The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-03-19

Health before them and with the fact that
d one analysis of the water showed con-
q tamination, the Mount Holly Water Com
panY applied to q chemist for an examina.
\ ton Of the stuff that Is being furnished to
the people of Mount Holly for drinking
/ purposes. The chemist in the last in
stance was DR. Randle G. Rosenberger, of
the Department Of Hygiene and Bacteri-
|, ologY of Jefferson Medical College, Phila-
: delphia Perhaps 1t will be Just as we'll
to give the entire correspondence then
there will be no misunderstanding. The
first is a letter from B. F. Haywood
Shreve, president of the water company.
He says:
March 12, 1912.
To the Editor of The News:
Dear Sir-I enclose herewith report,
just received, upon a sample of water
drawn March 8, in my presence, from the
J faucet at Dubell's pharmacy, corner Main
and Washington streets, and delivered by
me to DR.. Rosen mergers laboratory. You
will notice that DR.. Rosenberger pronoun-
!, ces this sample a safe potable water.
have asked the State Board of Health to
make another examination of the water
as soon as possible.
, Yours very truly
B. F. HAYWOOD SHREvE
DR.. Rosenberger's letter is as follows:
Philadelphia, March II, 1912
Mr. B. F. Haywood ShreYe,
Philadelphia:
i My dear Mr.. Shreve: Specimen of
water received from the Mount Holly
Water Company in an ordinary cork
stoppered bottle, March 8. Quantities of
from o. C. C. to 10 C. C. were inoculated
into neutral red bile salt dextrose bouillon
in fermentation tubes and incubated at
370 @. No reaction Of the colon or other
bacteria was demonstrable in 72 hours
and, in my opinion, this sample is a safe
potable water.
/ Very truly yours
DR.. RENDLE @. RosRNBRRGER.
The above contains many terms that
will not be readily understood by the lay
man, but the purport of them is that an
attempt was made by chemical process to
discover whether there were typhoid
germs in the sample of water taken by
the president of the water company, and
the trial resulted in failure to show any
thing in the water but absolute purity
This may be 30, yet it must be remem-
bered that one report from the state chem
list showed the water to be apparently all
right, and another taken at a later date
showed that the filter was absolutely
worthless, the filtered water being the
same as the raw water. The filter may
have been working the day president
Shreve took the sample to Philadelphia,
but is there any guarantee it is all right
to-day2 The report of the local Board of
Health must not be lost sight of. 1t de-
clared that the water was responsible for
the typhoid fever outbreak 1t has been
shown that the creek from which the
water Is taken is a sewer of danger
ous type, and all that stands between
this and the consumer is filter that has
been shown not to work at least once.
The raw water is filthy. In every case of
typhoid fever it has been shown that the
victim drank water that had not been
boiled. So no matter what the chemists
say, no matter what reports come In to
show that we have 'safe, potable water"
do not run any risk, boil every drop of
water from the first day of January until
the 31st day of December, and having
done this ask yourself why you should be
compelled to pay high rent for water
and then have to drink boiled water.
In addition to the above we have the
following letter from the State Depart
ment:
Trenton, March 10, 1919.
B. F. Haywood Shreve,
Dear Sir-Enclosed herewith please find
three copies of analyses of water. num-
bered W 6079, W-6080, W-6081. Sample
W-6060, taken from the creek above the
intake shows that the colon bacillus is in
dictated in out of tubes inoculated with
/ c. C. of the water. This means about /
B. coli per C. C. The sample from the
filtered water basin is positive In only one
of the six tubes. About 500 of the colon
bacilli have been removed by treatment |
10 oh ar1rffi foo F4oga
for the treatment given, but 1t is perhaps |
as much as can be expected so soon after |
the additional soda ash and hypochlorite |
treatment was begun. 1t must be remem- |
bered that it will take some little time for |
this better treated water to displace the |
other water In the basin, reservoir and |
mains. Sample W-6079, taken from a tap |
in the town on March T. indicated bacillus |
coli In 300 c. C. or about one twentieth as |
many organisms as were found in the |
creek water This is much better result |
than could be anticipated at that period |
A sample of the filtered water was again |
taken March 10. and we shall send you
that result as soon as it is received The
analysis made by DR. Rosenberger appears
to be very favorable.
Very truly yours,
f. e. DANIELS, Chief
The report on the sample of March 10
appears to have been received, as Mr..
Shreve has sent the following:
March 16, 1912
To the editor of THE NEws-I have just
received the enclosed card from the State
Board of Health, stating that the sample
of water drawn from faucet March 12,
by Mr.. Lection, their representative,
showed no colon bacilh.
Very truly,
B. F. HAYWOOD SHREyE, Pres.
There are several reports DIR. Rosen-
berger says the sample taken from Dubell's
pharmacy March 3, is a safe, potable
water. The State Board of Health says
that samples, one of which was taken
from the same faucet as that sent to Dr.
Rosenberger, showed about 500 per cent
of colon bacilli removed, and that this 10
mot high publication of efficiency for
the treatment given" According to Dr.
Rosenberger the situation must have
cleared up greatly in day.
All this goes to prove what has been
said before that the filter works sometimes.
In order to know just what we are getting
there ought to be a chemist on the job
every day. 1t is not pleasant to think we
must drink boiled water but that is far
preferable to drinking the supply from a
sewer, which the water source is, and it is
much safer to boil the water than to de-
pend upon analyses that vary frequently.
The water company is sending out its
| bills. 1t offers discount of five per cent.
on bills paid within a certain time, and
then it tells you in red letters that If the
rent is not paid within given period the
water will be shut off. 1t looks as if the
water company is just little too aggres-
sive in this matter. 1t practically says to
those who have the public supply ''you
must use our water and you must pay for
it in advance, whether it is or is not good. "
| 1t would be better If the officers of tn
company were not so decisive in their
action. Residents of Mount Holly have
been put to much suffering, anxiety and
expense on account of typhoid fever, and
the water supplied by the Mount Holly
Water Company is responsible for this
condition of affairs.
The Mount Holly Water Company was
organized in 1916 under an act of the
Legislature which contained many pro-
visions. One of them was to regulate and
assess the tolls, taxes and water rates TO
be paid to and be levied by the said COM
pany; to make, prescribe and enforce such
ordinances and bylaws as they may deem
necessary and expedient to govern the
conduct of all persons with whom they
may contract for supply of water from
their works, in order to regulate the use
of said water; to impose penalties and
forfeitures for a breach thereof, or for
neglect or refusal to comply Herewith,
provided that such penalty shall not In
any one case exceed the sum of FIVE dol
lars, and provided that the said bylaws
ond ordinanoes shall he nuhlished for tun