The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-20
WORK IS FINISHED
REPAIRS AT CITY WATER WORKS
: ARE COMPLETED.
vater Can Be Supplied in Almost Any
Quantity and of the Purest Quality
Two Large Pumps Are Now In Use In
stead of One-Several Smaller Ones at
Hand Ready to Use at Moments
Notice - Something About the Water
Supply, Where 1t Comes From and the
Quantity Used Daily by Consumers

NOrk mas Deen prdcticaHy competed.
Some OF the pumps had become too small
for the works. and new ones were found
| necessary, others needed repairing and
! numberless small odd jobs were need
ing attention. all of which has now been
done.
The water works is one of the many
sights about the city which most people
kept ii the cleanest state possible, and
the polished brass and iron shines like
the cannon at a government arsenal. \
trip to the water works is well worth the
trouble. The water which is furnished
Il the consumers is as pure as any that
can be obtained anywhere.
New York uses "croton'' water, so
called because of the wonderful croton
acqueduet through which it is carried
! 70 the city. Chicago receives her water
supply from a crib situated five miles
ont IN the lake. In either OF these cities,
famed for their good water, there is some
small amount of contamination from or
ganic matter present to a greater or less
extent in all bodies of open water. The
little city OF Newport, Ky, is famed all
over the east for its excellent water
nine miles from the city, allowed TO set
tie in one reservoir, then let into another
and filtered as il passes through wall
1ulit especially for this purpose of sand,
gravel and charcoal and sent to the city
through a main nine feet underground,
arriving pure and cold at the faucet
In Wichita the water passes through
miles o. sand and gravel. and when it
appears at the faucet it has not seen
daylight since it disappeared among the
rocks OF Colorado, was melted snow
The following is an extract from a pa
per read before the state board Of health
at its last meeting by DR.. st. John Of this
CRY, which explains many things. The
extract is as follows:
1T is unnecessary TO say to any medi-
cal man that one of the worst sources Of
con;asion, especially of typhoid fever.
i the use of contaminated water. The
president put ME on at the last meeting
to read paper before you this time.
chose for subject The Danger of Con-
tagion from Using water from the Shall
low Wells in the Larger Cities Of our
State l cannot write from a scientific
standpoint, but from the knowledge OF
facts gained from practical experience,
and while secretary of our Wichita city
health board during the past five years.
Our city water is excellent; the plant is
located on an island in the Arkansas riv-
err about enc and one-half miles from
the center of the city.
Tine island contains about one hun
dred acres and but three families live
there. The company has put down one
hundred wells, the pipes averaging sew
en- inches in diameter These are put
down forty feet below the river bed, and
we think in Wichita that no city in the
world has a better or purer water sup
ply than this. But in our city, as in
other cities of the state. there is no sys-
telnatic method of removing garbage
and refuse matters. While we have a
sewer system, all houses are not con
nected with il. While We have excellent
city water, many homes are not supplied
from this source, but from wells that are
shallow; so then there are many shallow
wells in our city as in other cities of the
state. Although there may be an excel
lent city water supply and sewer accom-
modations, yet where there are privy
vaults and cess-pools surrounding shall
low wells, the water certainly must be
contaminated. In our own city, Wichita,
the soil is loose and sandy; all our wells
are driven wells. and in such soil well
from eight to twenty feet deep must ne
contaminated more or less. Four years
ago, while a member of the board. the
question of shallow wells came before
the city council and an effort was made
by the city TO have the council pass an
ordinance compelling the owners of prop
erty to put the wells down to thirty-five
feet or deener, or connect with the city
water mains for their water supply
ana connect with the sewer. but failed.
During mild epidemic of typhoid
fever some time ago an effort was made
by the board 10 ascertain the source OF
o. 20 ~ -
AMI the various physicians OF the city
invariably found that. in the families
where typhoid fever existed, they had
been uSing the water from shallow wells.
l took TIE trouble to get water from five
different wells in depth from eight TO
eighteen feet, put it in clean bottle,
took it TO the city council rooms that
the MAYOR end members of the council
might ascertain about the water. The
smell was sufficient for them.
Fifteen years ago the water from the
various wells in the city, ranging in
depth from eight 10 twenty-five feet, was
sent to DR. Haines OF Chicago. III. the
chemist. 10 be analysed. His report was
that the water in the wells less than
th:rty-five or forty feet in depth was I'M
Fl for drinking purposes; but from forty
feet the water was fairly good.
Professor Vaughn. professor Of chem
iStry in the university or Micnigdn. ana
ais. a member OF the state board Of
health in Michigan. in an article in the
Annals OF Hygiene. makes this state
lnent: That IL a city IN his state a part
cf The population got their water supply
from an open lake and another portion
their water supply from shallow wells.
Those who drank from the open lake
were not afflicted. Among those who
drank from shallow wells were two hun
dred cases Of typhoid fever. Dr.. Vaughn
claiming that thu germ diseases. what
ever ;ha, may he. which caused that
ccntacion. lived and grew in the cold wa
ter Of the shallow wells and not in the
warmer water Of the open lake. Il seems
n me thar if We can impress upon the
people a. the larger cities OF the state
the danger OF the use OF the water from
shallow wells. and through the medium
% the councils Of the cities urge upon
the property holders II put their wells
to such a depth as is pronounced safe by
a prompt removal OF garbage and con-
meet with the sewer, when IL is possible.
I'VE are doing something as 4 board
of heath for the good OF the state, all
chemists claiming that in cities OF this
size wells OF depth beyond the danger OF
OF surface drainage
Mr. Alley. Of the water works. stated 10
an Eagle reporter yesterday that every
private well in he city should not oe