Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-26
PURIFYING RIVERS
Methods That Have Met With Sue
cess in Europe.
TREATING TIE STREAM CHEMICALLY
The System Of utilization in Oper-
ation'at Rheims.
EMINENTLY SATISFACTORY

| Written for The Evening Star by Thomas Wilson.
During my residence in and visits to Eu-
| rope became interested in the question OF
| the protection of water courses against pol
luton by manufacturing or industrial es-
| tablishments, especially the intrcacy of the
question when applied to rivers flowing
| from one country into or through another
The Importance of this question may not
have been appreciated in the United States
owing to the conditions. but we are becom-
ing aroused in the city of Washington in
view of the late or present charges of pol
luton Of the waters OF the Potomac in the
state of Maryland above us, especially at
| Cumberland and its neghborhcod.
Probably The most notable case of this
kind was the demand of the kingdom of
Belgium against the republic of France to
prevent the defilement and pollution of the
waters Of the stream rEspierre, which
crossed the frontier at the great industrial
center Of Roubaix-Tourcoing; and the re-
public of France ordained the erection of
public works at these towns for the puri-
fication of the waters of this stream. This
decree was passed February. 1887. The
government contributed to the installation
| to the extent of 100000 francs and provided
a subvention appropriation toward the ex-
| pense of management of 25,O00 francs per
|
pense must be borne by the local authori-
| ties. Thus Belgium is secured in the right
| of pure water in the rivers flowing across
her border from France.
The articles, materials, establishments
and methods by which waters were defiled
| with matter supposed to be deleterious or
| detrimental were classified thus: % The in
| numbering residue, like ashes, cinders,
| which had nothing particularly deleterious
in them, but which incumbered and filed
up the bed of the stream; CD malodorous
and coloring matter; these from gas works,
| distilleries, various essences. WOODEN mills
| and dyeing establishments: CD acids from
chemical works and the fabrication of vari-
Gus metals; "a toxic residue; these were
| principally arsenical, though many came
| from manufactures of lead, phosphorus,
| mercury and mineral works; 90 putrid OBJ
jects, and, 90 infectious residues. Con-
| sidera BILE discussion has been had and much
| learning has been displayed over the ques-
ton whether the pathogenic germs, mi
| crobes, spores, &c, perhaps laden with dis
ease washed out of the material employed
in the manufacture like wool, rags, &c.
| might not contaminate water, and so COM
| municate infectious maladies.
On the River Espierre.
The technical processes for the protection
of the water against deleterious substances
arrested my attention. The city of Lille in
| France is an extensive manufacturing CEN
| ter located on the river Espierre, one oil
the sluggish streams of that low country
| which flows into Belgium, Joining the Lys
| at Client and so to Antwerp and the
| sea. The location of Lille in its relation to
| Client corresponds to that of Cumberland
| in its relation to Washington.
DR.. Arnould of Lille, member of the
| committee of hygiene, described the tech
| nical processes for the protection of water
courses. He divided them into seven heads,
| though they all fall within two grand cate
gories-one to prohibit the of water in
such way as to pollute it, the other is to
! purify it before it is returned into the
stream. His seven processes were fol-
| lows: % Substitution of inoffensive agents
for those dangerous ones now used in in
dustrial operations: CD to prevent the of
fensive matter from entering the water
and use 1t in its due form in industry or
commerce: CD to bury the noxious mate
rial; a. to utilize it before its return to the
water; C) decantation; 90 to purify the
water by combination of chemical agents:
"a and, lastly, publication by infiltration
through the soil.
The two latter processes are of sufficient
interest and Importance to describe. First
| publication by chemical and mechanical
means. The chemical agents operate upon
the water by way Of naturalization of the
| deieterious matter. The mechanical por-
ton of the process is by settling and de-
cantation. The chemical settling agent
must be a precpitant and should be a dis
lnfectant. These chemical agents are
many, and different ones have been tried i'm
| different localities, but that which has nre
vailed over all others is lime. 1t operates
by precipitation and Qualification. 1t must
| De properly prepared and rightly used in
| order to be successful. The proportions
may be different In different waters. ac-
| cording to the quantity of IMPURITIES in n
| III too much lime be used the chemical 90
ton will be to dissolve the impurities rath
| er than to precipitate Them and thus they
are retained in the water instead of being
| thrown to the bottom The fmpurjtias in
| dlnerent waters differ much Those ~
fEspierre at Roubaix-Tourcoine are ouite
as as great as those of the Lys at Client For
ene iorner II Is agreed that there should be
/ employed two Kilograms of uuckltme for
purlncation of a cubic meter of water The
miik OF lime is prepared by a mixture of
ioo kilograms of lime to 600 liters (approx-
| imately quarts) OF water, and this is used
| IN the proportion Indicated which can he
known only by experiment and ANALYSIS
| me more perfect and exact proportion Of
me me Ink OF lime employed with the water
inc more rapid and perfect will be the pre-
cipltation This is the system EMPLOYED
| hcuDafx-Tourcoing for the purif1cation of
/ the waters of fEspierre. A short descrin-
tioh OF II may not be uninteresting.
Chemical Publication.
The plant or factory for the purifica ton
OF water is situated, of course, on the
French territory, but as near the Belgium
frontier as possible and only few hundred
yards distant. 1t is thus placed that 1t
may take all the water of the stream. and
having purified it, discharge 1t without
| uohsei VI snotner denlement. The estab-
| hsnmem is no small affair." and one can
| appreciate its Importance and extent better
| after one Is told that there was purchased
| Tor It's use sixteen acres, that the first es
tabiishment cost 100000 francs and that
| its annual running expenses are calculated
| to be $4,000 francs. A canal was built by
| which the waters are diverted through the
! establishment and controlled by flood gates
| The necessary buildings have been erected
for the housing of the machinery and en-
ployes.
There are eighteen basins laid side by
| side They are twenty metres long, eight
metres wide ard one metre in depth. zone
metre is thirty-nine inches) They are of
| brick laid in cement; the water is brought
| in from the canal and as it is discharged
/ into these basins 1t Is mixed with the milk