The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-29
.Bacilli in west; side " M 2utsa. I,

fALd4y ScS OI lllS Guy tWdUcF% 111HQei 'Dy
Minneapolis physicians come dsWith
the state board Of health, SHOW that
the recent brief operation Of the West
Side pumps has resulted In a general
contamination Of the city water in, a
region roughly bounded. by First: and
Sixth. avenues s. and the Mississippi
river. 9 ,i,. $50: ~ -.
For the past month DR.. Louis B.
Wilson, dem nstrator' in the university
pathological laboratory, and DR.. j. w.
Macdonald and DIR. E. II. Becknnan, In
connection with the state board Of
health, have been conducting indie
pendent analyses Of the city water.
DR.. Wilson's examinations were those
of samples taken from the water pipes
leading into hts home: In Southeast
Minneapolis. DR.. Mcdonald and Dr..
Beckn1an made analyses 5sof - water
taken from @the city,. pipes iii their
homes at 2123 Bryant: avenue S.ast DR..
Beckman also analysed water from
929 Chicago avenue, and from various:
schools in the district; and each OF
them showed colon bacillh %zrs"
| The findings Of the physicians con-
| nected with the state board of health
| have not previously been made public
because of q desire not to antagon1ze
the city health department They In
dictate that only those northern por-
| tons of the city which can not be
reached thru the lower station pumps
| are free from the danger Of a typhoid
fever epidemic at this time.
| Danger in Melting Ice: j.:
j. DR.. Wilson goes farther and says
that he recently had occasion to make
an examination Of the ice On the. river
! above Camden Place, and that sH,> IS
is beginning to seep thrns til the = rotting;
1 ice and to contamifate the. Water
which flows into the Columbia Heights
reservoir. That this, condition obtains
is indicated by the latest reports Of
City Bacteriologist J. Frank Corbett.
The examination Of water. samples
taken at the? Camden Place pumping
station for March 49,, a., rs, 26 and 81
/ show that the number Of dangerous
bacilli in the water on these dates,
| a cubic centimeter, were 40, 26,.t81,,
7 less, Dr. Corbett does not believe that
! the water at the northern station is
/ a menace to public health, with the
possible exception Of the present
TIME. TIL
i Reservoir Water Fairly Good:
4 Dr. Corbett was prepared to 70 be:
D fore the meeting called by the I'm.
! prevementl league in the park boarc
rooms this afternoon and show thai
;, the water which Is sent into the main!
s as good ea ala ai Is 9 nfersa Wafe
used in European cit es.
| !, His report shows that the unf1lteret
water taken from the river Seine, fo
5 use in Paris contains 800 bacilli t,
the cubic cef1timeter as the river en-
tiers the city, 1;200 bacilli when /
reaches the center OF the city, an,
100000 below. the city. at st. Denis
r He was also prepared to! show tina
y the unfi1tered 4 water from the by
Y drants in Berlin contained 400 bacill
! to the cubic 5centimeter, while th
II filtered wa ter contained but 81. Re
ports from other cities lin this an
:. foreign countries showed a mucl
greater contaninati ton than the sscit
4 water showed. II! III $
"The opening Of the lower statio1
pumps is certainly criminal, but ther
should be no haste in cond emning til
north station pumps which fur1is]
us safe water he said. s+sfs
Dr.. Wilson Nv as iii 1ined ito trinl
that the only way & the city could b
assured Of pure water would be t
4 have sanitary control of THE river
riveI;,. SESSIONS csssfuiisf oi1evy
ing this system tOf1e case OF stypl1oi
in the late winter or early spring
starting from Camden Place, coul
so contaninate the water as to star
a regular epidemic of typhoid" Z; h
. said. q i. $50 Il .s,s;t