Year: 1879

est hopes in this direction.


PURE WATER.-Mr. George g. Lob
dell has sent the GAZETTE letter IN
which he comments upon the alleged i'm
purity of the water we drink. The let
ter is on an important subject and will
speak for itself. 1t is conspicuously in
serted in another column. 1t may be
that the overflow of the marshes has had
something to do with the various forms
of fever that now make their appearance
in our city. But we should suppose fever
and ague would be more likely to result
from such cause instead of typhoid fe-
yer. And then, too, the localities affect
ed would have been in the low, marshy
grounds, and the sections of the city
along the banks of the rivers or creeks,
or adjacent thereto. Such Is not the
case. There appears to be more Of the
disease in the western part Of the city,
and there its work seems to be more fatal.
We are disposed to at iribute the cause of
the fever to the inclement weather of
the past month or two, and the contrac-
ton of severe colds from the want of
proper precaution, and to exposure to the
damp atmosphere. These symptoms of
the terrible typhoid are not confined to
our city. They prevail more or less over
the whole section of country along the
Atlantic coast aud in the Middle States.
To be sure it is right and proper to look
after this cause in all directions and it
would not be improper, we presume, to
require that the marsh banks be repaired
in such a manner as to prevent such
overflows in future. We, however, are
compelled to look to the impurities dis
charged into the Brandywine for the
main cause Of the presen: sickness If ii
has its origin in the waer we drink, as
Mr.. Lobdell seems to suppose. 1t has
always been regarded as crime to im-
pregnate springs or running waters with
poisonous substances and no man has
right to venture such an experiment
even with the greatest caution.-
There is now discharged into the Bran
dywine from the works of the Messrs
Bancroft, situated about two miles from
this city, on every Sunday evening at 81,
O'Clock, mass of dye water that come,
down with the water We drink. Fisl
have been known to be killed when thes,
substances were discharged and the creel
water rendered black and disgusting a
tar down as the bridge and opposite t.
the city water mill. This water is, n,
doubt, sometimes pumped up into on
reservoir. The Messrs. Bancroft sa
they have an arrangement with the engi
neer to stop the city pumps at 6 p. IN
on Sundays, and the firm are TO pay tn
city for any damage caused by the STOP
page OF the water wheel pump. The
say it would cost about $4,000 to drai
their dye water off as Messrs. Jessup
Moore have done. We presume it coul
be done by contract for half that sun
The dis ance being about three-fourths
mile. They say to remove their worl
would cost about $l50,00O; and that


is only within the past few years th,
they have discharged these ingredien
into the Brandywine in such quantitie
They are now dying large quantities


material for other manufacturers, an
this they did not formerly do. o.
readers know that this conduct of Il
Messrs. Bancroft has been questioned +
a long time, both by the Board Of Heal
and in the newspapers. 1t was befo
the Legislature several years ago, al


we understood that the firm had prom


ed not to discharge this material in L


stream. Dogs have died, it is said, fro
swimming in the stream while this st


was in the water. Again it is said it free;


in the Ice and clings to the rocks a


does not pass away before the pumpi


is commenced; and again that it me


the tide and is waited back to the wa


source. The Board of Health has


some three or four committees on


matter at various times, and each one


endeavored to have the grievance rel


died without success. We have b,


drinking the Brandywine water fir


reservoirs for more than half a C


tury and at no time was it conside


detrimental to health until this dj


dye water, from a weeks gathering, i


stagnant pool, filled with dye substan


that is said to be poisonous,


discharged into the stream, and 81


then the complaint has been general


frequent.


r. L