Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-25
WATER REPORT BY LUMSDEN
Gives Preliminary Finding Before
Leaving for the East.
NEW RECOMMENDATION
Makes Practically the same Finding
Rs Did DIR. LanEfeld In Hts
Report TO th~ water
Board.


Board.
Or. L. L. Lumsden water expert of the
United States government has completed
his investigation Of the water supply in
Omaha and has submitted a preliminary re-
port of his findings which are in the main
similar to those made by the health depart
ment Of the city of Omaha before the com
ing of DR. Lumsden.
His principal recommendations are the
abandonment Of the Burt street station as
soon as practicable; the protection OF the
Florence intake from pollution from waters
entering the river through Mil creek; the
treatment of the water supply by some
publication process which will render II
free from dangerous pollution and the boil
ing Of all city water before using, both for
private use and also in the public schools.
In his report DR.. Lumsden says he has
been investigating the conditions for nearly
a month. These Investigations included
sanitary survey of the Missouri river and
its immediate water sheds on both sides Of
the river for five and ten miles above the
intakes; an archaeological study of los in
dividual cases OF typhoid fever reported
between March / and April 10; making of
blood cultures and tests to determine the
correctness Of the clinical diagnosis and
careful consideration of the sewerage sys-
TEN, the supplies Of milk, ice and OF bever-
ages and foods generally.
DR.. Lumsden says that he found that the
condition of the river during the last win
ter was unusual Heavy rains in November
washed large amount of sewage into the
river. Soon after the heavy rains cold
weather set in so that by December 10 the
river was practically covered with ice from
bank to bank. The river continued frozen
until March when the breaking up Of
the ice at Omaha began.
Same Report as LRngfeId.
In his report DR.. Lumsden covers about
the same ground as was gone over by DR..
Mlllard Langfeld in his report to the water
board of the Investigations made by him
and the health department, the difference
being that DR.. Langfeld investigated more
typhoid fever cases than did DR.. Lumsden.
DR.. Langfeld made a trip east and on his
return recommended that a hypo-chlorite
Of lime plant be installed to assist in the
publication OF the water. DIR. Lumsden
makes the same report.
In speaking OF the new plant about to be
installed DR.. Lumsden says:
"In this connection the contemplated ap-
plication to the water of the hypochlorite
Of lime treatment is to be commended as
a step in the right direction.
IF it is found that the hypochlorite
treatment viii not effect an improvement
to a point which may reasonably be con-
sidered one Of safety, other processes of
publication in the place of and in addi-
ton to the hypochlorite treatment should
be applied, The other processes recon-
mended for consideration are (a) increased
storage Of water by installation of addi-
tional sedinentation reservoirs and (b)
filtration" .a
In conclusion. DR.. Lumsden recommends
General sanitary improvements and as
rigid sanitary supervision as possible over
all places where foods or beverages are
prepared for sale or offered for sale.
These general sanitary measures, of
course, are always advisable, but they
are particularly 30 in Omaha at the pres
ent time, when the city has just passed
through an extensive outbreak of typhoid
fever with a consequent unusually large
number of foci Of infection in typhoid
fever patients and probably in typhoid
bacillus carriers and with warm weather
season approaching, when the conditions
usually are most favorable for the spread
Of prosodomio typhoid fever"
Finding of Local Doctors.
After Dr. Lumsden had addressed the
Douglas County Medical society Saturday
noon the committee on publication gave
out the following authorized statement of
the finding of the association:
"Dr. Lumsden, who was sent to Omaha
by the surgeon general of the public health
of the Marine hospital service on request
Of the Douglas County Medical So
ciety transmitted by the governor to in
vCstigate our typhoid epidemic, has fin
ished his work Before leaving he sub
mitted a preliminary report to the health
office on his findings. At a meeting OF
the medical society at noon Saturday at
the Commercial club, in an informal way
he rendered a synopsis Of this report
This is to the effect that the epidemic,
in his opinion, arose primarily from the
drinking water; that tho river water along
its whole course is polluted and at many
points. and that at both the Florence and
Rurt street intakes there is additional To-
cal pollution
THE doctor strongly urged the continued
boillng of the water until by some method
it is purified at the pumping station. The
medical society feels that Dr. Lumsden's
work in Omaha has been Of such charac-
ter that his visit has been eminently sat
Isfactory and will be of inestimabe value
to the community"
The people Of Council Bluffs are urgently