New-York tribune., 1903-08-30
PENALTY FOR DRINKING FILTERED WATER.
TT1T1C4 HOTJSEHOLDERS NAY HAVE TO BREAK
IAUy TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF NEW PLANT

which the water may contain. and II IS expected
that by this week the mains of the company will
have been flushed out so that its water can be
drunk with impunity Since passing. the resolu-
ton the Health Board has resigned. and a new
one has not been appointed. There being no
Health Board, the ordinance may not be re-
peaIed, and the people Of the city commonly be-
lieve that the Mayor will not hasten to appoint
one If this belief is we'll founded. it is because
he is opposed to the use of filtered water.
The water question in Ithaca is much IN
volved one Just at present The people are
divided as to whether the city should use filtered
water or artesian we'll water Mayor Miller and
the city government are in favor of the ar
tesian we'll water. Cornell University, with the
advice Of experts and after study OF the situa-
tion by some Of its professors. decided that.
whether artesian We'll water was the best or not.
the prospect OF obtaining 1t in sufficient quantity
before the school year should open, on Septem-
Der 22-or at any time. in fact-was doubtful
and decided to back the water company by Rnd-
ing 1t the necessary money 10 put in a mechani-
cal filter capable OF supplying the water re-
ouired by the city. A couple Of weeks ago the
city voted to issue bonds to the extent Of SoOOOO
toward providing artesian well water. Mayor
Miller declared that wells flowing two million
gallons day, which is about the consumption
OF the city, have been developed. and that when
ever the city takes advantage Of the bill passed
by the last Assembly authorizing It TO establish
a municipal water plant. first acquiring the
plant of the Ithaca Water Company by condem-
nation proceedings. the new filtration plant will
be disconnected and the mains connected with
the wells In the mean time the water company
has spent about 100000 on its plant With the
object OF remedying any impurities which may
be found IN fits water and some OF the city off,
ciaIs think this expenditure made because
the company was determined to have its own
way.
To Mayor Miller il is obvious why the water
osrnpany supported by President Schurman OF
Cornell University should have desired TO have
IL specified in the bill that the city might not
acquire the plant before September I. He SAYS
that while the bill pending President Schur-
man came to him with one proposition after an
other regarding the bill which he refused TO
countenance. declaring that he would veto the
measure IL they were Incorporated While the
grounds Of Cornell University are not fed with
water furnished by the water company, because
the university has a plant OF its own and a
filter erected last spring after the typhoid fever
epidemic broke out. with funds provided by An
drew Carnegie. it has an interest in the purity
of the water supply because none OF the male
students are housed the grounds. but are
scattered throughout the city in private board
ing houses
The State Board OF Health represented BY
DR.. George A Soper. who has been spending the
summer at Ithaca studying the causes OF the
typhoid epidemic and examining the boarding
houses occupied BY the students OF Cornell
University, to learn their sanitary condition and
advise what should be done to bring them
up to a high point IN this regard discreetly
abstains from taking any side in the contro-}
v.rsv Dr. soper when asked for his opinion.
said: ct can speak favorably OF the filtration
plant II Is well planned and constructed. and
n properly operated will eliminate 90 or 9S per
cent OF bacteria II the watershed Is cleaned
WITH the present plant the water viii be ac-
ceptably pure. think the kind OF plant which
has been erected is the best kind OF filtration
plant for this place But he continued. moth
ing I may say should be construed as meaning
that artesian we'll water would not be better
1t may take long time TO develop the wells
however. and in the mean time this In tns best
thing
.f>,A a fr.k