The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-04
NO LET.UP ON
WATER AGITATION
CITY COUNCIL WILL TAKE DE-
CISIVE ACTION FRIDAY. r.
Appointment of a Commission of Ex-
perts to Find Solution of the Water
Problem IS Probable Crusader"
Insists That Filtration Plant Is
Needed at Once

: There is to be- no letup on the wa
ter agitation.:aThe Improvement league
and all the persons and organizations
which it. has aroused have enlisted in
a crusade that Will result in some def
mite policy. The council at Its meet.
ing Friday. evening will take decisive
steps. It will probably provide for
the selection Of a commission of ex-
perts. to makexA general study Of the
water problem IN Minneapolis.
One Of the Crusaders" this morning
gave voice to some pertinent. thoughts
on the need Of Immediate steps to
purify the water supplied by the city.
He said:
J THE recent tests made by our city
bacteriologesti Of the water supply of
st. Paul can not be regarded seriously
by any person who has access to the
death records of Minneapolis and st.
Paul noe fact is firmly impressed
upon even the lay mind, and that is,
that typhoid fever germs find their
medium and culture in animal refuse
and filth borne by water The infer
ence then lis plains when you compare
these figures that Minneapolis has for
twelve years past. suffered from sick
ness and death by water polluted by
animal refuse or sewage, and that st.
Paul has escaped this particular con-
tagion. Those citizens who listened to
our commissioner 81 of health In his
summing UP ofvthe case before the
meeting .tof civic associations, on
Tuesday last. had this. matter most
clearly Impressed upon them as sta
tistics Of death from typhoid rose and
tel as the hover pumps were work <
ITO the average listener it would
seem as If fhe' WORKERS. Of tn ose death
dealing pumps had stock in some
coffin industry SO Faithful are they in
fhooo a orr on
on the slightest pretext. q rs" r." 81
/ THE typhoid map exhibited by Mr.
Cappelen made. clear to the eyes the
truths spoken by DR.. Hall, thes fatal
line rising. and falling with the work
ling of those pumps. A statement thai
the typhoid fever in Minneapolis fol
| the past twelve or, fifteen years comes
from wells is harmful and misleading
The false security felt by persons wht
i regard the commissioner. of. health al
|infallible, and who drink water from
1.-THE river mains without filter or boil
!, ing, upon his assurance of its safety
does not prevent their falling victims
to typhoid baciln5 as aSresult of 81
drinking.
This is no time for chloroformint
II the public. Our water supply haa
4 been, and now is, atmenaee to life ant
7 health. With the lower pumps CLOSED
forever, the crews disbanded, and 4:
: filtration plant at the: reservoir tina
shall clear every drop Of water ad
!. mitted to the city. mains : of deadly
! we shall have water supply that will
! place Minneapolis, where she belongs
:; at the head of the list Of health!
4 cities. Undue emphasis placed upol
! the quality of the reservoir water a
; this time tends to belittle the danger
4 No one doubts that in comparison
, with the sewage from the lowe
nunnns the reservoir water Is com
!, paratively harmless, but this condition
cannot be assured for one day in ad
, vance. One case Of typhoid abov
} the reservoir, or near the new sta
J tons, would contaminate the suppl,
) for hundreds of. users. What we nee
is filtration at the earliest possibl
moment" 20