Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-06
COPPER AS PURIFIER
Discussion Of Topic Before
Academy Of Sciences.
THE EFFECT ON GERMS
SUGGESTED REMEDY>FoR IMPURI-
TIES IN WATER.
Views of Chemists, Physicians and
Others-Caution and Further Ex-
periments Recommended.

| periments Recommended.
Does the introduction of copper sulphates
| as germicide form practical solution of
| the problem of supplying pure water to
| large cities and can the use of this chemical
be safely left to the management of others
! than chemists? This question received the
| earnest attention of an able array of
| scientists at the meeting of the Washing
| ton Academy of Science at Hubbard Me-
| mortal Hall last night. Chemists, physi-
| clans, psychologists and water engineers
| took part in the discussion, which was lis
| tened to with attention by large gather
| ing of members of the Academy and city
| officials interested in the question.
| There was no doubt expressed by any of
| the speakers that copper sulphates accom-
| plish the destruction of the germs in water
in remarkably short time. and that the
| solutions used for the purpose are almost
| infintesimal when compared with the uuan-
| tity of water affected. The chief engineer
| of the water department of Baltimore, Mr..
| Alfred NJ Quick, said that one of the reser-
voirs of that city, with the capacity of
| 800 900 gallons had been successfully
| treated with $50 pounds of the copper salts,
and that not trace of the copper remained
| In the water after the experiment.
|
| to 5OOOOoO parts water, and at the end of
tWenty-four hours all the germs in the
water had been eXterminated. The discus
| sion of the various papers presented brought
out the fact however, that the of cop
per is still in the experimental stage and
| though the Department of Agriculture has
| experimental with more than fifty reser-
| voirs, with capacities all the way from
| 100000 to 50O,0OOOOO gallons, none but the
| most enthusiastic of the advocates of the
use of the germicide are willing at this pc
ROO OF investigation to say that it offers the
pest practical solution of the difficulties re-
sulting from an impure water supply.
Suggest Further Experiments.
Several eminent students of water supply
were most positive in their statements that
| 1t would not be feasible to put the process
| to very extended use until after further ex-
periments and investigation and DIR. Will
lam {. Woodward, health officer of the Dis
trict stated that after thoroughly investi-
eating the matter he did not feel justified
IN assuming the responsibility of recon-
mending the use of copper salts in connec-
| ton with the plans for the publication of
| the water supply of the District The diff
Guilty Which seemed to confront all of those
who have conducted experiments in this
connection lies In removing the trace of
copper from the water after the solution
has been applied with successful results.
Messrs George t. Moore psychologist and
algologist of the Department of Agriculture
who first began the experiments with cop
per salts and Mr.. Henry Kreamer of the
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, who has
been conducting and still has in progress
experiments with copper FOIL both declared
that II the water is left standing long
enough the copper will be precipttated and
the water can be drawn off without trace
of the germicide.
Dr. Harvey w. Wiley, chief chemist of
the Department of Agriculture, one Of the
speakers who counseled patience and fur
Their investigation before the wholesale
adoption theaterV fhat
the water be treated with copper first and
then with other chemicals to insure the
precipitation of the first chemical DR.
Wiley said that the eminent chemist. Dr.
Kronke, had suggested this method.
Prof. Walcott Presides.
Prof. Charles D. Walcott president of the
Washington Academy of Sciences, pre-
sided, and the program was so long that it
was II o'clock before the last speaker had
finished his remarks. DR.. George T.
Moore of the Department of Agriculture
was the first speaker. DR.. Moore is in
charge of the physiological and a1gological
Investigations of the Department of Agri-
culture, and during his Investigations be-
came convinced of the utility of copper
salts in connection with the publication of
water. His tests Of the matter carried on
in his laboratory gave him most satiSfac-
tory results, he said, and monograph on
assistants, which received marked atten-
ton from psychologists and algologists
throughout the country.
with the SANCTION Oh the department OF
Agriculture DR.. Moore secured permission
from certain municipalities in different
sections of the country to conduct expert
ments with their reservoirs. He was 4.
| satisfactory results from his tests of
| large quantities of water in open reser
voirs than he had been able to get from
| the tests in his laboratory. He found that
| the resistance of the germs in the reser
voir water was much less than in the
| laboratory.
| The effect of the copper on man is open
| to discussion, he declared, but there was
not as much copper in the water that had
been purified as there is naturally in many
vegetables and meats, and, he said, there
| is thousand times more copper in can
| of peas than there was in any of the water
| that was subjected to experiment. He
spoke of the dangers that come from the
| failure of sand filters through accidents be-
| cause OF leaks in the filter beds or the
| filtered water reservoirs or receptacles.
In illustration of this danger DR.. Moore
| referred to the breaking of levee which
| caused surface water to drain into reser-
voir in the south. More than hundred
| cases of typhoid fever developed in the city
| that gained its supply from this reservoir,
| in less than ten days, and hundreds Of more
| cases developed in two months. The au-
thorities were put to severe straits to purify
| the water and as last resort used copper
with the result that the number of germs
| in the water was reduced in a few hours
from $4,000 to 80 per centimeter. A solu-
ton of to 100000 is strong enough to kill
typhoid germs, and 1t has been found that
even much higher dilutions, running up to
100000 to 5000, 600, have been effective In
destroying typhoid and colon germs.
Experiments With Copper Fail.
DR.. Henry Kreamer of the Philadelphia
College Of Pharmacy was introduced to tell
OF some of his experiments with the in
fuence Of copper foil in water on typhoid
and colon germs. DR.. Kreamer's expert
ments have been carried on for some time
and he has several tests under way in his
| laboratory. He said he was moved to use
copper foil because he desired to know it's
| effect, as it is not always possible for per-
sons to obtain the sufficient quantities of
copper salts or sulphates. The experiments
were carried on with typhoid and colon
germs obtained from pure cultures at the
| laboratory of the college with which he is