Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-12
COLOR OF WATER
No SIGN IMPURE
s.nmissiorcr ]. 4. Murrin De.
clares That City supply Is
safe for Drinking.
r,TF REPORTS BACK HIM Up
,,sIrses Made al University OF
Illinois Show II Is Not
Harmful TO Body.

- Won like to drink water yol
drink as much in Rock Island
con want without harm 10 yod.
Commissioner John ~ Murrin To
~ said that while the water 40
rs A little C0Iored it is absolute
nnre Mr.. Nurrin explained that
IL water everywhere at this time
The wear is colored some, due q
- vegetable matter IN il. With
- ice melting in the creeks and
-.La- small streams tributary TO
~ Mississippi river, vegetable
-s,,er from leaves and grass II
= water. makes il difficult TO re-
I've all the coloratiCns. The col
= however. has no bearing on
- nuriry of the water, the COM
~issioner said.
In support Of this. he pointed o
-,orts he received today from the
tate OF Illinois department Of reg
sration ana education, state wa
~ survey division, at the stat .
~,,versitv Urbaua. An analysis
= water taken at the raw water
i,let. brought the following repor-'
The ANALYSIS OF the raw water IN
Fcates that it is polluted and not
u.isfactcry for drinking purposes
uless properly treated.
Treated Water Pure.
The report on the analysis Of
heated water from the filtered wa
,sr tap. is as follows The analy-
Il of the treated water indicates
sat the treatment has been sue
ssssful and that the water IS safe
for drinking purposes"
Water in some cities in Illinois
vas so bad this spring that an cpl
5emic Of disease was caused.
The Journal OF the American
Medical association, in its current
issue. ably comments on the recent
ronach and bowel epidemic in Ger
taln cities. The editorial calls at
,ention to the ease with which
saalyses Of water may be obtained
from the state officials and sums
I'd is conclusions as follows.
Both tie Rockford and the
Quincy epidemics tsome years ago.
gere due 10 something approaching
announcement OF the water sup
Div systems. and from the infor-
nation furnished in the report Of
pur special investigator published
list week il may be cOnjectureC
hat the Peoria outbreak may have
been due to some form Of careless
less or negligence on the part CT
tie po1slble Authorities.
Fear Typhoid.
1t is somewhat surprising that
city the size of Peoria an eff
Rient municipal health organiza-
Ism should not be provided. W.
lEderstaud tina the Peoria health
i 6cer is uol a fuIl-tiEne appOintee,
ni that no systematic oversight
b. the bacterial condition OF the
aer supply has been practiced.
Ii Peoria as IN many other Citieo.
| here have doubtless been some I'M
attling changes in the Office OF the
Lszlth commissioner, as a result
4 the shifting OF personnel neces-
stated by the war, but the healt:,
thriving city is too important
70 be jeopaldized in this way eK-
ept in dire need There seems
little doubt that Peoria. like many
Hher cities OF its class, is mistakelt
suppOsing that the health work
q the city can be properly admin
Eered with paTt-time service and
nth insufficient staff and apprOpTt-
nions. There is a kind of eff
aehcy just as necessary at this
tine in civil life as in the military
amps If Peoria reaps an afeer-
nath OF typhoid with It's toll OF
iesths. the appeal to the magma
ion OF the average citizen may be
greater than ii no further devel-
gpment takes place: but the Out
Feak, as we now know about Il,
must be sufficiently Impressive II
he authorities. In public health
i5airs, eternal vigilance is the
vice Of safety"