The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-26
Document Is Ambiguous and Fails to
State Whether the supply Is
Safe or Unsafe.
WHITE AND CLARK DISAGREE
FORMER RETAINS OPINION THAT
WATER is NOT SAFE TO USE.
The Latter Maintains that Impurities
Found Are Not Dangerous to Life
or HeaIth-The Report.

'If the water supply is not polluted 1t is
pure"
THE wicked colon bacillus may be pres
ent or he may not be-"
1.-The water can be drunk with safety or
the drinker may be taking his life in his
hands,.
These were the conclusions reached by
the Board of Public Health and Mayor
Bookwalter, after an exhaustive examina-
ton and discussion of the report on the
water supply made yesterday to the board
by DR.. William Charles White, who con-
Quoted tests for the city. and DR.. Edmund
d. Clark, who made joint tests for the In
dianapolis Water Company.
The report of the experts is in some ways
the most remarkable public document filed
in recent years. Teeming with figures and
barbaric-looking chemical symbols, impos-
ing. portentous. voluminous impressive the
report fails in achieving only one object
nobody can tell from Ii whether ii is safe
to drink the water or whether it is not
AS sample of scientific ambiguity II is
absolutely perfect. When the members of
the board and the mayor had concluded
reading the report they looked at each
other and threw UP both hands
BEYOND THE MAYOR.
Gentlemen" said the mayor, 'T am not
scientist. 1 do not wish to expose my
ignorance. but this thing is beyond me-"
do you know what it all means?' asked
DR.. House, president of the board, of DR..
Kahlo.
Il don't; do your said DR.. Kahlo, pass
ing the query along to DR.. Lash.
II pass" said DIR. Lash laconically per
haps the reporters can tell US. 1t is their
business TO fathom secrets"
The board finally decided that the only
White and DR.. Clark before board meet
Ing next week and ask them to make an in
telligible explanation of their investiga-
tions. The meeting will he held early NEXT
week and at that meeting DR.. White and
DR.. Clark may be able TO read the riddle
Until then nobody knows any more now
than was known months ago when the tests
began
While the report indicates that the ex-
perts have labored long, faithfully and sci
entifcally at the difficult problem given
one way or another, whether IL is safe to
use the city water. 1t states that water
taken from fountains in various parts of
the city was submitted to the most care
ful tests, and that while impurities were
found IL is not certain whether they are
proofs. of fecal contamination. The pres
ence of colon bacilli in some measure was
found, is stated, but the experts do not
arrive at a conclusion as TO whether the
bacteria Is present iii sufficient quantity to
make the water unpotable, or, as to wheth-
er their presence at all would make the
water unpotable.
STATEMENT OF THE EXPERTS
The typewriter statement, very brief,
filled with the mass of data, is as follows:
I'm accordance with your instructions
We have conducted a meteorological ex-
animation of the water supply of the city
of indianapolis. Our work has been done
together using the same water samples
the same cultivation and the same meth
DDS. The methods used were. In the main,
those advised by the United States COM
mittee on standard methods of water analy-
sis. The analysis has been as thorough
and the report Is as complete as IL is possi-
10 make IL with the time at our disposal.
The samples were taken from all points
OF supply with one exception, and from
taps in different parts OF the city. The