Evening star., 1897-07-28
NORTHERN LIBERTY WE'LL
Famous Water Producer Closed by Order Of
Commissioner.
InvestiRatiOn Showed the Water to
BE Impresnated With Germs Of
Typhoid Fever.

The residents throughout Northern Lib
erty' are greatly wrought up over the re-
moval of the pump and the filling up Of the
we'll located on 9Th street between and X
streets northwest. Since the oldest inhab-
liant can remember this well has yielded a
sparkling. cold water, which has been a
boon to the neighborhood in which It is To-
Gated. especially in hot weather. and when
the Potomac river water resembles a
muddy lemonade. 1t has had the additional
virtue of being known as a valuable lithia
water. containing more lithia than does the
famous Buffalo water. and similar to that
which is sold at 25 cents a gallon from a
private spring not more than 100 feet from
1t.
1t was regarded as a specific for many
complaints the body is heir to by thousands
or people who resorted to 1t, and no family
remedy of long standing had a more wei
come place in the household than did the
water from the 5th street pump.
Earth Dumped In.
Yesterday morning the people of North
ern Liberty" were astonished to see men
from the engineer department Of the Dis
triot government take the pump out and
proceed to dump about fifteen loads of
earth in the well. The news spread with as
much rapidity as If an invading army had
been discovered in the neighborhood, and
this morning many of those interested in
maintaining the crystal water in their
midst were trying to get up movement to
petition the Commissioners to restore the
pump. There were also rumors that the
well had been abandoned in the interest of
the owner of the nearby private well. from
which water Is sold all over the city.
A Star reporter called on Capt. Burr of
the engineer department today for in1or-
nation in respect of the closing OF the well.
Co1 lott hot tIa noit
the closing of wells Is so great that no
such action is taken without a thorough
test of the water by two chemists, acting
independently, and the receipt of their joint
report that ii is contaminated and danger
Gus to health. Such reports regarding the
9Th street well have been made by A. w.
Dow of the engineer department and j. D.
Hird, chemist of the health office the lat
ter being especially opposed to the aban-
donment of wells until analysis OF the
water gives the most ample proof of its
impurity.
Third Time in Three Years.
Mr.. Dow stated in his report. dated July
10, 1897 that that was the third time In
three years he had recommended the clos
ing of the 5th street we'll, while Mr.. Hird
reported that he found the water by an
alysis to be contaminated Both chemists
reported the water to be odorless and color
less, but beth agreed that 1T contained
sewage bacteria, Whlcn is the do'dhce
agent of typhoid fever.
As the well was quite a shallow one, the
health department regarded any attempt
to protect the water from contamination
as futile. The report of the health de-
partment for 1898 also rates the private
spring from which water is being sold as
'suspicious-sewage bacteria, and 1t Is
understood a recommendation has been
made to the Commissioners that 1t be
closed.
No Trace of Lithia.
While the 9TH street well undoubtedly
contained lithia in large quantities a few
years ago, an examination of it made by
Prof Hird last year failed to find any
trace of it. This he accounted for on the
theory that the rocks contributing lithia to
the water may have been worn away, or
that the water contained lithia only at
certain times when the pressure of the
underground stream forced it against rocks
containing lithla, which were not touched
when the pressure was lower.