The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-05-14
SULPHATE
KILLS BACTERIA
HEALTH AUTHORITIES CONSIDER
ITS USE IN RESERVOIR.
Plan Is Suggested by the PATHOLOGY
cal Experts of the Government De-
partment of Agriculture - Expert
ments, They Say, Have Shown 1t to
Be Eff1cacious - Cost Is Slight.

Local health authorities have con-
sidered seriously the idea of Destroy
Ing bacteria in the reservoir by the
use Of copper sulphate. The patho-
logical experts Of the United States
apartment of agriculture are of the
ments, that that chemical is an eff
cient purifier Of polluted water. In
bulletin just issued by George T.
Moore, in charge Of the laboratory of
plant physiology, and Earl R.. Keller
man, his assistant, details of these ex-
summary it Is said that the use Of
copper sulphate is believed to offer a
new and adequate way Of dealing with
difficulties which arise when the old
methods Of sterilizing reservoirs fail.
Experience has demonstrated =,
says the report, the impossibility Of
compelling consumers Of what may be
an infected water to boil it, or observe
other precautionary measures, and the
absence Of proper filtration plants in
g. very great number Of cities and
towns in this country makes it neces-
sary that some efficient method for
destroying disease germs in water be
employed until the danger from pollu-
ton be past. Up to this time no
has been known that would became
effective in the course Of a very few
hours and the cost of which was in the
reach Of every community.
ut is believed that the results of
the experiments upon typhoid and
cholera germs described in this bulle-
tin indicate that it will be possible
copper sulphate with perfect safety in
any municipal water reservoir which
may have become infected with some
nonsporeforming disease germ.
TITS application to barnyard tanks
and pools as a preventive Of hog
cholera may also prove to be of value,
Since the selective toxicity Of this salt
renders 1t fatal to pathogenic forms
peculiar to water, while the common
saprophytic or beneficial bacteria are
unaffected, the method Is particularly
well adapted for this purpose"
The experiments Of the scientists
were particularly to determine the
most efficient method of discriminating
algae (what the unscientific man,
probably, would call green scum J,
and preventing its further growth. 1t
veloped bacteria that were not only
unpleasant to the sense Of smell but
harmful to men and animals. The use
Of copper sulphate for this is recon-
mended, and the report expresses the
opinion that within a short time this
method will be used upon large scale
turnout the country, as it is very
cheap. OF the cost. the bulletin says:
"It Is evident that the maximum
cost Of material for extermina ting
algae can not exceed SO to so cents
| per million gallons, and will often be
| less than half this amount. The cost
for the copper sulphate destruction OF
bacteria will be from SIS to Sc per
million gallons, and where lime or
some soluble hydrate is used in adIli-
ltion, the cost would be increased about
one-third. The cost OF labor neces-
sary to Introduce these substances will
/ be slight, since two men can usually
treat from 10,Uoo,0o0 to 20.000,o00
gallons In less than three hours"