Putnam patriot., 1908-11-27
putnam walrr tempaa, 0aIltIsss.

warning to the public when the tiler wofks were injured, so that the water supply passed through without being filtered, and that The people drank Il all summer without knowing IL was untilteree.
 Mir. c. D. sharpe, Superintendent of the Water Co.'S Works in the City. called our attention to the fact that the Water Co. had given warning that the Altering works were oul ef order, and until repaired the water would pass through untlltered. and tt was printed in our issue of June n, last. We rc~ ferred te our issue, and found the iel lowing local Item.
 .The Putnam Water Co. wishes 10 inform it's patrons that, owing To some extensive repairs and alterations al the filters, they are obliged to use eniiltered water to more or less extent until such work k finished The work will be pushed as rapidly as possible
 We could explain how 1t came te 0N<> OAf LII RHA 8NN thPN ''N nothing to sto with the fact that the
 warning was given. It k unpleasant to acknowledge our mistake, but We are glad that II relieves the company ot the charge We made.
 We regard it as very important that the people should know when the water comes through the mains untiltefed. but even then large share ef the people take ne care to protect their health. But that k mol surprising, fer even tn- telligent people tell as that drinking our unfiltered water is not injurious to health. They say thts in defiance of the fact that the Town Health ofii-
 eer, the County Health Officer, togeth' CT with the State Board of Health have declared the water, before filtration, unfit for domestic use. They declared this after a careful examinated ot the miles of populated ground from which the rains carried every kind of fiith Into the stream that furnished tho city It's water supply.
 Hut more than this. Alter the State
 Board of Health had submitted to the
 Water Co. two plans to make the water it for domestic use. namely: to draw it's W aler supply from high grounds
 where II could not be polluted by the
 filth from populated territory or else put in filtration piant-~Mr. Elmer
 Wheeler, the Treasurer Of the tompa- nv. did not care to incur the expense of either of the plans submitted, or to contend with the demands of the Slate
 Board of Health, uu less personally hs- sured that their declaration oi the an- heaithiness of the water was verified.
 He therefore directed his sanitary ex.
 pert to make Il thorough examination of the watershed aud to what extent the washlngs therefrom polluted the
 water That there may De no question of this statementwe append the part Of
 MT. Wheeler's letter, printed In the PATRIOT Nov. i4, 1905, addressed to
 F. W. Perry, then Mayor of the city, in reply to his question, what the WA ter Company proposed doing 10 furnish
 the city with purcr water:
 "In reply to your communication ol Nov. II, we beg to say thai we nau 'e. gently had our sanitary expsnesh'nine into existing conditions at and about the source f our water supply, as n re- sult of which we have decided to con struct a filtration plant, and are now | Investigating the methods of filtration
 best adapted to the situation, with q view to its installation as early as Is
 reasonably practicable.
 EI.MEn WHEELER, Treasurer. Boston, Nov. II, lsD5.
 We make this lengthy statement 10 impress on the minds ol the most un- informed that our public water, unless filtered, k detrimental to health. TO
 guard against possible danger, sneh water should be boiled before using Some may ask how il Is determined that unfiltefed water injures health. The State publishes q monthly report of the amount Of the sickness and death rate of every town in the State, and 1t may be noticed that the sickness ana death rate m some towns k twice and three times as great as In other towns. When the causes for this difference are found to be unchangeable, then the standard for each town is fixed. When the sick ness and death rate exceeds the normal standard, then the State Board of Health makes an investigation, If the Town Onioer has not d0ase so, and seeks to disorver and remove the cause of the increase. In other cases. where the increase of sickness and death raie Is slight, the State Board of Health fe- lies on the Town Health. .Ofiiser tomake report of any local cause detriments' to public health. Our Health Onicef, Dr. Omer LaRue, made such report tn report Tn regard to the impadty of our public water, when the State Board Of Health at once made an investigs- tion and discovered that il was unht for domestic use--that k, detrimental to public health. Its. representations brought about filtration and supply
 Of pure and delicious tasting water.
 Mir. Wheeler, the Treasurer of the Wa
 ter Company, deserved and received eommendalion for prompt action In
 putting in the filtration plant when he felt assured # was needed. Funher. more, we believe Mr. Wheeler desires to do whatever will show his aesire b win the confidence and good will of our