Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-07-26
CLEAR WATER AND M6nE WATER.

CLEAR WATER AND MORE "
rh,s has been summer OF freauen.
rains. especially in Middle Virginia anu
Tho coureouence has been that our ri'e'
,a,er has for months been more or iess
,,,oed With the redness OF the fluVanna
go A,hemarle hills At times 1t pas
boen unfit to drink without having Oee"
altered or settled. Not a great manS
families here have filters. and few ni'eiS
a. "a here viii furnish enough wa
TER for drinking and washing purposes
both. -.
W., lanes river water Is at It's
,ors, a settles very slowly. indeed. ana
without any sufficient cause therefor
there is a prejudice here against the use
~ alum as q clariher. But, as Ha''ei
=, fact. except where families nave
annie altering facilities, there Is no Oe'
ter mode OF clearing James-river water
than by the use OF alum. And properly
used-used IN moderation-it leaves h'
taste: and, what IS more, not oniy SCI
Ties the mud, but frees the water iroia
microbes.
DIR. coroner Taylor. who Is an ana
Ivtical chemist Of high reputation mas
tried alum for this purpose. ana very
biehIv recommends II 10 others. He taxes
one ounce OF alum and dissolves 1t IN
mint OF water Thus prepared. the solu-
| ton is ready for use at moments no
,ice. and three spoonfuls Of 1t well shaken
in A gallon of water Will clear the lat
| ter In three or four hours.
Thus any one may have clear. whole
son,a water IN abundance at trihing
cost and so nearly free from the taste
% alum that no one would ever kno"
alum had been used in It. unless MS
attention were called TO the fact Thus
clarified. the water IS excellent for drink
ing or washing purposes; nor IS there IN
:, any OF that hardness" OF when
washerwomen complain when they use
water into which alum has been thrown
| in fmmoderate quantities.
II seems to us that our people wouia u'
well TO prepare themselves TO make U.s.
- this recipe. There is mo telling
how long James river may continue
muddy. or when our city fathers Will De
able 10 order the construction OF SUD
silence reservoir. Such reservoir nr1'
and last. would cost great ceal OF
| money. And that money We have not
a, present; nor Is this any time 10 sen
| city bonds 10 raise II. Furthermore, II
is a serious question whether the CITY
Council would be justified in making great
expenditures 70 give clear water to per-
sons who now have abundant city water
yb,la there are hundreds OF families here
who can get no city water at all at GER
tain hours Of the day.
There are some high points in Richmond
hat ara very badly supplied with water.
Householders living in such neiSHpor-
hoods are constantly complaining that
,bev are made to pay full water-rates' yet
CON rarely ~ ever. get full supply.
OUGHT not these complaints to be satisfied
before we undertake TO construct a sub
s,dence reservoir? Really, it would
seem so.
The Dispatch would like to see our
water-supply largely increased, and
subsldence reservoir built too, but We
know that Just now It would be unwise
for the city 20 enter upon works so costly
We must try 10 go along as we are no"
going until business revives and property
values 20 up. Any suggestion now OF ar
increase OF taxation, however small, WouiC
be hooted down, u the taxpayers o.
Richmond were consulted In the matter
II has always seemed TO the Dispatcf
hat Il WIS unjust <lat tho city shoal'
exact full rates from families that can
NOT get the water when they wish H.
&c no answer 10 this question to say ina
such families may put In water-meters
and then paw only for as much water a
they use. This doesn't meet the issue
all The consumer in this case IS en-
,itled 70 a rebate, not only because n
cam. get all the water that he needa
hut that he can't get the water NhE-
ba needs b. For instance, he Wlshes
an his bath-tub at O'Clock p. NJ, an
oo,,t do II. Is II a sufficient answer Z
his complaint TO say that no may &c
nlenty OF water TO fill the tub ct MO
night? Certainly not. SO we thlnK
=, ths CITY would be entirely fair to tines
. consumers. 1t would not charge them IN
d
Same rates that it charges those who nav
a full supply Of water at all hours "a
, or night. And, IN view Of the TACT ina
the existing condition is not likely 10
, remedied for some years to come "
q think 1t would be well for the Couhch
; make some abatement Of rates in favo
: Of the persons referred 10, and then "
: should not hear so much as we DO nov
n about the inadequate supply on mig
q points.
The use Of filters and OF the reeip
that we give for settling James-rive
% water should be more generally resore
!. TO by our people. Meanwhile every pos
: s,hle plan that viii make our river-wal'
/. what It should be in quality and quantit
2 should be thoroughly canvassed agaih'
4 the time when. with returning prosper
tv. we shau have the means to make a
2 the improvements that are desirable
. Richmond's water-supply.
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