Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-15

tered water Is turned Into the distribution
system. but after that on an average an
additional filter bed will go into service
every other day, reducing the danger from
typhoid fever and Others germs by the
maximum of 100000 gallons of pure water
per filter bed per day. Even more rapid
progress may be made later on In putting
the filter beds into service, until the entire
number necessary are working Twenty
one Alter beds are now practically ready to
be connected up as rapidly as that can be
done"
This Is the report which Commissioner
mcfarland brought back from the filtra-
ton plant after spending an hour there this
morning. He was accompanied by Mr.. Gar
land acting superintendent of the District
water department. and was shown over the
plant by Lieut.. Dent. Corps of Engineers.
U. g. A. grand nephew of the late Com
missioner Josiah Dent. who is the officer on
the works. and Mr.. Hardee of his staff. Mr..
mcfarland was shown the water flowing
into filter beds numbers ! and 3. where 1t
was turned on at O'Clock this morning In
the presence of Col. Leach. Col. Hoxie and
Lieut. Dent, and the 100000 gallons per
day pump. one Of three of like capacity, at
work pumping In the water. Commissioner
mcfarland was told that in order to begin
operations today gangs of workmen had
worked for four nights and on Sunday, be-
sides the regular time. Everybody had
taken the greatest interest and had shown
the greatest desire to get the water turned
on as quickly as possible.
DR.. Woodward's Statement.
DR.. Woodward. the health officer. today
issued the following statement explaining
the benefits which will accrue to the city
In the typhoid fever situation alone:
"a case of typhoid fever does not develop
until some time after the patient has been
infected. A period of from seven to
twenty-five days mast elapse after infec-
ton before the nature of the resulting dis
ease can be thoroughly recognized. There
will. therefore. be a corresponding delay
after the pure water Is delivered and be-
fore the results appear. If the entire water
supply of the city were purified on and
after today no dminution in the number
of reported cases of water borne typhoid
fever cases could reasonably be expected
for week, no material diminution could
be expected for two weeks. and the effect
Of filtration would not be completely mani
Tested until after the lapse of three weeks.
The diminution in the number of cases
of water-borne typhoid fever that will re-
suit from the publication by slow sand
filtration of a part of the water supply
should bear practically the same relation
to the entire number of cases of typhoid
fever ordinarily arising from the water
supply that the amount of water filtered
bears to the amount of water consumed.
The filtration of three million gallons of
water daily out of total consumption OF
from seventy to ninety million gallons con-
not be expected to show any demOnstrable
effect from day to day since the most that
could be expected would be that from three
to five cases out of every hundred would
be prevented, or in other words, that the
number of cases reported under the condi-
tons prevailing at present would be dimn-
lshed by one every day two. AS what
may be termed normal variations upward
and downward exceed this amount 1t will
be impossible to differentiate each day such
normal variation from variation resulting
from filtration. Cases will be prevented Of
course, but the figures will not show it AS
the quantity of water filtered Is Increased
the resulting fall in the number of cases
reported will exceed ordinary variations
and the results will be come apparent"