The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-09
FILTRATION OF RIVER WATER.
Committee of Physicians Believe II
to He n Nccessfty

to He a Necessity.
The Senate Committee on the District
of Columbia will consider, at its next
meeting. report received by Mr.. CALM
ger from committee Of physicians on the
necessity of fltering the water used in
this city for drinking purposes. The re-
port is signed by Samuel c. Busey. G. W.
Cook, G. NJ. Koher. z. T. Sewers. and Will
liam c. Woodward, all members OF the
District Medical Society, and their con-
illusions were adopted by that body by a
unanimous vote.
The report states that filtration Of the
Potomac water on large scale is i'm
peratively called for in order to dimi1
ish the excessive typhoidfever death rate
in the National Capital. During the year
ended June 80, 1900. there were 81
deaths from this disease, and probably
not less than 1900 cases, which, at
conservative estimate, represent fnan-
cial loss to the community of over ST.
coo, 600 per annum.
Wherever a proper system of slow
sand filtration of the water supply has
been installed the mortality from typhoid
fever has been reduced from so to 40 per
cent, and there Is every reason to assume
tina. the same result can be accomplished
in this city. If we reduce the mortality
only one-half, every year over 100 lives
will be spared. the number of cases will
be reduced from upward Of 1000 to about
1000, and the community will save over
$500,000 and an incalculable amount of
human suffering and distress. That this
may be accomplished is indicated by the
fact that the experimental sand fiter
eliminated so per cent of the colon bacilli.
hi sv,Ix1
ence of disease germs and by many classed
as such
This result may be accomplished by
the expenditure Of $2,46l, 1888 for the in
stallation of the sand filters, with an an
nual operating expense, including interest
on cost of plant and deterioration. of
$1S6, 402.27. Indeed. the first cost of the
plant may be safely reduced by $3.50 $40
by emitting the covering of the filter beds,
as suggested by both of the experts en-
ployed by the War Department to investi-
gate the subject. And this reduction in
the first cost would effect a reduction CT
about 81. 9s0.1o per annum in the operat-
ing expenses by diminishing the amount
to be charged against interest on origi-
nal cost Of plant and deterioration of
plant Moreover. apart from the saving
effected by constructing open instead Of
mittee that the germicidaI effects Of SIN
light operating on the open filters will
render them far more efficient than IL
they were covered.
Whatever the merits OF the mechani-
cal system Of water publication may
be, the burden of proof as to its capabil-
fty Of diminishing typhoid fever clearly
rests with this method, which, we regret
to say, has so far failed to sustain this
claim, and your committee in view of the
evidence in favor OF sand filtration,
which has stood the test with increasing
ly good results for over half a century,
furnishing now the daily supply of water
to more than twenty million of people,
would deem 1t an unwise experiment to
resort to mechanical filtration of our
city's water supply.
Quite recently other methods for the
sterilization of water by chloric peroxide
and by ozone have been proposed by the
French scientists, which from a sanitary
point of view promise most excellent re-
suits. But since the needs of the National
Capital for pure water are SO very urgent
and as within the past ten years 1,1S7
persons have persisted from typhoid and
typho- malarial fever alone in this city,
which from our standpoint means need
less sacrifice of at least 1893 lives and
9 1880 cases Of sickness. with financial
loss to the community of over s., 600 coo,
we appreciate that the gravity of the sit
uation admits of no further delay and ex-
periments. and therefore earnestly and
unhesitatingly recommend the prompt in
stallation of the natural sand Alters