South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-09-28
BOARD ORDERS
COLONIZATION
Of CITY WATER
Machinery to Purify Supply
Soon to be Installed in LO-
cal Pumping Stations, Fol-
lowing CObb'S Report.

South Pend will drink chloriuated
water as % means Of com batting dis
ease.
Upon the recommendation of Maj.
j. o.. Cobb of the a. s. Public
Health service. the board OF public
works made the decision 90 install
apparatus as soon as possible. and
the order has been given to Wallace
and Herman of New York city. The
installation will include five ma
chimes. one for each high service
pump. and will be completed within
three weeks. at cost of $3.50.
This step will make the water
supply safe. because the addition OF
chlorine 70 the water Will Kill an or
ganisms in it, AS soon as possible
the other recommendation of Mai
Cobb will be acted upon. and il Is
hoped that it will be possible 20 dis
continue the ChlOrinatiOn when these
protective measures have been car
lied 10 completion.
COLONIZATION is not am unusual
means Of protection for citys
water supply, said Mai. Cobb. Chi
cago. Omaha. Milwaukee. East St
Louis. Evansville. Indianapolis. and
4 number of other cities are using
10 right along. And, after the other
things have been done to protect the
water supply the chlorination can
he stopped
Not Water Alone.
II do not iay responsibility for
the epidemic on the water alone"
declared the major "I believe that
your proposed clubhouse ordinance
should be passed, and should he
rigidly enforced AS long as con
diuous stand as they are now i'm
South Bend, the fight against dis
ease g. bound TO be hard"
That the central reservoir may be
largely responsible was the opinion
al Mai. Cobb. There are a number
of cracks iu the walls ne explained,
land the reservoir is situated in such
"a way that river water seeps down
and may 60 through the cracks, thus
concentrating the water inside. The
pipes which cross the race are sue
tion pipes and if there is any break,
water from outside is sucked in.
causing further contamination. The
installation Of wells under the river
bed should never have been done"
Immediate elimination of the wells
$50 situated is recommended 10y the
major
system Always Faulty.
The system has always been more
or less faulty. due 10 the fact that
suction pipes pass through the river
and the race. and due also 20 the
fact that the central reservoir is al
together i'm a observation-disclosures posi-
ton. Answering the question of p.
NJ. Morris. president OF the board of
public works. as TO why the typhoid
epidemic did not appear sooner. Mai.
cobb replied. a faulty system to
start with becomes worse as time
passes"
This is not the first time the CEN
trail reservoir has caused trouble
according 20 authentic information.
The cement flooring has been broken
through i'm number of places, max
ing it necessary TO patch IT quite
frequently. AT least three entirely
new floors. one on top Of the other,
have been laid. and still there IS
leakage.
Supt Toyne proposes to do away
with the trouble by building total
lv new tank inside the old reservoir.
not touching 10 i'm any way. with a
special drainage system 20 carry or
any water which may seep through
the outer wall This. in combination
with the proposed new location OF
the pumping machines. will DO away
with the trouble as outlined oy Mas.
cobb.
MAY Change Pipe system
III the pumping station is built on
The island. as has been suggested.
end am ordinance for which Is now
pending in the city council, il viii be
possible 10 push the water through
the pipes across the race instead OF
puu IT, Thus If there is a break
rhe outside water. instead OF being
drawn into the pipe. viii Dee drawn
away from the leak.
Suction on the wells. is also bad
praCtice. according 20 Mai Cobb.
necause- although the water beneath
the rock stratum is undoubtedly
uure. there may bee veins Of water
nearer the surface which are con-
taminated. should there Dee any
freaks in the pipe lines iu the wells
This outside water would OF course
lie sucked into the uppy
suction Can Be AVcrtcd.
Bv having the central and north
,-servoirs so arranged that water
from the wells viii Cow INTO the
reservoir through the static head
.f the weus-rhat i> the natural
tendency 90 bubble up and noW out
at the sarface-this suction on the
pipe VIII be aVerted. Then water
frou the reservoirs can Sc pushed
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