Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-21
DRINK ): WATER !! ! FREELY
School Pupils Object Only Be-
cause Fluid is Warm.
TRIAL ( OF NEW \: J: METHOD
TEACHERS BELIEVE THE PROCESS
rs TOO SLOW.
Iron Water Buckets Used In Central
High SCHOOL, Demand
for Ice.
TRIAL OF NEW METHOD

in the public schools of the District re-
belled against drinking the alleged germ
proof water, which Is supplied to al
lay their thirtsts upon the recommends
ton of the District health department and
the public school authorities This Is the
statement made by school principals.
teachers and scholars with whom Star
reporter talked on the subject.
The only objection to the boiled water
Is on account of its tepid temperature,
and this objection was. heard in but one of
the school houses visited by the reporter.
The District authorities do not. nor have
they ever in the recollection of one of the
Oldest principals, supplied ice for the school
houses
Ice should be supplied said school
ofncer today, especially at this time, when
we are experimenting with boiled water
to destroy typhoid and other fever germs.
We find 1t requires long time for the
water to cool after 1t has been boiled. and
this difficulty could be obviated by fur
nlshing each school building with an Ice
supply during September and October To
prevent infection from the ice, only that
known to be from pure sources should be
used Otherwise the effect produced by
boiling would be spoiled"
In the Henry building it was found that
supervising Principal J. F. Freeman had
reduced any objection that may have exist
cd there on account of the warmth of the
water TO a minimum by the adoption of a
sIhple ana Inexpensive expedient. In each
OF the school rooms medium-sized china
pitcher Is used for the drinking supply.
Ine water In these vessels soon becomes
pleasantly cool when placed for a short
while IN draft Of air. OF course it is
necessary to refill the pitchers frequently.
especially after the recess periods. when
the children are thirsty as a result Of their
romping. - ~,
MI Freeman has found. in common with
other principals and teachers. that tbe
scholars drink less 81 the boiled water than
tney ola or the raw Potomac product
when is believed TO be teeming with mi
eropes and germs. This is not attributed
TO any particular aversion to the wafer be-
cause it has been cooked" but rather to
some chemical reason caused by the boil
ing. In this connection lady teacher re-
teETed to the so-cafled ''hot-water cure
which. she said. was in vogue in the DAYS
of our grandparents, even our great-grand-
parents In the long ago boiled water was
sald TO possess unusual virtues as cura-
i've agent. apd today it is said to be used
Tor disorders of the stomach.
In the Central High School iron water
buckets are employed for the drinking sup
plies. These vessels are not allowed to
remain In the. school rooms. but are kept
IN the Railways. where there are more or
less air currents all the time. No COM
plant against the boiled water was heard
from the advanced pupils in this building
which has school population Of over 500
lads and lassies
A small boy, at tina Polk building. corner
OF 7th and P'streets. caused CONSERVATION
among his playmates this morning by pull
glass half-pint flask containing what ap-
peared from Its coler to, be whisky, and
taking a long swalisw Of the liquid
"Aw. I'm goin' to tell the teacher on ye."
shouted q
in red Ticker, Yer is &. 800. -.. .....5.,.
Nav. this ain't lieker.'.. retorted he of
the flask. its cold tea. Me mother is fraid
III get germs in me If drink billed water
Some of the children with whom a Star
reporter talked had queer conceptions of
the reasons for boiling the drinking water,
One of the scholars at an uptown school, a
little girl Of about ten years. said: .@-y
THE river water Is, fun of microbes
that flowed into it from a town in Maryland
where they've got typhoid fever These
are active animals and swim
about in the water. Il they get into your
body they enter your blood and cause dis
ease. BY putting the water on the fire you
boil the little animals to death, just as L
have seen pa boil crabs"
A small boy gave this as his version OF
the matter.
''The heat kills all animal life in the
water especially the germs that carry
typhoid fever along with them"
A colored scholar explained that the Po-
tomac water was cooked ito make de
mud sink ter de bottum. so as de cl'ar
water can be drawn off for drinking"
Still another colored lad tried to explain
that microbes were cells in an embryonic
state.
1t was suggested by teacher that brief
talks be given in the several schools on the
reason for boiling the water they drink.
Some of the teachers. it is said, have made
such explanations to their little charges
and the children appeared to be greatly in
terested In the statements.
There is doubt in the minds Of some of
the principals and teachers as to whether
the water can be boiled as vigorously and
thoroughly as necessary by the use of the
present boiling plants, consisting of double
heater gas stoves and the old ia shioned tin
1t is said the heat from the two circles OF
flame beneath the ten-gallon and sixteen
gallon boilers is not sufficient to accomplish
the desired purpose especially as the large
surface of the boilers above the stoves is
constantly exposed to the air and any cur
rents that may be prevailing, and the water
is therefore. to some extent cooled by such
contact with the atmosphere. If the water
Ii to be boiled some of the school officials
declare proper boiling plants should be
procured.
In most of the school buildings the
spigots have been removed from the water
pipes to prevent the pupils from surrepti-
tiousy drinking uncooked water In one
uilding the janitor has received instruc-
tions to allow the water to remain on the
fire for a half hour after it begins to boil
Principal Freeman said that for healths
sake water should be drunk freely. ana
persons should not allow the fear of germs
to brighten them into drinking too small a
quantity of the health-giving fluid
Plants for boiling the supply of drinking
water have heen installed In the 1870 public
schools in thesDisttfct The new system
is generally regarded by school officials 3
an experiment and they appear to be will
ing to give 1t affair test