Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-09
FRAUDULENT TESTS
TO ALARM WATER
BUYERS CHARGED
D. c. Firm Declared Frighten-
ing Consumers With "AIum"
Demonstrations.
CHEMIST REPRODUCES
LABORATORY EFFECTS
Star Reporter Shown Proof of
Purity of Local Water Supply
From Dalecarlia.

Charges that a Washington firm
which sells distilled water has been con-
Quoting fraudulent tests allegedly to
show that District water contained
alum and other impurities, described as
likely to produce hardening of the ar
teries and kidney stones, were turned
over to the District Health Department
and the Department of Agriculture yes
terday by Maj. Brehon Somervell, in
charge of the District water supply.
Maj. Somervells action followed ex-
periments by Carl j. Lauter, chief
chemist in his ONCE, who was able to
reproduce in his laboratory the tests al
legged to have been made by the distilled
water sellers.
Maj. Somervell later pointed out that
some 20 samples daily are taken of the
Districts water supply at the filtration
plant at Dalecarlia and carefully tested.
The water supply is pure, he said.
Trial Experiment illustrates.
In his office in the Navy Department
Building, Maj. Somervell conducted an
experiment for reporter of The Star,
designed to show that the water COM
pany's methods are based on an electri-
cal and chemical experiment only, and
the alleged impurity is easily explained.
Maj. Somervell filled a beaker with
water from the Dalecarlia plant and in
serted IN the liquid an electrical heater,
the copper coil Of which was exposed to
the liquid. After short time the water
was made hot and greenish scum APP
peared. This, Mai. Somervell said,
Lauter had seen the water company's
tester do.
After a short time the greenish sub
stance, which is termed copper hydrox-
ide. is seen In suspension in the water,
looking like alum.
this Is What the company tells the pros
pective customer is alum, as a result
OF alleged impurities in the city's water
system. Mai. Somervell explained that
this copper hydroxide, If taken in
ternally, will probably turn In the
stomach into copper chloride. The
major took occasion to issue a warning
that any kind of open heater of cop
per coil in contact with milk or water.
or other liquid, would produce like
result. If the copper coil is insulated,
so as not to come into contact with the
liquid, then, he added, the danger Is
obviated.
Declares City Water Pure.
To show that the city's water does
not contain the alleged impurity, Mai.
Somervell next took q pair of platinum
plates to produce the electrolysis, by
winch the water Is turned into its COM
ponent parts Of hydrogen and oxygen.
BY heating the water with the platinum
plates, Maj. Somervell showed that
there was no precipitate produced and
no d1Scoloration resulted. This, he
SAID, demonstrated that Washington
water Is pure and the alleged impurity
IS produced by putting the copper coil
in the water to heat It.
The District engineer said that even
II there was alum in the water, the
quantity produced apparently by the
experiment, using the copper coil ex-
posed to the liquid, would be far in ex-
cess OF any amount which could possibly
reach the consumer.
win reference to copper coils ex-
posed to the liquid which they are used
70 neat, Maj. Somervell issued a warn
ing tnat II used for baby's milk, the
copper precipitate would not show up
10 the eye, and might prove highly in
FURIOUS In the infants stomach.
Warned of Disease.
Lauter's report said
On February S and I visited this
place. posing as a prospective customer
Tor their water and asked to see the
tests. These he gladly gave. placing
this exposed coil heater in a glass of tan
water and then passing direct current
through the coil until the water came
TO boil. AS the water heated heavy
noculent precipitate began to be de-
posted. and it was of greenish color.
Tnis precipitate said representative
called the alum In the water, and the
green color, he stated, was the chlorine
with which the water Is doped to make
1t pure: He showed me that there was
more than teaSpoonful of alum with
chlorine in one glass of city water, and
tnen went on to make more nisrepre-
sensations and statements regarding the
numbers OF diseases one will positively
acquire If they drink such water. He
also stated that several physicians were
recently impressed with these tests and
were beginning to question the qualities
OF our water"