The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-10-27
Pure WATER PUTS
TYPHOID TO ROUT
Cites Which Have Improved
Their Supply Have Reduced
Death Rate.
Big SUNS ARE Being SPENT
More Than a Billion Dollars Now In.
vested In Plants Owned by
Larger Cities, Says Uncle
Sam. -


Sam.
That the people of the United States
are spending larger sums every yeaI
to obtain pure water supply and that
the obtaining of such a supply by the
operation of publication plants is con.
quering typhoid fever in the larger
cities Of the country are among the in,
teresting facts brought out by Uncle
| Sam in recent bulletin.
The bulletin also shows that great
majority of the larger cities of the
country now own their own water
supply systems. or the 2O4 cities hav-
ing more than 10000 inhabitants in
the fiscal year 101l-15, 1876, or 7G per
cent, owned their water systems. Sew
4 enty-three of these cities were Operat,
| ing publication plants in that year
and Of this number 81 had either built
or improved and enlarged their plants
since 1903.
During this same PERIOD" contin-
ues the bulletin, "there has been
throughout the country remarkable
decrease in the death rate due TO tv-
phoid fever. Although this decrease
has taken place in both urban and
rural localities, II is noteworthy thar
in most Of the large cities which have
recently built or improved and en-
larged their publication plants the de-
cline has bpan srraa for L., Conc ,,....,
very much greater-than the average
decline elsewhere. For example. in
Cleveland the typhoid death rate fell
from Ill per 100000 population in
1903 to 81 in 19l1; in PHILADELPHIA.
from 1913 to 7G; in Pittsburgh, from
1927 to 10; in Cincinnati, from 42.2
to 81; in Chicago, from 32.5 to So;
in st. Louis, from 52.6 to 70; in Wash
ington, from 4S.5 to 11.9; in Mlnneap-
oils, from AL to 12.5, and in New
York, from Ill to 6.3.
Filtration Dates Back to 1929.
"The history of the publication Of
water for public use dates from 1920.
when some filter beds were used in
connection with the water supply OF
London, England; but the discovery
that slow sand filtration not only re-
moved inorganic matter. turbidity,
color, state, odor, etc.-acting merely
as strainer-but also removed near
~ all the bacteria, was not made until
about sixty years later.
THE first publication plant con-
sJructed in the United States was put
in operation in Washington, d. G., IN
1888. This was of the "sedimtnta-
tionN type, which depends upon the
force Of gravity 70 carry down and
deposit the clay and silt. Similar
plants were installed in Louisville,
Ky, in 1879; Council Bluffs, It,, in
1883; Dallas, Tex, in 1889, and Omaha,
Ncb., and Oshkosh Wis, in 1880
In 1900 a plant for the publication
Of water by chemical sterilization was
built at Mobile, Ala. This process con-
sists In the addition to the water Of
various chemicals which either kill the
bacteria or make it possible to remove
them by subsistence or filtration. From
1903 to 1914, inclusive, chemical ster-
ilization plants We're built in 40 other
cities of over 10000, and at present
time more than half of the munieipal- /
y owned water-supply systems having /
publication plants are using this meth
Dd, either exclusively or in combina- I
ton with one or more of the other ,
processes.
"of the IS cities employing purifca-
ion systems, go obtain their water
supply, wholly or in part, from rivers
md other streams, u from lakes, and .
Neb.-frOm wells.
Cost of Water-SuppIy Plants.
"The growing sOlicitude for the pur-
ty and adequacy of the water supply
$ further indicated by the very con.
iderable increase which has taken
,lace during recent years in the
mount invested in municipal water
upply plants. The total capital ir.-
'ested in these plants in 1904, in the
05 cities of over 10000 which owned.
ither wholly or in part, and operated
heir water systems, and for which
ata are available, was, in round num-
ers, $513,000,000, representing a per
apita investment Of approximately
20. In the fiscal year 1914-15 tho
lumber of such cities owning their
lants had increased to 155, the total
Investment to $1,O71, 100000, and the
er capita investment to approximate
Y $3S. The increase in the per capita
Investment during the II years thus
mounted to 81 per cent.
"While it is, Of course, quite true
hat an adequate supply of pure water
an be provided for one city at far
ass per capita cost than for another,
Y reason of differences in the con-
tructiOn problems involved or in the
ature of the sources from which tho
'ater is obtained, the fact Of pllmo
Ignificance brought out by the report
! that an efficient system is now re-
arded by most cities as an economic
ecessity and hence is acquired, &c
ardless of the cost"