The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-07-07
SMITH FILTRATION PLANT
AT GREENSBORO, A FAILURE

sod spoke In part a. foliour- ID
- hrst place. I am clad 20 make TIE
stAtenent a. 20 What Parkerrburr 4,
80. .nd ne quality and purity %
NJ Eatsf- believe ! am The only
nan living Who has given the uaf..r
o. fArkersburE a thorourh tes. 80
snoNs exactly What the smith sv-rern
OF Mutation viii do under an condi
uons- EnEineers have tested the
aster. also chemists. but have test
20 the water for eight months ara
fnoN every dsviatinE feature OF IN
PreJuclee Overcome
When the first infimafion % The
SmllA system Vas made. I Wa u~a-
!uolced against u had been rrised
IN me school where the only system
% niifauon vas the mechanical or
chemlcal nitration system Nv first
experience With the system was about
three years ago when the matter
came up. I was out on the--4ver in A
small launch. when I was asked bv
one OF Mr.. smiths friends TO visit a
smAA barge where they we're making
tests for the system They Rad
erected a miniature plant and were
pumping about 300 gallons OF water
with turbidity OF 100. have been
IN government associations Tor A
number OF years and also have been
associated with health departments
/ ana have read many treatises on the
[
only system ! could ever get into my
head was mechanical filtration.
i was told that the Smith svstern
was impracticable. that u could not
/ hope 20 meet the demands OF tho PEG
I pie and therefore was prejuiiced
against H. When the city OF Parkers-
| burg began talking filtration they
had almost decided upon a well sys-
TEN. They decided TO hire engineers.
the board OF public works to name
one and the mayor the other. Engi-
neers George Fuller and George
Fuertas were named. They reported
Tor rapid sand or mechanical ultra.
spent 20 find this out.
People Dissatisfied.
The people did not seem TO be sat
I isfied. and the Smith system came In
and upset the plans. The people went
hack on the words OF the engineers
They agreed 10 take the Smith system
and | was even so angry that would
not allow my family 20 use the water
for months and then decided after /
Rad made tests, that II was all @. H.
and told my wife 10 quit Boiling the
water. visited a meeting OF the
most prominent engineers in the
world. at Washington. D. c.. last year
There was the representative OF the
car OF Russia. the KING OF England,
and all other prominent personages.
{ They in one voice said that mechani-
cal filtration was the system: but /
told them OF the Smith filtration sys-
TEN.
George Fuller was told that the
Smith system clarified and purified
the water, but would not believe a.
These men had been schooled on DIFF
ferent filtration systems The Smith
system is composed OF old principles.
7 nut Is giving new results. There IS
no reason why the Smith filtration
bed would become contaminated
There are three chemicals appearing
IN the chemically filtered wa - They
also claim that there will be great
trouble in controlling the filter BEDS
OF the smith system. but up until the
present time. we have had no trou-
bic; and do not feel ther will be any
trouble. ! was formerly a follower
OF the rapid sand or mechanical sys-
TEN, but the Smith system has won
me over and I believe II is the sys-
TEN for this city"
Mr.. Leopold Speaks.
, Following Mr. Rose, Mr.. r. y Leon
old or Pittsburgh was introduced as a
follower OF She mechanical system.
The doctors reference 20 the pre-
valence OF Goitre among communities
using mechanically filtered water Is
surprising 10 me. IL has always been
my a 'erstanding that the country
/ where goitre was more prevalent. was
/ a.. i
entirely q natural water without treat
ment OF any character. ! know OF no
inter plant In Switzerland and am alb
solutely sure that there arc no me-
chanical plants. know little about Il
IN this country except that II Is pre-
va4ent in Pittsburgh where the water
r. filtered with the slow sand filter.
while do not propose to enter into
an argument with the doctor from a
medical standpoint, ! do not believe
mere are any grounds whatever for
this assertion. While there is ALSO
lutte evidence OF great reduction % the
CGath rate In cities supplied with fl-
tered water. the typhoid rate ranging
from so 20 90 per cent. less after o.
tered water has been supplied 20 com
muniiics in this country. Mechanical
hlters are In use In 52S cities In the
United states, supplying water to over
100000 people. The FIRST plant built
In this country that have any knowl.
edge OF the Smith system was the Ow-
ensboro, KY. in 1906. Since that time
3'3 mechanical filter plants have been
installed. including such cities as Gin.
ciunati. Minneapolis. Toledo. Colurl-
bus. Cleveland. Baltimore. st. Louis
ana many others. After an eNpendi-
tufe o. hundreds OF thousands ~ dol
lars % investigation work and the al.
vice OF the best engineoSing talent in
mo country. AZ an expense of MANY
millions Of dollars.
Docs 70 seem reasonable that tbia
large percentage OF our population
would build plants Of this ch@rcacter
u they we're not producing the best
results known to science In the protac-
ION % the water supplies OF the conn
ryf On the other hand. only three
plants ~ the Smith system have been
hulif. supplying n population Of less
. fhan 10000 people. and entailing an
oullaN ~ not In excess Of $3.50 900 or
.IlNNl1 one ~ these was built NJ
NilIuuEhhy. o.. four or five years ago
and has just been replaced by a mo.
,har'cal filter plant The first was
hulI, 90 greensboro. Ky. according 10
Q tclrrram which have IN INV hand
from tie man who ls superintendent
OF fFr plant who states that 30 hoe
not been Swing satisfactory resuIt,
Tor some fIno
Systems Far Different
TO" principle 81 the Fo.raftad
smith filtration system ia entirely
Hf variance with The two SLOW sarg
filtration plants which have boon ir
operation success -fuIfv 10 "a rroaf,- r-
lesser oNtnnf for o. or 50 vcara Vrf
% principal that has boon had ban
cor various forms for 90 or fl wears
and has almost Invariably been ah41
rn1er 0r superseded hy some other
method after n few year operation
There ie absolutely no reason from an
rnrincerin~ standpoint 10 erporf arv
n.fDrrnf results from tho present ar