The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-25
SCHOOL BOARDS
WARNED BEFORE
DIR. TUPPER'S LETTER TO PURE
WATER COMMITTEE.
Says Board of Four Years Ago Was
Told by Health Officer of Danger
Thru Use of City Water-How He
Would Solve Water Problem.

DR.. w. G. w. Upper says the board
of education, as constituted four or
five .years ago, was warned by the
health commissioner then in office of
the danger to the school children from
the use Of city water for drinking
purposes. DR.. Topper outlines also
what he regards as the best method
of securing pure water for all Of the
people. Both his statement and his
suggestion. are found in letter adj
dressed by him to the pure water COM
mittee of the improvements league, one
of several such letters received by the
committee from physicians. Here is
the letter: @
Ladies of the Pure Water Committee
Improvement League-I am heartily In
accord with your object---pure water all
the time and for all the people.
Under existing conditions I can see but
one way in which that ideal can be even
approximated-that is the installation Of a
filtration plant at the reservoir. The
lakes, many miles to the north of US,
might, were our system Of water supply
in it's inception, be taken into considera-
ton. AS matters stand to-day cannot
see how they for one moment can be
considered. Any source of water other
than the river, 1t seems to me. is out Of
the question at this time. I doubt If
these lakes would furnish us a purer
water than would the north station after
a proper sedimentation and filtration That
your laudable agitation will result in the
early installation of such purifying plant
at the reservoir little doubt.
In the specific case of the schools, I
have more than a general interest. For
some time I have felt that criminal neg
ligence could and would be charged
against the board of education in that
they have not taken such steps as they
should-and could at practically no ex-
pense- to diminish the dangers Of ty-
phoid infection to the school children. The
have been, and ought now to be filtered.
Some four or five years ago a physician
then connected with the city board of
health, in a report to the board Of edu-
cation on the sanitary condition of the
East Side schools, called their especial at
tention to the danger of typhoid infection
! from the city water. He advised that If
spring water could not be furnished the
school children, the board at least take
the common and sensible precautionary
measure-that Of filtering the city water.
He further advised them how fairly eff
cient filter could be constructed at a
nominal cost. His suggestion was that
Toned barrel filter. That is a barrel filled
partially full of alternate layers of sand,
gravel and charcoal thru which the water
was to be filtered. While such plan
would not yield positively germ free
water it would have rendered the sew
age we have been giving the East Side
school children to drink for some weeks
past thru the southeast pumping station,
fully as pure a water as the North Side
pumps can ever furnish until scientific
system of publication is established at
the reservoir.
l. Pardon me if I call your attention to
the fact that there is one measure you
mothers have not taken advantage of in
| the past that is of inestimable Value as a
means to an end in matters( of this
kind refer to the ballot box. If the
mothers would go to the polls, as they
can, and elect to the school board men
who will work for the public good-not for
personal and party ends, the problem OF
pure water for the school children is
| solved. So, too, would be the text book
and other matters concerning which we
think we have just cause for indignation
T. - w. G. w. Upper, M. D.