The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-07-17


| river at it's source above the mills and
control the watershed by purchase.
There is no question that the latter
| plan is the best as insuring absolute
\ purity for all time. but the objections
| appear to be the great expense OF the
| plant and the large outlay for damages
| ID the mill owners whose water power
| would be curtailed. This however, is
| OF small moment considering the great
good to be accomplished in the end.
DIR. II. III. Pecknam, Jr., "A leading
physician of Providence. voicing the
opinion of his professional brethren,
takes becomingly strong ground on this
point:
"A supply of pure water If obtainable
for a municipality is cheap at any
price. Other cities take measures to
obtain IL. In the near future. ii will be
more costly than now, and the present
supply will become more polluted. and
we may have the experience which
Philadelphia is nov having in defend
ing itself against suits for damages
from typhoid fever directly traceable
TO the impure water supply"
1t is difficult to understand, If fltra-
tion Is adopted as compromise. why
anything more than the use OF sand for
the purpose Is necessary. Everything
that filtration can accomplish can be
done by such means. Alum, aside from
theoretical assumptions, is not only
useless. but may be harmful. We
heartily indorse what DIR. Peckham
says on this point:
II have no doubt by the use of the
alum process of filtration in the labo-
ratory and on a small scale, supervised
by skilled workmen, all the alum can
be removed, but the process is no more
effectual in removing disease germs
than sand or natural filtration, and Ii
is said to be the rule in the use of
alum to be sure and use enough There
will always be the suspicion among its
consumers, il IL is used, that some OF
the chemical may exist in the water
and produce n deleterious effect. imagi-
nary il not real. 1t is but a few years
ago that the newspapers were full of
the dangers of using baking powders
containing alum. and medical men are
unanimous i'm the opinion that the use
of this chemical is Injurious to the hu-
man system. Wisconsin and Mime
sofa have passed laws that all baking
powders containing alum shall have the
fact conspicuously printed on the
wrappers to warn the consumer of
their true character. In the District
of Columbia the authorities had. under
the direction OF congress. adopted reg
ulations to prohibit the use OF alum in
bread altogether. BY the use of chemi-
calls our water might become so chang
ed as 10 unfit IL for use i'm many indus
trial branches"
Looking at the subject I'm its broad
aspect, there is no doubt that the whole
question OF water supply for our cities
needs thorough supervision I'm view OF
the new theories regarding disease pro-
paRation. The old idea that wafer pu-
rifles itself after flowing certain
number Of miles may be tenable
enough as regards readily oxidizaole
products and easily deposited debris.
but IL Is by no means the case with pa
thoSenic bacteria. which can he trans
ported unchanged for very long dis
tances. The conclusion OF the whole
matter would then appear % be that
the only guarantee for safety rests I'm
the absolute title for n perfectly clean
watershed beyond all possible chances
OF pollution.-Medical Record.