The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1914-10-23
ON
CITY WATER.
Prof. Bass Finds Water in
Good Condition.

Prot. Frederic Bass the Minneapolis
Consulting Engineer who was sum-
moned here to investigate the Sisseton
public waterworks as to its: sanitary
condition has submitted detailed re-
port to the City Council. He reports
that any Infection of the spring is s.ex-
tremely improbable, and that "there
is no data to substantate the belief
of pollution to the city supply" on the
way to the city.
In reporting on the samples of water
examined by the state hygienic labora-
tory he says; 'In both instances the
absence of B. Coli in the city mains
was demonstrated. AS to the spring
"however, it is easily possible that
very small amount of dirt from the
shoes of the man cleaning the spring
entered the water and inoculated it
with the B. coli.
B. Coli is an entirely harmless or
ganism, and although usually taken as
danger signal when found in the
water, under the circumstances found
in this case does not 0have the sig
nificance which ordinarily attends its
presence.
Prof. Bass then follows with report
of the typhoid cases in this vicinity and
in conclusion says:
"The conclusion which draw from the
above data is that the typhoid has no
connection with the city water supply.
The reasons are as follows.
l. Three of the four cases can not
be traced to the use of the city water.
2. An outbreak of typhoid in city
due to polluted water will in almost all
cases affect many more than one person
in two thousand before the lapse of two
months after the first case
3. The single person who might have
been infected by the city water was
exposed otherwise by contact.
a. he city water supply is so pro-
tected at its source and throughout the
whole system that it is practically i'm
possible to pollute it.eXcept at a time
when the spring had been entered for
cleaning or repairs This entrance for
cleaning or repairs had not been per-
formed for several months before the
first case of typhoid appeared in the
city
5. The presence of B. Collin lthe
first sample of water taken is easily ac-
counted for by the method of sampling.
The presence of B. Coli in the second
sample might be easily explained by
the fact that one week before this time
the Superintendent of Water Works
had entered the spring for the:purpose
of clearing the bottom of the sediment
lodged there, and that small quantity
of infected substance might easily have
been dislodged from his shoes while 60
ing down the ladder into the spring.
s. Neither of the samples collected
from the taps in the city showed B.
Coli. This would tend to indicate that
the presence of B. Coli in the spring
was due to some casual infection as
mentioned above. If there We're some
continuing source of pollution the B.
Coli would have appeared in the sam
piles collected from the taps, at least
at the time of the second examination.
In order to remove the apparent pol
luton which might possibly be present
in the spring, | visited the spring with
Mr.. Cortelyou, the Superintendent of
Water Works and put in it a solution
containing about three fourths of
pound of hypochlorite Of lime.
Respectfully submitted,
Erada,.if Pacc -