The Washington herald., 1913-07-27

course. was very limited, and most Of
the common people were forced to carry
their jugs to the public fountains. The
number of these general fountains spread
throughout the city Of Rome in the reign
Of Constantine was more than a thou
sand. augmented by nearly as many
more public baths From this 1t seems
that the general supply of water, though
not as convenient as that Of modern
times, was by no means restricted. It
is estimated that the aQueducts Of Rome
were capable Of supplying to the city
a capacity of 4Oo.0Oo.o0o gallons Of water
a day. but considering the fact that al
most constantly one or more Of these
conduits was out Of repair and that
only in flooded periods did they carry
their full capacity, probably 5000. 600
gallons was q good daily average.
"Of course, not all Of these brought
water from the same source. The water
naturally differed much in character.
The streams which brought the clearest
and most pleasant water were used for
drinking purposes. Then, according to
the degree of purity. the others were
used for washing and supplying power.
Naturally. this prevented in q measure
the possibility Of applying strict meas
ures of economy to the water supply and
was the cause Of q great deal Of waste.
In modern science all Of the water can
be emptied regardless of its nature into
the same reservoir, and there, after
proper treatment. 1t is fit for all pur-
poses alike.
The Dark Ages.
"The next step brings US into the dark
ages where many Of the arts were lost
and where man lived in such a state that
it did not matter much how his water
was supplied. as 1t would at the time Of
its consumption be nearly putrid any
way from the manner in which 1t was
handled. About the only effect which
these times had upon the development
Of pure water supply was the object les
sons they gave to medieval and modern
civilization. Since that time the world
has wakened wonderfully, though grad
ually, to its physical surroundings. Men
have begun to realize the necessity Of a
pure water supply. The idea Of drink
ing water that has been contaminated
by even the slightest trace of waste or
sewage has become abhorrent to them,
and this fact alone would be enough to
urge them to take the sanitary measures
which they have from time to time in
augurated, even IL they had no idea Of
the possibility Of such water causing dis
ease.
THE first serious agitation, however,
Of this question arose in England nearly
a century ago. There in the year 1s29
James Simpson devised and built for the
East Chelsea Water Company a one-acre
slow sand filter at London. Az the germ
theory Of disease was at that time un-
known. this filter was designated to act
merely as a mechanical strainer to re-
move from the water the suspended par
ticles Of matter. such as mud and sew
age. The plan of this filter consisted Of
q hard-bottomed basin installed with a
good drainage system, over which gravel
was packed in graded thicknesses, until
u layer of line sand topped or the whole
bed to a depth of several feet Water
was allowed to run from the reservoirs
ever the sand. and. after flltering through
to the bottom, was carried OF clean
to the supply pipes thriugh the underlaie
drains.
'This was merely . mechanical process
and looked only to the mechanical strain
ing Of the water, but the work which
this nlter was fated to dc was TAR hs-
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