Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-26
WATER HEARING.
Expert BacterioIogist Geo. C..
WhippIe Takes Stand
To Tell Whst He Has Learned Of Re-
cent Typhoid Epidemic.
Saturdays Session Of Much Interest to
Waterville People.

The typhoid fever epidemic Of last WIN
ter engaged the attention of the COM
missioners in the water hearing, Sat-
urday. Geo. c. Whipple, an expert bac-
about meteorological methods and the
result of the examinations which have
been carried on by him or under his SUI
pervision. Mr.. Whipple is a graduate
of the Massachusetts, Institute of Tech
nology, where he took a course in civil
engineering and did special work in
sanitary science. Since his graduation
in '89, he has devoted his time and at
tention to the latter branch and is at
present the director of the Poll Pros
pect laboratory in New York.
Mr.. Whipple first came to Water
vile in January of this year. and has
since been here several times for
few days at a time. DR.. E. c. Levy
who has been associated with him, has
resided here for several months and to-
gether they have made a very thorough
series of tests and examinations of the
water supply.
flTSI, MI. NIoieSN eiAS "U~SA
shed between here and Oakland and al
so visited Messalonskee lake. He does
not consider the natural conditions IA
vorable to a good water supply and one
of the chief objections is Tobey brook.
Mr.. Whipple said that four different
kinds of tests and examinations must
be made to determine the character of
a water supply, the physical, the chem
ical, the microscopical and the bacte-
biological. The physical examination
has to do with the temperature, color
taste, smell and turbidity. The temper
allure is unimportant. The color of the
Massachusetts water is moderate, about
on the dividing line between highly col
Ored waters and clear waters. The taste
and smell are often quite strongly veg
etable. After rains the water is tur-
bid, owing to the clayey character of
the soil through which Tobey brook
flows. Mr.. Whipple said that the ca
pacity of the reservoir is not great
enough to allow the pumps to shut
down while this turbidity lasts.
Mr.. Whipple made the chemical tests
himself and found nothing remarkable.
A chemical test also may be sufficient
to condemn a water supply if it is
grossly polluted. but a supply may
stand a chemical test and still be total
ly unfit for use.
The microscopical examination
showed wool fibre and epthelium, the
former undoubtedly from the wooden
mills and the latter probably from ex-
crement.
Mr.. Whipple then proceeded to tell
nh h,o rbo
is first tested for the number of bac-
terra and if this proves to be large the
presence of dangerous bacteria is al
ways suspected. The tests showed that
there are in this water large numbers
of the colon bacilli, which are danger
Gus. He said that inoculating guinea
pig with these baccili will produce
death. He found that after rains the
number of these bacilli increased and
with the fall of the water they de-
crease, which would indicate a sur
face wash into the stream.
There are two kinds of tests which
have been made here. the presumptive
tests and the positive tests, the pre-
sumptive tests showing the number of
the bacilli and their probable kind and
the positive test going further and
demonstrating the kind. The positive
tests, when made. have, in this case, al
ways proved what the presumptive test
indicated.
Mr.. Whipple told how these two diff
ferent kinds of tests We're made. The
presumptive is made by adding the sus-
pected water to Smiths broth" and
testing this for gas. acid reaction, tur-
bidity, etc. The other test was by a
process of isolation and culture. Mr..
Whipple was here fast getting onto
ground beyond the comprehension of
most of his hearers. 1t appears from
what he said that, though in the dis
ease of typhoid fever the typhoid ba-
callus may be recognized when it is
mixed up with various other kinds of
bacilli, it cannot be picked out. Under
the microscope the bacilli do not show
up SO as to be recognizable in one form
or another. The bacilli are recognized
by what they do rather than by what
they look like.
The time element enters into the con-
sideration of pollution. The typhoid
fever germs do not develop in water, so
in the course of time they pass away.
In a supply taken from a stream they
are rdplQly carried 10 the consumer,
while in a lake where the volume of
the water is greater and the movement
less rapid the chances of their reach
ing the consumer are lessened. For
this reason pond water is much safer
than river or stream water.
Mr. Whipple then passed an to the
construction of filters. He agrees with
the engineers who have testified that
the slow sand filter is the most desira-
BILE form. A coagulum has to be used
with the mechanical filter and trouble
Is likely to arise from it's use.
Mr.. Whipple produced a tabulation
of the typhoid fever cases of which
there were 81. between January, 1902,
and July, 1908. In determining the
cause of this epidemic Mr.. Whipple pro-
ceeded by the process of exclusion. He
considered all of the causes which are
known to spread the disease, such as
the carrying of the contagion by flies,
the dissemination of it by means of
foods, more especially oysters, and of
milk, and it's existence in ice and con-
terminated wells.
The epidemic commenced at season
Of the year when there were no flies It's
spread so generally among all classes