The sun., 1900-01-20
bRANDYNINE WATER
and TYPHOID INFECTION
Expert Chemist Says the Water
is Inferior to the Schuyl-
kill River.
REMEDY IN LARGE RESERVOIR
The Brandywine Water Contains the
Larger Amount OF Typhoid
Matter--.The Result of an
Interview Obtained by
"Sun" Reporter.

The purity OF this city's water supply
is again in doubt.
This doubt arises out Of prevalent ty-
phoid conditions. The disease is still
here. 1t was epidemic month or SO
ago and has not entirely disappeared,
nor yet has the source of it been ascer-
tanned, or if ascertained has not been an
nounced. The presence of this disease
points unmistakably to the use of inn
pure drinking water. All authorities
agree on that. 1t follows that so long as
the source Of the recent epidemic has not
been determined, suspicion must rest
upon the general water supply. During
the height OF the epidemic, The SUN's
reporters, by census OF the cases then
existing located the source of the epi-
demic at the famous and popular spring
at Fourth and Franklin streets. An
analysis OF this spring water apparently
disproved the current conclusion that
this spring was infected. So far as that
analysis proved anything, it seems to
have proved that the infected water came
from the city water supply. In acquit-
ting the spring the chemical analysis
convicts the city water
TO get at the facts OF this case, a re-
porter OF THE Sun interviewed local
chemist who, as an expert, has made an
analysis of water taken from the various
local supply sources and given important
testimony upon this subject in important
legal cases where the character of the
local water supply was in question. This
chemist said:
"rhe productive source of typhoid
from water is aihuminoids. Those occur
in the water by the decay of vegetable
matter of all types, and from surface
sewage. The Brandywine creek beng q
natural drainage medium of an extensive
water shed is contaminated by the sur
face drainage OF the country through
which it flows. The inflow Of decayed
vegetation from this source must be very
large and its bad. effects eulminate right
here at the source of the city water sup
ply. In addition to the vegetable con-
tamination. a very large amount OF
animal matter finds its way into the
creek from the grazing lands, in the
shape OF animal droppings and the refuse
of dairies, also carried there by surface
drainage. The supply of this matter is
large, constant and the water is never
free of it.
"The amount of albuminoids of the
character producing typhoids permissi-
BILE in drinking waters is IA parts in
200, 900 parts OF water. Beyond that
the contamination is dangerous.
"About the Brandywine water, my ex-
perience confirms the conclusion of Prof.
Moerk, of Philadelphia. He has analyzed
samples of this water on several occa-
sions, and pronounced it far inferior, as
a drinking water, to that of the Schuyl-
kill, from which Philadelphia gets its
water supply. That Brsndywine water
contained the larger amount OF typhoid
matter. The contamination of Schuyl-
kill water is OF muddy consistence-
coal and dye stuffs-which is not poison
ous, although more apparent, giving the
water bad appearance and making it
unpalatable.
1.-THE remedy for such contamination
as effects the Brandywine water is aera-
tion and sunshine. and the storing of it
in large bodies-reservoirs large enough
to give abundant supply, and thus avoid
constant pumping. understand that
the water supplied from the Rodney
basin in this city is aerated by means OF
stand pipes, from which it is forced
above the level Of the water stored there,