Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-22
OUR WATER WILL SPARKLE
WHAT THE SAND SYSTEM HAS DONE
FOR LAWRENCE, MASS.
The City Uses Contaminated River
Water, Yet Typhoid Fever Has
Been Almost Eliminated.

1.-THE unusual turbidity Of the Potomac
water at present will be thing of past
memory when the proposed sand system OF
filtration is in full operation" said A B.
Lewis. Boston engineer, to a Star re-
porter this morning
Lawrence, Mass, was one of the first
cities in the United States to install and
use the sand system of water publication.
1t has been in operation in that manufac-
turing center for several years. and has
given the greatest satisfaction In all re-
spects. In fact. 1t is one of the show filter
ing plants in the United States, and Is
visited annually by many aldermen, health
officers and other members of distant mu-
inequalities that contemplate the installa-
ton OF one or the other of the different sys-
TENS. as well as by officials from Europe,
and even from Africa.
Model System.
1.-THE completeness of that system. its
long trial and satisfactory results both as
to the quality of water and the diminut:on
of cases of and deaths from typhoid had,
no doubt. considerable weight with the
Senate committee in determining which of
the systems it would select for Washington.
I consider that the Senate showed great
judgment in adding the proviso that, while
adopting the slow sand process as sys-
TEN, the use OF COdRufanIS Nn6II uSCeSSuy
was especially provided for.
This was probably done because during
the summer months the water of the Po-
tomac may be classed as clear and Of good
drinking quality. There Is, however, during
the winter when the rains are heavy, a
very tenacious color to the water.
Whether any Of this color will remain in
the water after filtering through sand re-
mains to be seen, but be 1t as 1t may, the
provfso will permit such treatment as may
be deemed necessary to remove it.
81 have in mind an illustration or two
from the results attained in Lawrence
which will show the efficacy of the filter
in controlling or lessening that deadly dis
ease, typhoid.
Typhoid In Lawrence and Lowell.
Lowell, a large manufacturing city filled
with mills. is situated on the banks of the
Merrimack about nine miles above the in
take of the Lawrence filter All Of the
sewage from that city empties into the
river and necessarily pollutes it. The peo-
pie at Lawrence drink this water, and
until the filtering plant went into operation
the mortality from typhoid was heavy in
proportion to it's population.
'In the nine months preceding the in
PRODUCTION of the filter there were SO cases
In Lowell and y in Lawrence. Three
months after the filter had been in opera
ton the typhoid cases in Lawrence bad
been reduced to rine. while there were 90
cases in Lowell.
During the first year Of the use of fl
tered water in Lawrence there was a fall
ing off of IA per cent in typhoid cases and
of-33 1-3 per cent in the number Of deaths
from typhoid. This is. Of course, a splen-
did and satisfactory result. and ever since
the installation of the plant the typhoid
cases have been kept down. and it is
claimed practically eliminated from this
source Of contagion.