Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1902-05-22
PURIFIED BY FREEZING.
II ~ said That Capitalization Drives
bacteria Down Into Un-
frozen water.


Whether water in freezing throws
out the impVri!ics held I'm solution
is a question that has been much dis
cussed. At recent meeting OF the
Massachusetts, Association of Boards
of Health the subject OF discussion
was the ice supplies OF cities and
towns from a hygienic point of view.
DR.. II. w. Clark, a chemist in the
employ Of the Massachuse Us state
board Of health, read a paper which
summarized fully the results OF an
investigation made by the state
board 10 years ago at the request Of
the legislature, and another exam
ination which started last year and
continued during the early part Of
the present year. Especially from
the last investigation of the state
experts have come to the conclusion
that water has power to free itself
from bacteria during its formation
into ice, that certain bacteria are
gradually killed in the ice. In its
tendency TO purify itself during the
period Of capitalization water viii
push the bacteria down into the un-
frozen liquid but IL the pond Is 70
shallow that all the water freezes
into a solid mass IL is evident that
all the bacteria IS contained in the
fee, more numerous Mt the bottom
than at the top. Hence the board
feels that ice should be cut only ON
deep water, the deeper the better,
inasmuch as the depth furnishes a
retreat for the bacteria.
Illustrative OF this point may be
mentioned that part Of the expert
ment when polluted water was
frozen in a pail In the rapid trans
formation of the water into ice the
bacteria did not have time TO escape
from the top and sides entirely, but
during the freezing process the
greater bulk OF them moved toward
the center, which was the last to
solidify and when the ice was cut
into pieces for examination the out
side was found TO contain about 100
bacteria per cubic centimeter, while
the middle contained about 10000.
Similar experiments were made with
sewage, and bacteria were always
driven back from the ice formation.
But there is another side to this
question which should not be lost
sight Of. It may be called the prao-
teal side. II IL undoubtedly true
that in the process OF capitalization
water win eNpel from the individual
crystals all foreign substances. Con
sequcntly the unit Of solidified water
is presumably pure. Ice, however,
is mass Of crystals aggregated in
an orderly fashion. as may be seen
In microscopic study of the melt
| ing operation When impure water
Is frozen the impurities, whether
microbes or "iust dirt" are very fire.
| quently caught and entangled in the
crystalline aggregatlons, and the phe-
nomeron Of very dirty ice, full Of
visible impurities, Is by no means so
infrequcnt as to warrant any sur
| prise when Il Is encountered. The
Massachusetts, experiments show that
ice may contain from 100 to 10000
bacteria per cubic centimeteE, which
70 could not very well do II in pass
ing into Ice water 20 purified Itself
that the resulting mass OF system
atically aggregated crystals con-
tanned nothing but crystals.
II is no doubt true that the ice OF
measurable purity can be taken from
parts OF considerable body Of very
impure water, says the New York
I Times. but the fact THAT the icen.au
cannot be expected TO exercise dis.
elimination, and that the consumer
oi snth Ice l. a. likely 60 get the
10000 bacteria per cubic centimeter
as the 100. warrants the conclusion
that ice formed over any depth OF
impure water Is at best an extreme
| ~ dangerous addition 20 drinking
water.