The St. Louis Republic., 1900-08-17
City Officials Went to the Illinois
River on the Harbor
Boat "St. Louis
TESTS MADE FOR POLLUTION.
While the Health Department
Analysts Were Busy the Guests
Made Merry-They Had
an Orchestra.

Sixty-three invited guests. most of them
city officials, went up the river on the har-
bar boat St Louis yesterday, departing
from the wharf at $50 and returning last
night.
The occasion was the regular fortnightly
trip to the Illinois River. which is made
for the purpose of securing and Immediate
ly examining, specimens Of the water sup
ply of St Louis, with the view of determine
ing to what extent the same is being pol
luted by sewage from Chicago and towns
along the Illinois River.
1t was a varied and interesting assort-
ment of test tubes. pipettes, gallon bottles,
tin-foil and spirit lamps that the analysists
OF the City Health Department carried
aboard the steamer, to be used in making
their scientific Investigations.
Numerous samples were obtained on the
trip. and Immediately submitted to the spe-
cific tests.
Health Commissioner Starkoff, under
whose supervision the work has been con-
Quoted, was detained in st. Louis, and the
analytical experiments were conducted by
Doctor William c. Teichmann, City Chem
ist: Doctor Amand Ravold. City Bacteriol-
ogist, and a corps of assistants.
The object of yesterdays operations was
to compare the results obtained with the
analyses which are daily made at the Of
flee Of the City Chemist. and also by Pro-
lessor Edward H. Keser and assistants at
Washington University from samples sent
in by the regular collectors at points at
intervals from st. Louis to three miles
above the mouth of the Illinois River.
Through the efforts of Harhor and Wharf
Commissioner Henry Alt, Edward \. Hol-
berg the Commissioners chief clerk: Daniel
Walsh, steward, the harbor boat crew, the
trip was made most enjoyable Mayor Zias-
enhein was among the first to arrive at
the wharf and soon afterwards singly and
in pairs, members of the City Council and
of the House of Delegates came aboard.
AT North Market street the boat stopped
to take on Delegate Julius Lehman who
brought an orchestra of several pieces with
hlm. While the analysts were engaged in
making their tests the crowd made merry
passing the day in feastng and song.
At each point where samples were taken
two large bottles of water were secured
Theoretically sealed and packed in ice for
chemical analysis later OH in ST. Louis. as
were also single smaller bottles for bac-
THEOLOGICAL examination. The results OBJ
tained from such eyamina tions In ST. Louis
are compared with the results obtained on
the boat.
The work of sampling and testing the
city's waite" supply has been Systematically
conducted for more than a year, and re-
y
compared with the tests which We're made
last August.
The conclusions arrived at are to be used
in presenting ST. Lous's side to the drain
age canal argument when the injunction
suit of this city shall come before the
iE.;td States Supreme Court in October or
if that body dsc!aims jurisdiction, before
the United States Circuit Court at Chicago.
Up to the present time more than 2,S0J
samples have been analyZed, and the most
important stage of Developments is now in
progress.
Among those who made the trip yesterday
were Counclmen Hoffman, Schnell, Car
roll, Thuncr, Assistant Secretary OF the
Council Hansen, and Sergeant-at-Arms
Turner; Speaker Murrell of the House Of
Delegates, and Delegates MADEIRA, Murrell,
Hartmann, Gutke. Sturdevant. Tambiyq.
Schnettler. Denny. Helms. Hannigan. Clerk
Judy Assistant Clerk Won Funk and Ser
geant-a-Arms Weeks: j. G. Benecker, Al
exander n. Miller. Doctor Henry Dettmann
Henry Taylor, Edgar a. Mepham Coec-
tor c. T. Wennekcr C. NJ. Raleigh Will
lam II. Blake, Theodore Kalbfel. George
a. Johnson, Conrad ksmpf, ,superintenl-
ent of the Workhouse Henry Droste. Will
lam H. Hahn, Recorder of Deeds Edward
Baumann. Q. W. Walter and members of