Show THE JORDAN RIVER the public arp are familiar with the he previous correspondence that has pawed between dr J E talmage and dr B S B young on the subject of the impurities in the jordan river biver below the sewer outlet also with the analyses ty dr talmage Talo aage of samples of water taken from the stream above and below that point in continuation of the important subject the NEWS takes pleasure in laying before its ito readers the following communication SALT LAKE sept 1892 prof J E talmage dear doctor lu in your communication of the inet IDOL containing analysis of the jordan river biver waters water you requested my opinion as to its use by the inhabitants along its ite banks and the effew effect it would produce on milk taken from cows come who are in the habit of drinking this water I 1 trust you will kindly extend pardon to tome me fou for having postponed my answer to this date but excessive labors professional and othere other of must plead an excuse for me to begin then prof J herbert U 8 0 E says water is ia an essential element of existence the presence and need of water is nearly universal it is no less lesa a primary want of human life than aix air and food A subject of such vital importance as aa water supply demands the most careful consideration an aa its influences influence for good or evil are of the gravest graves char character act the need of water in community may be classed in two divisions public and private uses the public uses are such an aa for extinguishing fire cleansing and sprinkling streets and flushing of sewers for public foun fountains taink baths and similar purposes tb the private are for the household for manufacture and other purposes affecting g each consumer individually when once used it is soiled oiled and must be got rid of and the manner of doing this will affect others in the community it may be by contaminating their source ot supply or causing foul exhalation which the air will convy convey to their dwellings it seems desirable says aay dr parka to give the public some sort of an idea what waters may be used and what may not be and I 1 think the following standard will convey the most import ant points connected with the of drinking water he proposes to form a class clan ot wholesome waters under which two sub closes of waters may be ln included cluied first the purest and most whole some water which to Is free from suspended matters and contains very little dissolved organic matter say may under one grain to the gallon and that probably vegetable and of dissolved dissolve ii mineral matters under seven grai grains as per gallon this will include all the waters supplied from the primitive rooks rocks and some ot the sands which contain lose less thau than that quantity ot ol mineral matter and is probably the purest water on the whole which can ue de obtained in sufficient large quantities rain water after filtration might come under the same standard stan daid then the second or subclass sub class in this the first order would be what may be called pure and wholesome water to which no objection can be made I 1 believe in a sanitary point ol of view but which is in not so pure as the former this water to is also measurably free from suspended matters having dissolved organic matters under two grains per gallon the greater part ot that being vegetable of dissolved mineral matters it would contain jess than twelve grains per gallons consisting principally of the carbonate of limesand lime and alkaline italine al carbon ates and chlorides the second sub class would include the best chalk waters which are generally generelly gene rully very its indeed from organic matter then the second grand elan class I 1 would make I 1 would call usable waters those are all waters with no suspended matters or suspended matters easily separated by the coarse nitration filtration usually resorted to by the wat water companies the organic matter must be chiefly vege vegetable tuble but it should not exceed three grains per gallotta gal lottS owing to the diseases would woula probably arise it it exceeded that quantity sod and if the organic matter is apparently of animal origin it should not exceed one grain per gallon the small email amount of mineral salts it way may contain should consist of a class clans of salts which do no injury to the human system such as aa alkaline carbonates alkaline chlorides chloride 0 sodium and chloride of potassium in less quantity and possibly a small moeut amount of carbonate of lime also aleo I 1 would mould exclude all sewage throughout the third class would be what I 1 would mould call auspicious water which would be any water with much matter suspended such water as ae that would ja in all probability contain mineral matera term in fine particles which are hurt tu fuji much buch as clay or organic matters very finely divided and not very easily separated by filtration ox if it contains cont alne any ady indication of ni nitrates nitrites nitrates nitrate ammonia etc bowing that organic matters had bad passed into the water and had then been oxidized any indications of that kind I 1 con elder eider would bring the ciao under the head of water tho fourth class would be impure water which would include any turbid and bud bad smelling water with suspended matters not easily separated by coarse filtration also dissolved orga matters above two grains per gallon especially if of animal origin or large jare indications of fatty acids ammon lai etc etca all of which indicate the passage ot of organic matters animal in all probability into such waters to sum eum up I 1 would propose as a popular division let pure and wholesome waters such as am are found at west bountiful in our largest sod and bent beat flowing artesian wells 2nd and usable unable waters such as our city creek and Emi emigration grAlon canyon waters from which our city supply to is largely taken ard suspicious waters as aa the salt bait lake and jordan canal and the jordan ionian river water above the he sewer outlet jtb impure waters such euch as a we find in the jordan river biver below the sewer outlet this thin latter meets ajl ail the indications of the jtb claim turbid and bad smelling for this water as aa we gathered a sampie sample below the sewer outlet showed a lark dark and turbid condition condi tiou and smelled so 80 badly that the operation of taking the water from the stream was any thing but a pleasant one and the appearance pe arance of the stream at best beat a abug glah one thickly added through all alj its ite perceptible parts with largeant large and small email federi masses so eo plentifully plentiful Jy that in dipping for the specimens for analytical purposes we could net secure a dipper full without theme theae masses being larkely largely apparent in ili each part taken you state in your paper on the a au alisle of this water from the jordan that in your opinion a human being would be greatly exposing himself to take a drink of the jordan water below the sewer outlet and while this will be readily taken for granted I 1 may state here that the stench from this sewer flower polluted river will endanger the health ofa of all people liva living rig 0 CD n to it and not only these but the entire city will be made to suffer if this menace meance to life and health is in not hot in some manner abated you further ask my opinion aci ai to the effect it would have upon milk taken from cows cow who constantly drink impregnated water I 1 will give my opinion in the following state BMW ment and I 1 make the statement wi without about fear of successful contradiction there ja ie not a civilized community in the world that would knowingly per mit such euch milk to te be brought into the olty city limits much less allow it to be sold old dally daily for consumption among its ite community to what extent this same milk may be diseased diee aeed would te t I elong to the field of the bacteriologist to determine and the nature of the bacilli there found very truly and fraternally yours youre SEYMOUR B |