Rock Island Argus., 1901-09-25
LEAKS IN The INTAKE.
Examination of City Water Supply
e Pipe DiscIoses Bad State
of Affairs.
SOLVES CAUSE OF TYPHOID FEVER
Sewage Found Flowing Into
Mains'.Repairs to Be Made
at Once.

The test of the intake pipe at the
Waterworks yesterday afternoon re-
vealed the uudoubte cause of by far
the greater part of the typhoid fever
that has twice scoursed the city.
When the end of the pipe at the
channel was securely plugged by the
diver, Frank Ram, and the water in
the intake well into which the pipe
empties was lowered with the pump,
it was found that stream of slough
water, reeking with the filth of the
sewers of this city and Moline that
empty into Sylvan water above, came
in at rate considerably faster than a
steam siphon, which was put to work
when the water became too low for
the big pumps to work, could remove
it.
Eight Leaks Shown.
Then connection was made with the
air pump of u locomotive that had
been borrowed for the occasion and
air was pumped into the intake pipe
for some time. Immediately bubbles
| began rising from at least eight places
along the pipe. indicating that there
were ut least as many leaks through
which water could and undoubtedly
did enter in the ordinary course of
events. Four of these leaks were
| we'll within the slough and all of them
were far enough from the north end Cf
the pipe TO be covered by water more
or less mixed with the eXcrescence of
| the slough. Perhaps the most dan
gerous of these leaks is the one at
the extreme south end, where, from
| under a mud bank covering the mains
from six to eight feet, and just at
| the south edge of the water at it's
present low stage. scattering bubbles
| rose over an area of over so feet in
| diameter These bubbles came up
/ through the sewage that emptied but
a fe " feet away from the Twenty
fourth street drain, the one into which
for a considerable time last year the
sewage from the hospital and the
worst fever Infected district in the
city flowed. OF course the water that
had reached the intake pipe through
this leak would have to seep through
"a bsd of mud several feet in depth,
but it would be polluted rather tnan
purifi I'd thereby. Tne largest hole in
the pipe appeared to be one at the
north side OF the slough.
To Continue Investigation.
1t is the purpose of Waterworks
Superintendent BIncroit to locate all
the leaks to be found and to ascertain
the depth of the soil and water above
each one. Then Mr.. Ram will be
asked to present TN estimate of the
cost OF mending the leaks with the
diving apparatus. and this, with an
estimate of the cost of Golfer damming
and doing the work by The usual pro-
cess, will be presented to tie council
for consideration.
1t is thought the work may be MOI q
cheaply done by a diver than by the
other method. With a sand pump
the soil can be taken frozi the pipe
under the water and by a process
known to divers the soldering of the
| Joints can be also beneath the surface.
Then the whole can be tested by the
air method to astertain whether the
leaks have been effectually closed.
Using Old Pipe.
Before the tests were begun yester-
day the reservoirs on the bluff were
full and now water is being pumped
into them through the old 20-inch in
take pipe, which is undoubtedly in
worse condition than the new one.
As the needs of the city cannot b
supplied by the small pipe the supply
| of water in the basins will be grad
ually 10 wered while the 30-inch pipe
is out of commission. So the repair
ing should be done at once and e1pe
ditiously for three reasons: the pro-
lection of the public health, the pre-
vention of a water famine, and in
order to- take advantage of the present
low stage of the river.
RESERVOIR VIndIoated.
The effect of the disclosure is TO
weaken the contention that has recent
ly been raised by The present health
department that the prevalence of
typhoid was traceRble to defects in
the reservoir system an to strength
en- the theory advanced by Health
Com missioner Craig while in Office
that the intake pipe was defective.
| This suggestion was offered by DE-.
Craig even before the disease became
prevalent in an alarming degree ana
afterward reasserted by him. DE-. G
9. Craig. Sr., this morning stated that
he had been convinced all along of
the actual source of the difficulty and
that he was satisfied now that the
only means of properly rsmedying it
lay in systematic Golfer damminG.