The times., 1898-01-11
NOT EVEN FIT FOR A BATH
Senator Hale Scores the District
Water supply.
DANGEROUS TO DRINK III
He Den.ands Re nedy in Discussing
toni Recommendations From tie
War Department Plea of Pow
erty.

In the Senate yesterday morning Mr..
Mcmillan, chairman of the District
CoTmit;ee, submitted the following res-
olution, which was agreed TO:
Resolved, That the Secretary of
War be, and he is hereby. requested TO
report to the Senate any information
there may be in the possession of the
War Department in relation to the
filtration of the water supply OF the
District Of Columbia. together with any
suggestions that may be made by the
Surgeon General of the War Depart
meni and the officer IN cnarse OF the
Washington Aqueduct relative TO such
subject"
Addressing himself briefly on this
resolution, Mr.. Hale. of Maine, said
that he hoped that the District Conn
mittee would be able to devise ami
bring about some method by which the
suffering people of the District could
be furnished with a supply of GOOD.
pure. clear. sweet water.
Il venture TO say, said Mr.. Hale,
that in no part of the Unit n States
is q community of the size of that
represented by the population of this
District, imposed upon and abused in
this most important respect as the
people of the District of Columbia 1t
is not alone we who come here who
suffer, but the denizens OF the District.
who are confronted with the every day
use of bad, foul water, which is dan
gerous to drink. and which makes it
irkSome even for a bath. This ought
not to be the case. We have suffered
Tor years, on the principle. | suppose.
that what is everybody's business IL
nobody's business. j have great faith
IN the committee of the District and
IN the chairman of the committee in
doing something to free us from the
miserable condition we are now i'm
Mr.. Gallinger, member Of the Dis
trict Committee. in making a brief OBJ
servation in answer 10 what he termed
very proper criticisms" said: Il wish
TO say, in behalf Of the committee.
that II has not been unmindful of the
fact that the water supply of the Dis
trict is not only in an unfiltered state,
but that we likewise have an made
quate District water supply. The COM
mittee, in inQuiring into this matter.
has thought that the first requisite
is some way 10 obtain an adequate
supply of water, and then to adapt
some system of filtration that would
purify it My impression is that the
water that is furnished To the citizens
of this District is not impure in quail
ity. j think that a chemical analysis
viii show from time to time that the
water is not hurtfUl To the health of
the people That it ought to be filter.
ed goes without saying, but system
of filtration will be an expensive mat
Ter, and under the present condition
of the Treasury it is very natural that
The committee has moved slowly with
a view To having its recommendation
Immediately adopted when it does act
Il believe ii was former Senator In
gals who said that the water i'm a Ger.
tain river in this country was too thick
10 drink. and little too thin for agri.
cultural purposes. That applies very
well TO the water of the Potomac river.
But L viii say to the Senator from
NaiEe, and to the Senate. that the Com
mittee on the District is struggling
with this matter and in due time the
members hope TO be able to solve the
problem, asking the co-opera ton of the
Senate in their very laudable under
taking