The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-01
NOTHING THE MATTER WITH IT
This Is the Verdict of the
Chemist in Charge.
He Describes in Detail the Pro-
cess of Publication.

What is the matter with the soft
ened water from the new filtration
plant?
Nothing at ALL says A. F. Coogins
chemist in charge of the filtration
plant
"a whole lot" say some of Topeka's
photographers, who claim that with ii
they have difficulty in developing their
films.
TITS awful said J. C. wolcott,
when he was asked about it. The
chemicals they put in soften the films
as soon as they touch the water. You
have to handle everything with gloves
on. almost, or your films will be
ruined. Everything scratches from
shouldn't do that, and they shouldnt
soften, either. We have to use extra
chemicals, and do lots of experiment.
ing before we can even begin to get
decent results How that water can
be fit to drink is more than can see-
To C. ]. Boeger, the city water was
an aggravating subject, also
I'VE were able to overcome it after
we spent about 800 in experimenting.
but for awhile it was terrible. II We
reprinted one picture. we reprinted a
hundred. The emulsion on the plates
would peel right off. We had to COM
bine chemicals time and again. until
we found a combination that would
work all right in the water. but final
Iy we did it. Look here"
He produced several pictures with
which to illustrate
see, here's one made before we
found our new method and had to use
the plain water. There is no shading
Everything is dead black and white.
Now you take this picture You see
how everything is dehcately shaded
hoo rrrT,A hot is
what we finally were able to accom-
1plish."
other photographers did not seem
TO have had so much difficulty George
Nyman looked surprised when he was
asked if he were having trouble with
the water.
st haven't noticed a thing wrong
with my negatives. In fact, I'm get
ting better results with the softened
water than 1 did before / used to
use distilled water and now I use city
water because it's softer"
L. Cady Hodge was perfectly salts
fled with the city water. 81 haven't
had any trouble; I like it, he said
.sOf course in hot weather a photog-
rapher is is always apt to have trou-
BILE. He has to foresee that and use
lots of ice and good strong chemicals
and pay lots of attention to what he
Is doing. But the fact that the city
water has been softened at the plant
has nothing to do with it.
w. NH QIGW lAAC
same conclusions. IT'S all hot weather
trouble. The water hasn't a thing to
do with it. I like it better than be-
FORE" he sad.
A F. Goodgins, who is the new
chemist at the city water plant, scout
ed the idea that the chemicals in the
water could hurt the negatives.
BY the time the water gets to any
chemicals in it." he said. I'VE don't
put anything in the water that stays.
What happens out at the water
works is this. When the water comes
from the river, it contains about three
hundred and seventy parts of hardness
per million parts of water. By hard
ness we mean minerals like bicarbon-
ate of potassium and sodium and cal
cium, which are temporary, and sui
pilates and chlorides which are per-
maneut.
LAS this water comes along thru
the ground to the wells from which
you used to get it direct, it gathers
up more hardness and when it arrived
it contains six hundred parts per mil
lion.
This when it's left alone, coats the
pipes and boilers with little scales OF
iron and aluminium and so on, which
OF course impairs their efficiency.
$50 what we do is this We first
put in a lime, which combines with
the hardness to form an insoluble
compound. Then we put in a little
alum, about two hundred pounds per
, million gallons 1t acts like the white
of an egg in coffee. 1t forms all the
mud and minerals into little granular
masses which we call flocks-
Then the water is passed into
basins 1t takes about eight hours to
pass thru the first compartment of
the basins alone. During that time,
these little flocks fall to the bottom.
That gets rid of the lime and most of
the alum, along with mud, minerals
and so on.
Some alum is left tho, so we pass
the water thru two filters of sand.
They take out everything else but
color. bacteria, and a very little min
ute vegetable matter. The alum which
had been left forms a jelly on top of
the second filter, which is fine enough
to catch even bacteria.
but even after all that, we want
to add another precaution, so we put
in three pounds of chlorine to the mil
lion gallons Three pounds OF any
thing in a million gallons is hardly
enough to mention, but even that Is
not left in. The chlorine attacks any
bit of vegetable matter that might be
left in the water and they combine to
release oxygen just like you breathe.
That's all.
ssThe hardness has been reduced
from 500 parts to seventy. so that
when YOU had to use 500 bars of soap,
you now only have to use seventy
bars
The photographers difficulty, &C
cording to Googins, is that they used
to have to use a softener in develop
ing, but now that minerals have been
find new ratio for their chemicals.
simply adapting themselves to new
and better conditions.
a.a~V0r ~o1r1Ta Rr1r