Year: 1859

two acids products OF the decomposition of an
" imal matter and ,ny water containing them will
infsllibly act upon lead and consequently it would
be highly dangerous to pass such water through
leaden pipes or TO store it in eaden cisterns." They
often met with uncombined and nitric acid ncomb


nation, also in the form Of soluble ntraes in spring
water. They are generated wherever decomposition
OF organic matters is taking place, and familiar
ample Of their spontaneous formation may be cited in
The production Of saltpeter nitrate Of potash upon
damp cellar walls. Waters containing decomposing
organic matters are hence deleterious net only from
the immediate effects of these, but from the action
they induce upon the lead pipes. Now it is well
Known that the Nassau water is remarkably pure and
son and moreover that for the first seven and half
miles it is conveyed in an open canal, which has
descent of only two inches per mile. Along the banks
Of this canal the conditions most favorable for
the growth Of marsh and aqueous plants and the pro-
ducton of the numerous small animals common to
ponds and their margins. The death and decay of
these vegetable and animal bodies will cngender the nj


trogenous compounds, the presence of which is most
TO be feared and the Oflead pipe may prove more
hurfu than in cities furnished with less pure quail
ity Of water. This consideration gives additional i'm
port to the necessity Of completing the covered con-
duit TO the sources of the supply The only chemical
examination Of this water, after its passage through
lead pipes, to which we can refer, is one recently
made by Prof. A. X. Eaton, of New-York. From
a pint of the water which had stood over night
in the lead pipes, he obtained an appreciable
quantity Of lead much more than he had ever de-
tected in the Croton water under similar crcumstan
ces. The obtaining this from so small a quantity
would seem to render it probable that the water
may take up much than the proportions
named as hurfu and should inspire greater caution
in drawing off and rejecting the water that has stood
in the pipes before using it, This should be done at
least until the action of this water upon lead better
understood. BY still later examination mot yet
completely Of water from the first drawing in the
ing through the lead pipe, introduced within few
days, for supplying the house at the Of Hicks
and Joralemon streets, Prof. Eaton found a much
less quantity of lead; but the organic matter
amounted to the unusual proportion of g grains to
the gallon.


DIR. Medlock, the chemist to whom we are indebted
for the views presented by Dr. Musprat has recently
patented method Of neutralizng the effects Of the
ntrates by introducing coils of iron wire or pieces of
sheet iron into the water containing these salts the
decomposition of which is induced by the iron As nj
trous acid however, is one Of the products Of the
chemical change it is not obvious how the injurious
effects of this acid upon the lead prevented But
DIR. Muspratt from the results Of experiments made
by him upon the waters supplied to Liverpool, which
contain animal and vegetable impurities and ntrates,
says that he arrived at very satisfactory conclusions
that the object proposed by the patentee may be COM
pletely fulfilled. DIR. Medlock afirms that the action
of any water on lead is entirely due to the presence
Of nitrous and nitric acid resulting from the decom-
position of organic matters it may be of ammonia
taken up from the atmosphere and further, that wa
ters deprived Of these acids have action on lead
Their presence Absence or that OF substances ca
pable of producing tbem he regards as the first ques
ton relative to the sanitary value of water which
ought to present itself to municipal or corporate
bodies, well to private individuals; but as their
injurious influence is often obviated, at least in part
by the presence of certain mineral ingredients, 1t
NAV. in most cases. be sufficient to determine, by d
rect experiment that the water in question has no
solvent power upon lead. This may often be readily
ascertained by observing the change if any, the wa
ter effects upon bright sheet lead exposed for some
time to its action and during this time carefully ex-
cluded from the air. The quantity of lead which
may be allowed in water is very uncertain, and would
vary for different individuals. DIR. Penny of Glas-
COW refers to case in which One-ninh of grain OF
lead per gallon deranged the health of whole COM
munity; and also gives the opinion of Dr. John Smith
of Aberdeen that the limit of manifesy deleterious
action would seem to be somewhere between one
tenth and one-twenteth of a grain. Many eminent
practitioners condemn the continued use of water
having a much smaller degree of contamination than
one grain of lead in gallon of water


We should have been glad to have seen IN TINS
work statement, by Mr.. KirkwOOd, OF the compara'
tive merits and expense of the different kinds OF SER
vice pipe in use; and think this would have
been very appropriate place to present such
statement which We know not where else to look for
In the report cited frequent mention is incidentally
msSo of wroupbt iron pipe, and of the same lined
with zinc or with tin, and are aware OF its being
coated on the inside with glaze, and also with
charred wood. Lead pipe also referred to as some
times made of alloy Of lead and tin and some oithe
authorities cited recommend its adoption safer than
lead alone while Others condemn 1t as more danger
ous and less permanent Wrought iron pipe, unprotect-
cd obiectonable its abilityto rust ndobStruct
the flow Of the water and, in common with the same
material protected by any kind OF lining, from Its n
Aexibtv and the greater damage that would enSue oy
itsbursiur in case of the water freezing within It, AL
Hartford thev must have had great experience in Its
,se and IL would be interesting and useful to be in-
formed of the results of this. We have heard that
in Boston guta percha pipes have been employed IN
some instances as service pipe, and the same mate
rial has been used fer the pipe conveying the Croon
water beneath the channel to Blackwell Island The
expense of this substance probably would prevent ITS
general adoption but where can one find correct
account OF its peculiar qualities when applied to this
use Sheet-iro pipes, lined with hydraulic cement,
are used in many towns for aQueduct pipes and so
far. We believe, they have given satisfaction 10
some extent they might be safely used as service
nina n. least where permanently buried in the EARTH