Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-03-19
SEWAGE FLOWS
into THE WELLS.
Further Findings in Examination
of Water Intake Ap.
paratus.
IN VERY BAD SHAPE
Barrels of Sewage Daily Pass
Through--A Reflection Upon
Management.

justified the statement made in yes
terday's ARGUS that the source of the
contamination of the city's water
supply has at last been discovered.
The smaller or outer well. into
which the intake pipe directly emp
ties and whose walls are separated
from the slough by perhaps 20 feet
of cinders and rock and sand, is liter
ally perforated with holes. through
which the water gushes in streams up
to an inch in diameter. When the
water in the we'll had been lowered
the splash of streams coming from the
walls sounded like miniature Niagara.
The rate of the flow through these
openings was estimated by one of the
party who were in the well at 10 bar
rels an hour. OF course this rate is
not nearly so great when water is
coming in from the intake, and the
level in the we'll is only about eigh-
teen inches below that in the slough,
but unquestionably many barrels OF
water enter through the walls every
day. Mr.. Lockridge was convinced
that this was the case from the result
of his experiments with salt Four
barrels were dumped along the shore
at the well and subsequent tests
showed the presence of salt in the we'll
in considerable quantities.
A Stagnant Eddy.
AS to the qualities possessed by the
liquid that passes in through the
walls eff the well. glance at the
slough from which it comes is far
from reassuring. Only 80 feet above,
the Twenty-fourth street storm drain
empties. and a atagnant eddy, dis
colored, covered with grease, and
containing visible human excrements,
hugs the shore, he'd by projection
in the bank below. Mr.. LocKridge,
on being questioned today in regard
to the sort of filtration the water
would undergo in passing through
the bank to the wall, stated that it
practically amounts to nothing, owing
to the character of the bank and the
quantity of water that passes through
1t.
He also said that there is little
danger of typhoid fever contamina-
ton in the sewage of a city where the
disease does not prevail, but great
deal of danger in the sewage from
even a few places where fever pa
tients are confined. In this connec-
tion it is of interest to note that sew
age from st. Anthony's hospital,
where so many typhoid fever patients
are treated, up to last fall emptied in
to the Twenty-fourth street sewer
and now empties at the foot of Thir-
tieth street, or only six blocks above.
Thus it appears likely that an end
less chain was formed, the route of
the colon bacillus being from the first
patients at the hospital to the city's
water supply, and the more patients
there were the greater the degree of
contamination of the water.
Direct Piping Ordered.
Relief cannot be effected till piping
is secured from Chicago and the in
take made continuous through the
smaller into the larger well. The
smaller one was used under the old
filter system for removing the sand
that would otherwise have been forced
into the mains. and it is thought it can
now be done away with. If this is
true, the faulty well should be filled
up as soon as connection is made
through it, for otherwise it will be-
come q veritable pesthole from seep-
,ge. 1t is now thought the large in
AXE pipe put in place under Medill's
is intact, as the leak
age in the well Is considered sufficient
20 account for all the trouble. The
arger we'll is faulty, too, there being a
lum Der of small leaks, but it is COM
distant from the slough
ind it is thought filtration through
he soil might have some effect in re-
moving harmful germs.
Getting Filter In shape.
The filter plant is being placed in
working condition as rapidly as pos
,ible, and soon a supply of reasonably
rood water may be counted upon.
Several days ago the main carrying
.he water from the settling basin to
,he storage basin. called the bypass,
vas closed at the order of the health
In the meantime there
9 no cause for alarm other than what
mas existed for weeks, and the careful
boiling of water used for domestic
purposes will suffice to prevent con-
till notice is given by the
health department that the water in
.he mains is again in safe condition
Neglect Shown.
From the statements of those who
nave been engaged i'll cleaning the
,uter well it is learned that the walls
nave been in bad condition for two
years. at least, and efforts have been
made to stop the leaks temporarily by
inserting wooden plugs in the larger
loles. This. assurediy, does not re-
lect credit upon the present manage
nent of the waterworks, showing as