount will be
required l assume that he is in position
| to know, and / would not question his
| Judgment.
without doubt l shall have the matter
| of clear water brought up before the next
meeting of the Board OF Trade, hut l
cannot say what action that body will Ia Ike
| or what recommendation they will Make
OTHER CITIES HAVE FILTERS.
Gen. Ellis Spear said that while he had
not considered ihe question of cost, yet he
| was in favor of any reasonable expenditure
| to build suitable filter for Potomac water.
He thought there was no reasonable excuse
why 1t should not he made. He cited the
instance Of 81. Louis, where n much larger
water supply is required than in Washing
ton. There an immense filter is used for
clearing the water.
William F. Matiingly was reading the ar
| ticle on the muddy Potomac water in
last evenings Times when the reporter
called to ask his opinion on question.
~ am too completely disgusted with the
muddy water to talk about 1t. said Mr.. Mat
ttngly. II am in favor of any expenditure
necessary to clarity our water. ] think
every man should be who is obliged to use
IL for drinking or bathing purposes.
There are half a dozen different ways Of
filtering the water, but ] am not engineer
enough to say which is preferable however,
there are plenty of men who are. and the
inaction of Congress Is the only reason why
some method has not been adopted long
since. ] have been in great many cities,
but n nowhere have ] ever found worse drink
ing water than we have here al the capital"
BH Warner said: II am in favor OF any
thing that will letter in any manner the
water supply of Washington. l believe 1t
goes without questioning that every citi-
zen OF the District would favor moderate
more healthy and purer water supply.
washington is behind many foreign
cities, if not many American ones, In this
matter When 1 was down in the West
Indies last summer l noticed that even
the smaller cities were supplied with very
p"rre water They had filtration system
sand. think, was used. They pay more
attention down there TO the water theyus
3 hnp tha I'm WaShinpfnn do a
/ say again l am heartily in favor OF
anything that Will give us more decent
water
MIR. BEvERIDGE's VIEWS.
NJ. W. Beveridge said: Il am greatly in
favor OF some steps being taken TO better
the condition of the water we use tere. l
would indorse the expenditure ofthe amount
of money neoCs, AIRY 10 bring about the
luxury of a clange. We all know the bad
condition the Potomac is in a great deal
Of the year, ard while it is said that the
water is remarkably free from germs,
yet there must nccci Sarily he Quantity
of them in all riycrs from dccayed We getable
and animal matter, and where a city uses
that water il should be in some manner
protected.
"As to the best system of filtration
know nothing. would defer In anything
OF that kind to the judgment OF such man
as Col. Elliot, who, il seems, has made it
study and ] would be ready to indorse
the recommendations one in his position
had made
John JOY Edison said: Il am in favor of
necessary expenditure of money TO in
crease and filter the water supply of this
city. Every other citizen is in favor of
the same thing. imagine. !, OF course,
know nothing of the probable cost of an
adequate system OF filtration. but would
be delighted to see something done to
give US better water. All we want TO do
Is TO get Congress to act"
Substantially the same views as the
above were expressed by large number
of other prominent citizens seen by the
reporter.