The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-01-08
The Question of Filtration.

i The subject of filtration is being consid
cred by the directors of the Mount Holly
Water Company. The Medical Record, an
excellent journal published by William
Wood and Company, New York, has in its
issue of December %, an editorial of inter
est on this subject, which we reproduce
by consent of the publishers. 1t says
An editorial in the Medical Record of
December Sth drew attention to the de-
creased rate of mortality in those cities in
which filtration plant has been intro
duced, and it was shown that a compare
lively pure water supply greatly affected
the occurrence of typhoid fever. Efforts
are being made at the present time in sew
eral American cities of the first magnitude,
as well as in some smaller ones, to curtail
the spread of Diseases and especially that
of typhoid fever by insuring an unpollut-
ed service of water for domestic purposes.
The majority of experts have come to the
conclusion-which is also borne out by
by practical proofs-that an efficient sys-
TEN of filtration is the best means of puri-
flying water. The Albany ltration plant,
established quite recently, 5 possibly the
most satisfactory instance o. fairly large
scale of the good results accruing from
such a system in the country.
In the Albany Medical annals for De
cember, Dr. Martin MacHarg, vice presi-
dent of the Medical Society of the County
of Albany, contributes well-written ac-
count of the construction and working of
the newly erected filtration plant in that
city Up to September 6, 1885, when the
filters were completed, Albany had been
dependent, for its drinking water, upon
reservoirs supplied by small streams and
upon the Hudson River. In recent years
the greater portion of the water was
drawn from the Hudson. Owing to the
fact that the Hudson was seriously con
taminated by local sewerage, as well as
by the sewerage of Troy, Cohoes, and
other cities, it is not surprising that the
typhoid fever death rate was excessive.
Steps were therefore taken to install an up
to date filtration plant. DIR. MacHarg
gives a description of the plant, which
lack of space does not permit us to quote.
Suffice it, then, to say that the methods
in use are of the most approved type.
With regard to the benefits conferred
upon the inhabitants by the system, DR..
MacHarg says: 1.-The filters were design
ed to remove from the water the bacteria
which caused disease. The superintend-
ent of the plant, Mr.. Bailey, in August
last issued a report on the results of the
plant for three hundred and nineteen DAYS
actual operation, and | give his report
verbatim. The number of gallons filtered
was 1917, 200, 000 or on an average of
nearly $4,000, 900 gallons day This is
the largest amount of water ever filtered
by single American filtration plant in so
short period. The cost of operating the
tiltering beds and care Of the grounds has
hpn \ Al =
of chemical and archaeological examina-
ton is "a cents per 1 1000, 900 gallous. The
cost of pumping is 50. AZ per !, 1000, 900 gal
Ions. The efficiency in bacterial removal
has been good. AS regards its remov-
al for the first three months of 1900, the
average number of bacteria in the untilter-
ed water for the whole plant never fell
below 200 in cubic centimetre, reaching
that figure on March 30, 1900.
On April I'd and 9th, respectively, when
the bacteria in the raw water numbered
AZ, 600 and 81, 900 respectively, 90 on pr. ct.
of the total was removed The influence
upon the death rate from typhoid fever
has been quick and decided The average
number of deaths from typhoid fever in
Albany for nine years up to 1899 was 50
in year. From January, 1885, to August
|, 1892 when the city was using unfilter-
ed water, there were II deaths from ty-
phoid fever and from August 1, 1899, to
January /, 1900, or when filtered water
was in use there were only z deaths from
this disease. From January 1st of the
present year $1,000 up to July LIST, there
were only 10 deaths for the six months or
total Of "a for the past year, against So,
the average for the preceding years
These figures show plainly that the AL
hoC hoe ~,