The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-01-08
CITY WATER Is
GOOD TO DRINK
AGAIN, HONEST!
Members of Board of Health
Remove Ban After Prof.
Magill Makes Analysis.
BLACK GETS LETTER.
PROMISING A QUIZZ
Public Service Commission Says
Investigation of Water Will
Be Made.

simultaneously with the receipt of
a letter from the Missouri Public
Service Commission stating that a
representative of that body would Wis
it Cape Girardeau to make a thorough
inspection of water conditions in Cape
Girardeau, it was announced by a
member Of the Board of Health that
the evidences of garbage have van
ished from the city's water.
Prof. A. C. Magill, of>the Normal
School, made an analysis of the water
drawn from the city hydrants yester-
/ day afternoon and announced that it
was suitable for drinking or cooking
purposes.
81 found the ammonia is gone and
no traces of other impurities. The
water is absolutely safe again." said
Prof. Magill.
The Tribune was informed last
night that the Board of Health would
meet today and pass resolutions, in
forming the public that the water is
no longer poisonous, as it agreed to
do when it issued the warning two
weeks ago, urging the people to dis
continue using the liquid.
As Mayor Kage has been summoned
to appear as a witness in case pend
ing before the Circuit Court at Jack
son today, it is not believed that the
proposed meeting of the Board of
Health will be held.
The water has not been used out of
the hydrantS since Christmas Eve,
when the Board of Health published
statement that it was unfit to be
taken into the human system. While
the water has been bad all summer,
due to the fact that it was pumped
from below Sloan's creek, it was never
so polluted as it has been for the past
two weeks.
The water possessed an offensive
odor for several days before the ban
was placed on it by the Board of
Health. The day the edict was issued
Prof. Magill, who is employed by the
Missouri Public Utilities as its chem
ist, discovered that the water was so
contaminated that it was dangerous
to use and notified the Health Officers,
who then warned the people.
The city has no chemist or no one
to examine the water. Had Prof.
Magill not notified the Board of
Health that the water was injurious,
it is probable that the public would
have never been warned of its poison
Gus contents.
The letter received by Councilman
Walter D. Black yesterday follows:
Jan. 2, 1915.
Dear Sir:
Your letter of December 81, 1914
complaining against the quality OF
water being furnished in Cape Girar.
deau, together with the copy of chem
ical analysis of this water by youl
Board of Health, has been received.
This matter is now being taken uI
with the Missouri Public Utilities Co
and the Commissions expert viii
shortly proceed to Cape Girardeau fol
an inspection Of local conditions anc
an informal conference with the mem
bers of your Committee and the plan
manager. You will be notified defini
itely later of the date for this inspec
ton and conference.
Please have archaeological analy
sis of the water as furnished to th'
consumers in your city made by th'
Department of Preventative Mediein'
of the University of Missouri, Colum
: bia, Missouri, at once, and furnish TIL
| commission with the results of thi
analysis. Special containers with di
} Lrections for drawing samples will b
: forwarded to you by the Department
of Preventative Medicine upon appli
: cation.
= For the Commission,
T. M. Bradbury, Sec'y.