Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-20
PROFESSOR WALLETS EXPERIENCE
University OF Virginia,
August ~, 1873.

University Of Virginia,
August ~, 1873.
To the Editor OF the Dispatch:
In the discussion OF the muddy condi-
Non OF the water used in Richmond, and
The means Of improving 1t, the statement
has been more than once made that James
fiver water can not be filtered without
he use Of alum. As evidence that this is
a mistake, l send you by express two
samples of the Charlottesville water sup
ply-one III the muddy state to which IL
has been brought by the recent heavy
rains. and the other filtered once without
addition Of alum or anything else. by sim
pie passage through a cylinder of Amer
lean tripon (an infusorial siltceous
earth from Missouri. with walls OF about
threo-quarters of an inch In thickness.
This is not intended to illustrate the
kind of filter to be used on the large scale.
nor is 1t an illustration Of tho best result
obtainable-the fltec used being new, ana
its pores too open TO render the water
quite clear-but It may serve to show that
very muddy water can be made fairly
clear, and quite fit for ordinary house
hold use by simple and pretty rapid
mechanical filtration without addition Of
alum. II is true that this Is not James
river water, but II is water of the same
general character. a liberal proportion or
the mud from which you suffer in Rich
mond being in part supplied by the soil
Of Albamale county. II you care TO send
me sample Of water from a Richmond
hydrant will pass it through the same
altering cylinder and return it TO you.
am, sir. your obedient servant,
J. w. MALLET.
Thanks to you, Professor The two bot
ties of water have been received and ex-
amined. The work OF filtration has been
well done. In color the muddy Charlottes-
Vile water IS very much like Richmond
water. but we think the former deposits
its sediment more rapidly that Richmond
water does.
We shall take pleasure in sending the
Professor sample of Richmond water.
drawn directly from James river. though
we find the river a little less muddy now
than 1t was some days ago.
The interest that Professor Mallet is
taking in this matter is very gratifying
10 us. especially as his experiments lead
US 20 hope that possibly some method
of wholesale filtration may be devised, in
which the use Of alum viii not be requi-
site. Though most Of our people eat alum
in baking powders. and thrive. many Of
them are averse to using alum TO clarity
water. Therefore. unless the popular mind
changes greatly. no system Of filtration
in which alum enters Will ever be accept
able to our people.
The filtration Of James river water
without the use OF alum is practiced here
IN hundreds Of hotels, saloons, and pri-
vate houses. "The Pasteur filter" the
'Mediteranean stone" and other de-
vices are In successful use. But we doubt
If any of these devices could be developed
SO as to filter ten or twelve million gall
Ions OF James river water per day. 1t
may be that lack OF explicitness in some |
OF the newspaper publications as TO what |
is being done here with private filters has |
misied Professor Mallet somewhat. We |
repeat that of small filters there are |
plenty here that Will serve us well with
out using alum in them. but the difficulty |
is in getting a filter or nest Of filters that /
would clarity our entire water supply.
Each days developments in the matter /
OF clarifying our water supply 80 TO
bnOW thdb tho question II one as 10 1
which we should make haste slowly. We
are in danger OF rushing ahead too fast,
and. II We do. In the end we may ind
that We have spent hundreds OF thou
sands OF dollars and have a system which
Will not satisfy public expectation.
We think the wise and safe plan Is for
our City Council TO appropriate some
$4,000 or $1,000 and let the water-works }
officials mako a series OF tentative exper-
iments upon scale large enough TO
give the public confidence in the results
obtained.
In this matter 1t will not do to depend
entirely upon laboratory experiments.
No; let US construct small settling
s~"d. and also arrange to let the manu-