New-York tribune., 1907-06-02
CITY Health Officers TO Exam
N inc Into the Conditions,

Dr. Thomas Darlington. president Of the Board
Of Health. intends making an examination OF
the contents of roof tap water tanks upon high
buildings throughout the city. His object is to
find out the extent Of the danger of contamina-
ton TO the water supply through the filthy de-
posts in the bottom of these reservoirs.
As soon as the public schools close for the
long vacation the doctors upon the Health
Board staff engaged in that work will be in
structed TO make examination Of the con-
tents of roof water tanks in their districts.
Commissioner Butler Of the Tenement House
Department says he is convinced examination
would show that thousands Of water tanks upon
the roofs of high buildings all over the city
have not been flushed out for dozen years
Fmptied more or less in course Of the day, when
the general consumption OF water is the great
est these reservoirs are reflled at night by
means Of gooseneck pipe, which empties from
near the top of the tank. This stirs up the sedi-
nent deposited in the bottom. In the early
morning hours, when water is most used for
drinking and household purposes, this noxious
mixture is distributed to the faucets through
out the building.
There are some ninety thousand tenement and
apartment houses in the city, fully 80 per cent
Of which receive their water supply from
roof tanks. There twice as many large
Office buildings and hotels in the same condi-
ton. Hundreds of thousands Of citizens are
daily using water which is polluted no further
away than their own roofs.
Eight and a half millions is demanded as the
cost of a filtration scheme TO purify the water
supply upon the Croton watershed 1t is urged
that unless this is done the city is in grave
danger Of an epidemic of typhoid and other
CONTAGIOUS diseases. If disease germs can be
carried through fifty miles of water mains from
Croton, il seems obvious that the filthy sedi-
rnent in roof tanks. which is stirred up every
night by the pipes, would constitute excellent
breeding grounds. This is entirely apart from
the great danger which the polluted condition
OF the roof reservoirs themselves constitutes.
Every one familiar with the tenement house
districts knows that in the summer months the
roofs OF these buildings are the playground Of
thousands of children OF the poorer classes. The
water reservoirs. though raised from the roofs.
are easily accessible TO these enterprising
youngsters. who in the habit OF making
them the receptacle for all kinds Of refuse.
They have even been known TO use them as
swimming baths IN very hot weather. Some
years ago the TO which many of these
tanks were being put was investigated. and an
examination of the contents revealed a most
unsanitary condition oc affairs
Various articles of clothing old boots and bot
Ties, dead cats and every conceivable sort Of
refuse were found in the bottom Of some of the
reservoirs examined. This led to- a provision
being inserted in the law compelling the owners
Of gil buildings using roof tanks for their water
supply TO have them covered and equipped with
biow-off valves, so that they could be emptied
and cleaned from. time to time. The Tenement
House Department declares that practically all
the water tanks upon buildings under its con-
troll are now covered These covers are made
10 1T loosely however, so as to admit the air,
and would not prevent children from throwing
refuse into the reservoirs
Though the danger OF pollution from filthy
roof tanks Is greatest in the tenement house
districts, the evil IS by no means confined to