Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-28
OF Drs. Haines and LeCount,
Chemists, Of Chicago,
Illinois
HISTORY OF OTHER CITIES
Recommend That the City be Supplied
With Water From the Gravel Beds
Only and Construct Reservoirs for
Holding an Extra Supply in Case Of
Fire.

by one of us CDR. LeCounD on the 25th
of April has been submitted to bac-
THEOLOGICAL examination and the fol-
lowing results obtained:
No. i. Water from the gravel beds.
Number of bacteria per cubic cent?
meter %; no colon bacilli.
No. ?. Water from the man hole
across the river. Number of bacteria
per cubic centimeter, eli; no colon
bacili.
No 5. Water from tap at the pump
ing station. Number of bacteria per
cubic centimeter, 23S. No colon
baciii.
|, No. 4. Water from the river. Number
of bacteria per cubic centimeter. 1S41.
Two colon bacilli per cubic centimeter.
No. 5. Water from melted ice. Num-
Der of bacteria per cubic centimeter,
517. No colon bacili.
From the above results and also from
the inspection of the various sources
of the water, we draw the following
conclusions: Specimen No. l is oil
excellent quality. Specimen No. APP
pears to be of fair quality. although
We judge that contamination OF TINS
supply with river water is possible
Specimen No. 3, which should be, we
understand. y mixture of No l and NO.
., we infer is II least slightly contain
mated With outside water. II 1T were
purely mixture OF No. / and No. 2.
the number OF bacteria should not be
far from the average of the number
found in these Two samples, but as
matter of fact the number is greater
even than that found in No. :. we are
inclined to believe. therefore, that TINS
water is somewhat impure and as long
os such presumably mixing with out
side sources continues. We hardly con-
slider it an entirely safe supply
The river water, No 4 is. as would
be expected from its origin, unit for
drinking purposes, and should not pe
used either by itself or mixed with
other supplies. The Iowa river Dram
ing as it does a considerable area OF
well settled country. receiving tae
washings from many farms and sewage
from numerous towns, ana villages 10
scarcely more than an open sewer ana
it's water, therefore, is clearly unsafe
as a source Of drinking supply. Inc
history of a large number OF cities eet-
ting their water from rivers OF u more
or less similar character such' LOT III
stance, Lawrence. Mass, IN lof!iie'
wears. and PHILADELPHIA and lthaca To-
day. shows concusiVe!y the DANGER On
using such a supply. Puriilcation os
efficient filtrat On alone can make sueii
water safe for public USE
Tho ice made from the river water
is greatly better than the water IL
self. but. like all ice from contaminated
water is not to be recommended Tor
drinking purposes.
II should be clearly understood that
the above results represent the cohui-
ton OF the water supply ohlS d. ene
time The specimens We're collected IN
order to get n perfectly ialr pic'uie'
specimens should be obtained ana ex-
amined once a month or oftener iof
considerable period of time So that
variations produced by changes IN sea-
son and weather and by other factors
might be studded.
In conclusion we would recommend
that your city be supplied with water
from the gravel beds only. For this
purpose ii would be necessary to con-
struct reservoirs for holding a reserve
SUNNY of this water to lie used in case
of fire and for flushing the mains. un-
filtered water from the river either by
itself alone or rr1xed with other supply
should be vigorously excluded and
should not be used for even flushing
the mains or in case of fire. us more or
-
occur al such times.
Yours very truly.
WALTER S. HAINE,S.
e. Il. LIE COUNT.
The above is the full and complete
report of Doctors Haines and LIE Count
That covering their water analyses
has appeared in the Times Republican
under date of May %. 1t was the de-
sire of Mr. Woodbury. and the other
members of the Citizens Committee
who investigated the cause OF the ty-
phoid fever epidemic in our city, to
have the report of the water and ice
in two separate reports. but Doctors
Haines and LIE Count disagreed with
them on this question, and Doctor
Haines was emphaticaily of the opinion
that the analyses for both the water
and the ice should be Incorporated IN
one and the same report. and in his
interview with Mr.. Woodbury., he said
TO him that it was just as important
and essential that the citizens of Mar
shalltown should know the condition of
their ice as it was of the water. and to
show his reasons therefore, stated TO
Mr. Woodbury. that he had investigated
an epidemic of typhoid fever where he
had found and proved to a demonstra-
ton that the disease had been wholly
caused by the ice, and for this reason
he insisted that the analysis of both
water and ice should appear in one re-
port.
We have but a few comments 20 offer
on Doctors Haines and lie Counts re-
port and will leave the public to draw
their own differences and form their
own conclusions.
First: Number OF bacteria in the
water from Iowa River is stated to be
1871 per cubic centimeter.
Second: Number of bacteria in wat
err obtained from melted ice taken from
Iowa river is stated to be SIT per cubic
centimeter.
Third: Number of bacteria in water
from wells in gravel beds is stated to
be only % per cubic sentimeter, being
the only water of the four samples an I
alyzed which they reported on as good
and potable, and advised that all pos
sible connections with the Iowa river