The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-11
FAIRFIELD
A Disappointing Lectnre-Bad Drinking Water-The Cause = Conditions at Nichols Terrace School Dolly Ripley D. A. R'S.

At least some of the people who went | to the Pequot library on Tuesday ev- ! ening to listen to a lecture by MT.
 Whitaker, on the care of trees, were sadly disappointed. To begin with MT. Whitaker has a very poor deliv- cry. Some of his audience thought he stammered, but others say not. He
 appeared to be speaking of one thing and thinking of another, or else he had committed his address to mem ory and every little while slipped a word which he stopped to recall. The substance of the lecture did not prove to be very entertainingso or practical. He spoke mostly of forest and shade trees, and said very little about fruit trees, the apple being the only one mention ed. He forgot, as he afterwards said, how to care for trees. He did speak of the gypsy moth and told how much Massachusetts had spent in trying to get rid of the pest. This was not ex- aired in the press frequently. His talk was more about pictures which he threw upon the screen, then any thing else. He called attention, for in stance, to the gracefulness of the ma pie tree. It is to be feared the far mers, if any were present, did not go away much wiser then they came. A good deal of comment has, been made in town recently over what seems to be the stale and unpalatable condition of the drinking water. It seemed to- have an odor, and one young lady expresses it, a fish like taste. Three weeks ago the water was very bad, and the campony flushed the pipes. The same thing has been done again recently. A sample was recent ly sent to the chemist of the water company in Bridgeport and he reports that the water is chemically in good condition. also bacteriologically. It compares favorably with the water in Bridgeport. The trouble is the water has become stale in the lead pipes, and possibly there has been a growth of the green fungoid which results from all lowing water to stand or become slug gish. The water is not allowed to run as it should. The people of this town and Southport need to use the water flushed by allowing the water to run, and all the trouble will disappear.
 The public fountain in the square op- posite Kinsella's corner, is to be set in operation next week.
 There is real trouble with the water provided for the children who attend the Nichols Terrace school. This has been analysed recently and the report of the chemist has been shown to some of the members of the School Board. Last fall a cistern was provided to hold the rain water which came from the roof. The water smells of the roof, and the children decline to drink 1t. There is more or less mineral matter in the water, which is supposed to come from the materials used in the construction of the cistern. It has been suggested that the first washings of the water from the roof be kept out of the cistern. Owing to the fact that the children do not like the rain water and use 1t only to wash in, they re- sort to water which runs from a tap which connects with a sO-called arte- sian well. This is the water which is unhealthy. The chemist says this water contains moderately large amount of matter and is very hard. The excess of hardness over fixed solids is due to magnesium salts calcu- lated as salts of calcium. The albuni- noid amonia, nitrates. and chlorine are all high indicating the presence of a large amount of drainage contamina- ton from some source. very likely from a cess pool near by. It will be seen from this that it is positively injurious to drink the water.
 Miss Emma F. Wakeman spent yes- terday in West port, the guest of Miss Hall.
 The insurance adjusters were in town yesterday to arrange for the payment of losses by the recent destruction of One of them said: You can figure out how much you lose by being inn pulsive. and how much you make by being smart. What kills you is the good things burn and the old shackS stand around for years" These remarks could not be applied altogether to the rubber factory, which was quite an old building.
 At the Hope Chapel last Sunday, Rev. MT Deyo expressed very force ably his opinion of boxing bouts and knock out smokers being pulled off in town. Unfortunately the people who attend churches are not the ones who need admonishing as they never witness boxing bouts and sparring en- tertainments.
 Wednesday Mrs. E. Guilbert of Southport received the local chapter of the Dolly Ripley D. A. R.'s. There was music by Mrs. Lang and MT. Booth and Mrs. Jabez Backus read a most entertaining paper entitled "Women's Clubs' in which she treated the women's organization semi-seri- ously Salad and other delicious dain- ties were served in the dining room- The table was beautiful with damask and a bowl of pink roses for centerpiece. the whole illuminated with artificial light.
 MT Joseph F. Brothwell is of the opinion that he has no intention of selling his milk business and giving his att ention to farming. He is at a loss to know how such news originates.