Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-17
MARSH ADDS COUNSEL.
Gives Some Facts on Bacteria and
Makes a SUGGESTION,

saw word In defense OF the nlucH-
talked of. uch-abused and little I'M
Gerstood bacteria. He seems to be UNI
der cloud of suspicion and is fast
getting the reputation Of being our
worst enemy, whom we must destroy or.
falling to do so, to use our discretionary
powers by running away from him.
If we are inclined to become better
acquainted with him We turn to sci
ence and are there toln that bacteria
are microscopic vegetable organisms OF
almost universal dissemination turnout
the animal and vegetable kingdoms;
that they have a most important part
to perform in the many changes that
are going on around us. and that thelf
mission is beneiicent RATHER than harm
full: in fact, that they ere essential to
life in the world.
In the soil countless riyriads of them
are at work breaking up organic mat
ters into carbonic acid. 9mmonla, etc,
in preparation for higher plant lie 10
furnish food for man ard beast. In
water they change dead organic matter
into food for water animal or plant, or
precipitate ii as sediment, thus cleans
ing and purifying it and fitting 1t for
higher uses. They are the scavengers
of the world. evolving life out of death
and serving us in SO many ways that
our mission on earth would soon cease
without them.
But unfortunately as in the human
family, there are degenerates among
them: parasites that fasten upon plant
or animal and live upon the life that
would be better without them. These
- Iuu. n
cleanliness, and thrive best in the dark,
secret places beyond the cleansing and
reviving forces of normal. healthful me
They are the parahs of the microscope
world, whom to know is TO shun.
1t is we'll for us to learn which Is
friend and which foe. ana not to put all
under the ban because some of these
parasites have afflicted us.
Observation has shown that certain
ones of them are associated with Ger
tain diseases and that each possesses
individual characteristics by which IL
may be recognized, thus making 1t pos
sble with the proper means TO not only
detect their presence In articles of food
and drink. but to tell the trouble they
may possibly bring. An analysis OF wa
ter, to be of value as a sanitary precau-
ton, should show the kind of bacteria
1T contains. for that alone will deter
mine whether II is dangerous or not. for
il is the kind and not the quantity that
may cause disease. One sample OF water
may contain many bacteria and be per-
fectly harmless. while another may
contain but few and be dangerous, SO
that the mere statement of the number
found would be insufficient. AS an evil
dence of this uncertainty, the Iowa riv-
er has been found to contain--and
doubtless has for many years contalned
many bacteria, yet we drank from 1t
for fifteen years with impunity. The
presence, however. of many bacteria
shows also the presence of much dead
organic matter upon which they live.
and thus indicates wate. unclean and
unfit for drinking, altho i may not con-
tain the elements of disease.
Science tells us that open, running
streams while they may contain many
bacteria, will not long retain disease
producing ones. for sunlight and air
are quickly destructive cf all parasitic
varieties. This fact is relied upon to
purge the Chicago sewage from dis
ease producing elements before it has
flowed many miles on its way to the
Mississippi river, and is also the puri-
flying principle relied upon in sewage
disposal plants More tran half the
people of this country depend for their
water supply directly or indirectly up
on stream or lake Chicago drinks from
Lake Michigan, New York from the
Croton river, Philadelphia from the
Schuylkill. Minneapolis from the Mis-
irrt,t a
rounds only to find the ruth of such
statement.
Marshalltown is fortunate in it's OPP
portunity to obtain a water supply gold
rure and wholesome. II is merely a
matter of cleanliness: to shut off all
sources of contamination before 1t
reaches the city wells and then to sup
ply it to the consumers as pure as it
started; all of which cor undoubtedly
be done. But there arc number OF
things to be done before we will have
complied with the demands of sanitary
cleanliness. River seepage. unclean
reservoirs, galleries, etc. have been dis
cussed but so far as l nave observed
the matter on my mind has not been
spoken of. 1t is this: In the immedi-
ate vicinity of the city wells and stor-
age galleries are at lSast nine pond
iholes. each open TO the gravel bed from
which the water is taken, and much OF
them so situated as to act as catch ba-
sins for all the wash from hundred
| rods of the much travelled levee road.
| The water in these catch basins rises
and falls with the water in the wells,
thus showing close connection between
them Every heavy rain or spring
freshet win carry into them large
quantity of animal and vegetable mat
ter. which will quickly pass into the
| city wells unless the gravel bed thru
which the water flows Will remove
them. The filtering power of a buried
gravel bed is an unknown and uncer-
ltain quantity-g good if closely filled with
| fine sand turnout; poor IL the gravel is
coarse with limited sand mixture or If
penetrated with water veins or chan
lrels In a number of experiments tried.
where a number of wells penetrated the
same gravel bed. it was found that salt
nut into one will affect all. And here
concerning soil filtration: Bacteria
| charge of malignancy. fer 1T is found
! that the tiltering and purifying power
| Of soils depends very largely upon bac-
| terjal action A foot of soil of close tex
! ture. filled with bacteria, may be worth
as much as a filter as many feet of
gravel.
Hence the danger of these catch ba-
sins to the purity Of our drinking water
and the probability of contamination al
;rrapnlor Intervals greatest when the